“Terrible service from Arnold Clark who also don't like dealing with complaints. From the day I picked up my car i had issues which should of got picked up on their comprehensive pre delivery inspection like they advertised, for the whole 60 day warranty i was chasing them up and going back and forth taking days off and wasting my time, I received emails regarding my issues now nothing not even a phone call or good will gesture, take you money and run that's Arnold Clark so before you buy from them read the reviews and think about the aftercare they don't provide especially dealing with complaints.”
“Bought a brand new car from this dealership. Less than a month of ownership and there is an issue with it that is making it unsafe to drive and unfit for use. As you can see the car has done less than 800 miles.
On Monday Arnold Clark central 60 day warranty team booked it in with this dealership, confirming to me the dealership would collect the car and provide me with a courtesy car for the duration it was away. They told me the dealership would be in touch to confirm, when I hadn’t heard from them I called them back Tuesday to then receive this email:
Dear …….
I have spoken to my manager and he confirmed that, as this car is new and still under manufacturer's warranty, Citroen would have to organise and cover the recovery of the vehicle. They would also be able to organise a replacement vehicle for you. Our courtesy cars are not available for long term hire and never guaranteed.
He also mentioned that there is a Citroen recovery button on your vehicle, which, if pressed, will send out the recovery team to your location. It is located in the roof next to the rear view mirror (but not the SOS button) - if this helps.
I am very sorry for this inconvenience and I understand your frustration completely. Unfortunately, this is the process to follow and for the manufacturer to organise. I would suggest getting in touch with the Citroen customer care team on 0800 093 9393 to see if they can help you with this.
Absolutely diabolical they are taking no accountability whatsoever to help me in any way after selling me the car and I am now left with an unsafe car!
This dealership are obviously only interested in income and now customer service.”
“I bought my ds3 crossback from arnold clark Birtley Site. Within 3 months it failed to start most days, cut out completely mid drive on busy roads, terrifying 😳 the sent an AA van to tow it back to them and even he coukdnt start it. They called me next day to collect saying it was repaired, new battery. I told them no way is this fault a battery, but im a woman so wouldn't listen. Took it home, next day none starter again, AA back out and towed back to them. Insisted on a refund, to be told the mechanic can't find any faults therefore its fine and refused refund??? Despite 3 reports from 3 AA mechanics stating car is in need of repair and dangerous to drive. Now dealing with head office complaints dept. Im not giving up getting my money back. Will never use them again.”
“Bought a Mazda cx30 from the Nottingham AC in August .On the way home the fault light came on . Took it back to AC who said it needed to go to a dealership in Mansfield. They had to order the part so I had to take it back several weeks later, leave the car overnight and pick it up the next day.All inconvenience to us. AC also said they would order a set of mats from Mazda and they would take 2 to 3 weeks to arrive. After several phone calls to AC and them saying they would get the salesperson to ring us back , no one ever did. Even called in to AC but still no joy.
We are now in January and I’m guessing we shall never see the mats.
Sales person was very good at his job and we were taken in by his sale pitch but will not be going back to AC to buy a car.”
“Beware Beware Beware Beware Beware
After some nice person scraped my wheel are trim on my OMODA 5
I went into my local Arnold Clark branch
In Newcastle Uopn Tyne
They were very helpful in looking at my car for part required ‘
That’s were it all ended
Very poor level of service from here
Ordered required part at the beginning of sept , told if in uk would be 2 weeks
If was from OMODA China would be end of month that’s September !!!!!
Got phone call end of September saying
Should be here Soon !!!!
Waited till end of October still no part !!!!
Visited AC told it should be here soon
Another phone call still not here
We are now in October still no Part
Visited AC Same excuse !!!
AC Said they would ring me in. Few days
Guess what happened Yeah no phone call !!!!
We are now in December visited AC told
Same old story !!!!
This brings me to today 29 Th Dec
Guess what again no part
This is nearly 4 months
Asked for a refund answer no !!!!
Still no further forward
Will be sending e mail to The CEO
The Story continues !!!
Will keep you updated”
“Had the misfortune to buy my mum a car from their dealership in Stoke in September. Promised the earth and sales rep Luke Taylor delivered nothing. There was damage (deep scratches) to the drivers window and the rear passenger window which was reported and it took 3 months, the car being returned for assessment and the threat of further action before action took place. Even then on bringing the car back to the dealership for the 2nd time and having to leave it for a day (having been refused a courtesy car) only one window was fixed as they had ordered the wrong glass for one window. Eventually the 2nd window was fixed the following day but at my mum's home as there was no chance she would be returning to the dealership for a 3rd time. At no point was any form of compensation or a gesture of goodwill for stress caused offered to my mother. A car purchase should provide happiness, sadly all this caused was anxiety. Mr Taylor was the stereotypical car sales rep, get the sale and then couldn't care less.”
“My daughter went ro get a car as she past her driving yest first time she saw on with a big drive me away today sign on it. Paod deposit went home sorted insurance just the car. Go to get the car, sorry you cant get it theres somethong wrong with the dashboard bulb that took 2 weeks sending for parts fitting the part, called a week later, theyve fpund am issie with the front passenger seat, need to fix that, cant drive it away today either, went in to see them today, now theres a problem with the boot. Friday they said, if its not done by friday ill go somewhere else, this has been a ridiculous experience for a kid trying to buy her first car. After passing the test first time aswell. But this carry on has been absolutely pathetic, maybe make sure the cars actually working and ready to actually be driven away today, instead of just slapping it on there knowing full well that that car will not be getting drove anywhere by anybody "today". Hope your first car buying experience was easier for you and not as difficult for as you guys made it.”
“Would I buy from Arnold clark again and the simple answer is a definite no. From the day I picked up the car there have been issues which should of been sorted prior to delivery and after emailing on the first day of collection and taking the vehicle in to a local dealership I'm still waiting for these issues to get sored, and just now the vehicle needs to go back in because of warning lights meaning another booking and more time wasted, the vehicle went in to Chertsey for a small part a week after they saw the vehicle I received a message saying that they had ordered the part after 7 days of seeing the vehicle, they saw leave it with us and we will get back to you and they never do, I put in a complaint on Thursday and still nothing.”
“Bought a car from arnold clark liverpool in February 2025 after doing 1100 miles the car broke down
We have spoken to all management at clarks with no joy one did say we will collect the car and repair it
£70 to tow the car in and £170 an hour labour charges that's with out fitting the faulty part then he said we can set up a payment plan to fix the car to payed by monthly payment
The car cost £400 a month
Buyer beware check and double check before you buy
Cars still broken”
“Arnold Clark Dundee Balfield Rd branch have not provided a professional response to a breakdown and battery issue in a car i purchased under 4 months ago. I have called around 10 times to the branch in 5 days, and despite being advised that I would get a call from the service manager, the sales manager and then the branch manager no one has called me back. I did get a call from the servicing department to advise that I could contact the 60 day warranty team in Glasgow which appears to have complicated things further. The Dundee sales department then refused to pay for the diagnostic checks and I was informed that any repairs over 60 days and under 6 months should go to the service department. I already knew that, however I got a call from the service department on the morning after the breakdown stating that they could do nothing else despite this being subject to the 2015 act.
Since then I have called Arnold Clark Dundee branch at Balfield Rd every day, more than once and I have had to raise a complaint through the finance company and customer services. The branch manager eventually emailed me last night with completely wrong information and when I sent two emails back and called twice last night he didn't respond with a callback. I also called to ask to speak to the service manager and or branch manager today and neither are available. I have been promised a callback around 7 times since 16.45 on Friday, now Wednesday, and if I hadn't taken independent action to get my car fixed I would have no car for days.
I ended up getting the AA breakdown policy with at home option as my current breakdown cover doesn't have that and it cost me around 70 pounds on top of my current insurance policy. The mechanic got it started again and said it was a low battery. I have been having problems with the battery since I bought the car, having to charge it up outside the house at times when the warning light came on. I should have returned it at the time within the 60 day period. The AA mechanic suggested that a 24 hour charge would be required and to arrange this with the garage. I have fed this back to customer services however yesterday however I then got an email from the branch manager asking how much the new battery was, despite never having stated that I got a battery replacement.
It is bad enough being ignored, but then being asked the wrong information is doubly insulting, and just goes to show the lack of interest in my complaint. I am not asking for anything other than my rights under the legislation for a pre existing fault to he addressed and repaired. I should not have broken down in a car which is under four months old and which cost me around 15000 on finance. The car should be roadworthy and safe to drive my children in, and this is the thing that I find the most upsetting. It is just lucky that I noticed the warning lights and that it broke down outside the house and not on a busy or 60 road. I had a number of repairs on the last car I purchased from Arnold Clark however I put this down to it being an older car and that it was just the car itself. This car is only 4 years old and only went through the MOT at purchase. I am very upset at the fact that Arnold Clark think they can ignore customers and breach the consumer rights of the public. I have raised this with the Ombudsman however there seems to be a 6 month waiting list so it seems that I will need to resolve the battery issue with my own garage.
My advice would be to go to a different dealer. They are all friendly and helpful at the point of purchase but if you have a genuine issue with the vehicle they will ignore you. Given the price of cars and the need for a car to be safe and reliable personally I wouldn't trust them as they have shown a distinct lack of regard for the customer. The other reviews on here just highlight that.”
“I purchased a car with Arnold Clark in Glasgow in November last year. It then had to be taken back to Arnold Clark and they apparently fixed coil packs etc. it now has this fault Engine management Gamma 1.0
Status :P030000 -
Random/multiple cylinders. Error Message: Misfire detected.
Historical fault. Status :P030100 -
Cylinder 1. Error Message :
Misfire detected. Historical fault.
Fitted coil and followed member to the garage for repair as member has warranty on the vehicle.
Engine Oil Level Ok. Coolant which I can confirm that a garage has said these repairs haven’t been done! And my car has been doing the same thing it was when first purchased. I am anting them to get back to me.”
“Booked my car in for a diagnostics check as the mild hybrid 48v system stopped working all together, hadn't worked for over a month, at first they said they couldn't find anything wrong with the car except a breather pipe for the petrol emissions which they wanted £580 to change, i asked them to drive the car round their building which they did, yes we can see the fault now, but after having the car for two days they had no idea what was wrong, this wasn't a intermittent fault, the hybrid side of things didn't work at all, but they didn't know what was
wrong or how to fix it, i asked if i should just collect the car, the answer was yes, i was charged £356 for two diagnostic checks, so beware anyone with a mild hybrid fault going to this main dealer”
“Bought a Ford Focus EcoBoost Feb' 23 from Arnold Clark Seafield Edinburgh.
The car was seven years old at the time of purchase. According to online research I conducted that engine should have the wet timing belt replaced at 100k miles or 6 years, whichever came first. I asked the salesman (Kenneth Dow), if there was any evidence it had been changed. He confirmed there wasn't. I then suggested they should replace it before we bought the vehicle. He agreed unequivocally. No pushback whatsoever, then informed us that the date we were due to collect the vehicle would be pushed back to allow time to have the work done.
We were contacted a few days later to confirm work had been completed. I asked for an email confirming this. Despite several reminders, that email never materialised. On the day we collected the car, we even asked again to be met with an apology, and that “due to work pressures”, he hadn’t got around to sending it, but rest assured it would be done. That email never came to pass. When we took receipt of the car, we were left in no doubt, a new timing belt had been fitted as agreed.
Fast forward to September 2025, and the engine oil pressure warning light comes on. Long story short, the timing belt is delaminating and blocking oil flow. An independent mechanic confirmed the timing belt has never been changed, and the current one is the on that was fitted to the vehicle when new.
Arnold Clark, specifically their salesman, Kenneth Dow, is now claiming a) the conversation outlined above ever took place, and b) they would never have agreed to do the work as the 6yr/100k miles criteria for replacing the wet belt did not comply with their company policy. This position is an entire fabrication and confirms the salesman lied to my face at the time of purchase on at least two occasions and over the phone at least twice. He is now doubling down on these lies.
I have followed the Arnold Clark complaints process as outlined on their website. After the local Seafield branch manager failed to give a satisfactory response, a week ago we submitted an online complaint to their Customer Services Department. At the time of writing, we have had no reply. Not even an acknowledgement.
This is no longer about money, nor is it about the fact my car’s been off the road for over a month with little prospect of it being repaired any time soon. It’s now about how a company the size of Arnold Clark could condone such unscrupulous, immoral behaviour from one of its employees. Shameless, bareface lying seems to be acceptable with this company, or at least it is for Kenneth Dow. If you do business with this company and you’re unlucky to deal with this salesman, beware. You have been warned!”
“My VW Tiguan went back to Arnold Clark St Helens for a week to fix some bits.I send a mail back on the 15 today is the 5th day and had absolutely no response back
Dear Arnold Clark Team,
I am writing to raise a formal complaint regarding the condition in which my VW Tiguan was returned to me today.
The following issues are unacceptable:
An additional dent has appeared on the back door, which your driver acknowledged upon delivery. There was only one dent previously – there are now two.
The service book remains missing.
The part to secure the spare wheel at the back is still not present.
I have received no written confirmation regarding the start button being inspected. I expect confirmation that this has been properly checked by a qualified technician.
The vehicle was returned to me with only half a tank of fuel, despite being collected with a full tank.
The silver trimmings at the window are the same no change.
Kind regards
George
There is evidence that someone had a hot drink will thy were working on the car cup ring on passenger seat.
Have no response back from both
Nabil Jarir
Simon Gervais”
“Sale by misrepresentation and a masterclass in gaslighting. If you enjoy being made to feel like you hallucinated your own purchase conditions, this is the place for you. If not, RUN, don’t walk, in the opposite direction!! Shout out to Matthew Gibson sales rep & Manager Mark Rundell in Glasgow. Between the disingenuous smiles, blatant lies, and sudden memory loss, these two could teach a masterclass in the art of being the textbook dodgy car salesmen!”
“I enquired about a new Jaecoo 7Phev from the Aberdeen branch and spoke with Joss Fairweather, got all my details, then passed me onto James Wray who basically was not interested and did not call back when he said he would.
I contacted the head office to see if I could get the car from another dealer which was in Glasgow and too far for collecting the car, he said if I was happy to speak with a manager at the Aberdeen branch which I reluctantly agreed, Joss called was apologetic and we then continued with the purchase of the new car.
Joss said James would be in touch the next day with an update on delivery, 2 weeks later I called and spoke to Lorenzo the GM and told him about the severe lack of communication and I was told James would call me, next day I get a text message saying the car would be in Aberdeen on 26th August.
I eventually got a phone call asking if I could pick the car up on Friday which I couldn’t and Saturday I couldn’t but agreed on Sunday @ 12:30 and Joss Fairweather would be finalising everything with me.
We arrived on the Sunday 12:25 spoke with a young salesman and said we had an appointment with Joss to pick up the new car, he came back and said Joss was busy and he would deal with us, we signed all documents and were asked if we knew all the cars controls etc which I said I was ok with, the young salesman said thanks and did not even take us over to the, had to just find the car ourselves.
Joss did not even have the decency to speak to us.
When we stopped in Portlethen, I noticed we had no mats and the steering was not straight, I called and got put through to Lorenzo who has had the car collected today for the alignment to be done, received the mats and was given a £100 cheque
I feel the £100 is a joke for some kind of compensation for the absolute shocking experience from start to finish my wife and myself have had to endure.
There are more details but it is too long and I’m just so disappointed
Customer services have been in touch, but have not heard anything for 5 days now.
Even my finance was not what was agreed with the sales manager.”
