When looking for a new car I came across some buyers experiences with Chariots and it needs calling out. I’m so glad I escaped them. I don’t know how these guys are in business. Or how they sleep at night. Read the reviews people, dig around and ask questions. They’re selling dangerous cars all neatly packaged up in a beautiful box of lies to unsuspecting decent people. When they get caught they react with more lies, fobbing off, rudeness and mocking behaviour towards the concerned parties. They don’t even source genuine car parts, they come from places like eBay. If you’ve recently bought a car from them or had one ‘repaired’ by them, please get a safety check done. Protect yourself and your loved ones. Absolute cowboys.
Reviewer has confirmed their email address
I purchased an Audi A3 on the 20/05/25 with only 31000 miles on the clock. This vehicle was supposed to be my pride and joy. However problems started the day of purchase as the car was making an odd knocking sound that was coming from the steering rack. I booked the car in with Chariots to find out the problem as at first I thought it was simply a minor issue. The car was then found by Chariots to need a complete steering rack replacement, auxiliary belt, top mount, near side front shock absorber and a rear wiper motor (NOT what I expected from a car I’d only had a few days and supposedly had an MOT on the day of collection as well as costing me over £17000!) at first I was told I was expected to pay for it all however, I flatly refused as I’d only had the car less than a month and the noises had been present from the beginning. The car had been booked in for the work on the 6th of June for the work to be carried out on the 19th of June (a few days after the purchase). I then spoke to Franco (MD) and Pete (GM) regarding this and told them I was rejecting the car and had the letter of rejection in hand ready, Franco told me in his words ‘’let us put this right’’ so I agreed and gave them the opportunity to rectify this problem at a cost to themselves, they assured me it would be Audi genuine parts and that they would sort it. The car was with them for a week and I got a phone call saying it was fixed and ready to go. I went to collect the car on the same day and I was advised when I arrived by Nick (Service advisor) to go out for a test drive alone in the car before taking it home. I found on the test drive the noise coming from the steering rack was still audible and not fixed so when I got back to the dealership I explained this to Nick and he told me to take the car home over the weekend and that ‘’it may need to settle’’ and if not to bring it back if the noise was still there on Monday. Safe to say the noise was still there on Monday so I took it straight back to Chariots and told them I was not happy and handed Nick the keys. At this point I was suspicious of the service history of the vehicle as I was assured multiple times that it was FULL Audi service history all the while waiting for Chariots to get me the code, beforehand they kept making excuses in regards to getting the ‘’code’’ needed to access the service history within the vehicles MMI system and telling me Audi wasn’t getting back to them. I decided to then take it upon myself to visit the Audi dealership and get this code for myself. I was shocked to find the car had NO service history at all! (the car was advertised as having FULL service history) The only history it had was the collection from the Audi dealership by the original owner. At this point the trust in Chariots had exhausted itself and I’ve also been told the vehicle has ‘’history’’ by the DVLA of no registered owner for over 6 months. I have now rejected the car and after various attempts to get invoices/receipts for the parts supposedly put into my car to support the rejection, I finally got them after multiple attempts of Chariots refusing to give me them and to my further shock after Chariots promising Audi genuine parts I find out they are not and that there is no invoice or record of the steering rack being changed. the dealership now will not acknowledge the finance company, myself or my solicitor. I only wish I’d read the reviews on multiple sites and done some research on this place as their practices are extremely questionable, Steer clear of this place.
Reviewer has confirmed their email address
My son purchased his first car from here on 20/05/25. An Audi a3 s line. The car had knocking sounds coming from it's steering from day one. On investigation the car needed a whole new steering rack, top mount, near side front shock absorber, auxiliary belt. Oh & a rear wiper motor that was burnt out!. Not very impressive for a £17,000 car and only 31k miles. The car was supposed to have a full Audi service history, we had to go to Audi to get the code for the audi MMI system as Chariots just kept making excuses as to why they couldn't get the code for us from Audi & even said Audi weren't getting back to them. THE CAR HAD NO SERVICE HISTORY AT ALL!! We were horrified. Also Chariots were supposed to have MOT'd this car the morning of collection. The car wasn't road worthy. The work they offered to do on the car, they assured us would be Audi genuine parts. But suspecting what a mistake this purchase was my son asked for receipts/ invoices for the parts they would be putting into the vehicle. Chariots refused! It took weeks & solicitors to get this information and it made interesting reading. Parts bought on ebay & not an Audi genuine part in sight. No proof of a new steering rack though! ..The car has been parked in their secure area since June & my son is still having to pay for an unsafe car he has rejected. Chariots are refusing to co-operate with the finance company or our solicitors.. AVOID THIS PLACE. I honestly wish we had read the reviews before stepping foot inside this place. They really will make you think you are getting a good deal. PLEASE READ THE REVIEWS AND DO YOUR RESEARCH.
Reviewer has confirmed their email address
Avoid this place at all costs. Act very polite and professional to reel you in to buying a car. As soon as they have your money stop answering calls false promises that Franco (owner) will call back he never does never replies. Sent damaged parcel shelf which had been badly sprayed. Been ignoring for nearly 6 months now and its only for a spare key. Tarnished there business name over a spare key. You wouldnt get anywhere with your warranty as they wont reply and ignore so dont bother. They are not registered with the Motor Ombudsman as they have confirmed. In process of going to papers and court. Pretended to be looking after me as he knew i was a post cancer patient but the stress and inconvenience he has caused is terrible. They wont bother what situation your going through as this didnt affect him so save yourself from this company. Dont want anyone else to go through this.
Reviewer has confirmed their email address
Don't buy from these con artists. Car delivered with a fault,diagnosed with several issues by local garage inc dpf failure & timing failure. Returned to chariots con artists cars for so called repairs. Car returned after 3 weeks only to find same issue arising although told it was fixed. Had their work checked by reputable expert to find at some point the dpf had been removed wether before chariots purchased it or during their repair either way illegal to sell.....Franco the owner avoids every attempt to contact him shrouded by his staff who pretend they don't know anything about it or are unable to do anything. This gas been going on for months with the car sitting on the drive doing nothing....
Reviewer has confirmed their email address
Purchased a plug-in hybrid Volvo from here on May the 19th and had it collected to go back on the 22nd as the electric motor wasn't working. Would have noticed this but on both the test drive and collection the car's electric motor battery was flat meaning the issue didn't present until after I had charged it at home. Due to the car not operating as advertised I decided on the 25th to formally reject the vehicle the vehicle, at which time the only update I had from Chariot's was that they had replicated the issue on Thursday and were hoping to diagnose it on Friday. I e-mailed on the 25th stating I was rejecting the vehicle and have heard nothing since, despite calling and e-mailing multiple times. Only when I left the above review on Google did I receive a response, but only to my Google review! They were still unable to pick up the phone.
Daren in response to Unreachable
This is consistent with other purchases people have made in good faith,an absolute joke of a business playing roulette with wether cars work or not. Their website says the don't buy from auctions & only purchase specifically selected vehicles which is absolute bollocks. He even tried telling me a story after saying they picked the car from an auction that they don't make the car landrover do with regards a missing dpf from the car.
I bought a Mercedes AMG from then, from the start i had issues with the Drivers seat, also Issue with the driving of the vehicle not being say, they had the vehicle back many times this went on for six months they kept saying there was nothing wrong with it. I asked them to let Mercedes Dealership to look at it, they told me to take it to Mercedes. When i told Chariots it was a cost of £127 for it to be booked in they said bring it back we will have another look. In the end i paid it myself to find out what was wrong with the car, they came back saying it was the gearbox and clutch needs replacing. I gave the report to them and they told me there isn't anything wrong with the car i said they aren't doing anything else. In the end i had to go to the finance people to deal with it. I would not recommend chariots of Kettering to anyone. If i could of left zero stars i would of done.
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If you must buy from them make sure you cross check everything Let’s just say I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone
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Chariot Specialist Cars were very unprofessional, unprepared and sloppy for a potential new candidate's interview. On the day it took place, I was dressed my finest interview attire, had a makeover, organised a business portfolio to exemplify my years of experience in the many different and versatile working environments I'd been part of throughout the course of my career. I also thought to assemble some notes and in-depth knowledge I'd accumulated about the company, it's reputation, impact on the general public, reviews from other professional critics and ability to demonstrate adequate customer support, when doing my research. It was just a little thinking outside the box intuition, to show I cared about the job position I was applying for, and the outcome was less than satisfactory, to put it mildly. To put it bluntly, the treatment I received for trying to appear presentable and proactive was about as constructive and as well-received as finding out that a member of the public service order i.e. a police officer of the law, was responsible for the sudden disappearance and brutal first-degree murder of an innocent pedestrian. I travelled over to the company, arriving thirty minutes before my interview was ready to begin. I introduced myself to the receptionist, who offered me a seat and a hot beverage. Just as my hopes were starting to rise, thinking I'd found a very kind and accommodating colleague to work beside, as the vacancy I was intending to fill was for a front desk receptionist part time, things began to go wrong. I asked if I may be excused to quickly powder my nose before the interview commenced. The current receptionist pointed me in the direction of the facilities and off I went. When I came back, I was very disappointed to find out that the woman conducting my interview, was already downstairs and started to berate me for "wandering off" when she was expecting our session to take place and questioned why I'd "helped myself" to a beverage that were only meant for staff members, never taking into consideration that I'd arrived half an hour early or simply been offered a hot drink by the considerate receptionist. During the interview in the upstairs boardroom, not only did I detect hints of uncertainty as to what questions she wanted to ask me and what the company was looking for in a new employee, but also I sensed an element of arrogance because of the way she'd keep on dodging the idea of me providing the answers, formally and diplomatically. And when I did refer to my binder, she scrunched up her face and rolled her eyes, thinking I wouldn't notice. After the interview was over, I left feeling like a huge weight of tension had just dropped off my shoulders. I didn't want to discredit my gut instinct that this opportunity wouldn't work out, but I felt somewhat optimistic about the decision making process based on how calm and composed I managed to stay during the rude manner I'd just had the misfortune to experience. 12 days later, I receive an email from the same member of the management team, stating that I'd been unsuccessful on this particular occasion and that they will not be taking my application any further. Outraged, I rang up the same lady and questioned her as to why I wasn't shortlisted for the position, as she hadn't elaborated with any critical feedback as to why I wasn't suitable enough, and she said it was because when she asked me the question of what I knew about the company, I had simply responded that I didn't know a thing. I would therefore not recommend anyone to work for, or with Chariots Specialist Cars, as they clearly don't appreciate dedicated and diligent workers. The constructive feedback that I asked for was clearly more than just utter nonsense, but completely made up on the spot to cover her own back. As mentioned above, my professional business portfolio I'd put together containing my resume, cover letter, a screenshot print out of my LinkedIn account, and other valuable documentations that would make for a sturdy interview, complemented with many important skills and valid qualifications were enlisted. My favourite part of designing the binder's contents was when I created the index section, summarising the requirements needed. While trying to sell myself with a prolific status, I would refer to this section every time an example of these noble qualities was expected to be explained in greater detail. When I was polite, interpersonal, proactive, diligent, professional, problem solving, innovative, revolutionary, a good communicator, a co-operative team leader and a general credit to the business corporation, followed by an example. All the information I needed, or was intending to present, was broken down into categories, cross referenced to provide more relevant information on another page, and finally colour coded to correspond faithfully with the appropriate workplaces in which the right knowledge was obtained. Safe to say, I think I'm a woman who is more than capable of doing her homework. By the description of this review alone, I would describe the individual to be very well-spoken, organised, put-together, very driven, determined, focused, strong-minded, savvy and so independent. And that is the exact kind of leverage the career industry needs these days to stop people getting treated like total pushovers! REMEMBER TO ALWAYS THINK TWICE!!!!
Reviewer has confirmed their email address
Daren in response to A Review From The Truth Telling Critic
Unfortunately they appear to only want people who are willing to be none committal to their wrong doings & cover up the devious under hand & unscrupulous actions of the owner
Today our new audi s1 has been delivered on time in tip top condition as described 👌, all the staff we have dealt with have been very efficient and affective I would definitely buy again from chariots of Kettering, thank you to all the staff, kind regards Graham Hardy,
Reviewer has confirmed their email address
At Chariots Specialist Cars you will find a whole host of classic cars and motorbikes to choose from. They have some of the most sought after names in stock including Jaguar and some more modern models too such as Toyota and BMW. They are also able to provide on site service and repairs in order to keep your car running at its best.
Manufacturers: Sells a variety of makes and models
Independent Dealership
Chariots Specialist Cars
Kettering Venture Park 2260 Kettering Parkway
Kettering
Northamptonshire
NN15 6XE
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