My partner seen a car on Autotrader and made an appointment to view it James offered us a test drive and made us feel at ease with no pressure Car drove exactly as it should have and we left a deposit that very day Fast forward 6 days letter once the mot was done and all the prep work, the car was delivered to our home address They kept us in the loop throughout the process, even providing us with photos of the works being carried out Fast forward 2 months and we’ve not had a single issue with the car It does exactly what we need it to do Would definitely recommend this garage

I spent longer waiting for my refund than I spent driving the car. I purchased a Ford Focus from Drive Time Specialist Cars on 13 April 2026. During the journey home, the engine management light came on. I reported the issue immediately. The warning light later went off, and I was advised to monitor the vehicle. On 20 April, I contacted the dealership to ask whether the fault could still be investigated. I was told: "No light, no issue. The warranty won't cover anything if there's no light on." On 4 May, the engine management light returned and remained on. A friend scanned the vehicle and identified a timing-related fault. From that day onwards, the car became undrivable. The dealership asked me to obtain an independent diagnostic report and quotation. I did exactly that. On 20 May, they rejected the quotation from my local garage and informed me they would instead collect the vehicle and have it repaired by a Ford specialist local to them. Between that date and the eventual collection, I did everything I could to avoid further delays. I even offered to use my own breakdown cover to transport the vehicle to the repairer they wanted to use. Unfortunately, my recovery provider was unable to arrange this. When the dealership eventually provided the repair address, they gave me the address of their own premises while instructing me to let "them" know the vehicle was arriving because "they are Ford specialists." Although I was repeatedly told that the vehicle would be collected shortly, I was never given a collection date. The vehicle was finally collected on 2 June. On the same day, I formally exercised my right to reject the vehicle under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. On 4 June, the dealership accepted the rejection (the unwind of the agreement), subject to proposed deductions for mileage and alleged damage. From that point onwards, what should have been a straightforward refund process turned into weeks of unnecessary delays. The dealership took two weeks to provide evidence to justify the proposed deductions. When that evidence was finally produced, it failed to support the deductions being claimed. My finance provider therefore required the dealership to refund the full amount. Instead, the dealership disputed that decision after the deadline for returning the funds had already passed, causing yet another delay. In order to finally bring the matter to an end, both my finance broker and I agreed to accept a reduced settlement, despite continuing to dispute the alleged damage deductions. Even after that agreement had been reached, the delays continued. The dealership agreed to return the funds on 29 June. By the end of that week, my broker was still chasing them for payment. The dealership then claimed the payment had already been made. My broker requested proof of payment because the funds had not been received, but no proof was ever provided. The funds only reached my finance broker on Monday, 6 July, finally allowing the finance agreement to be concluded. Throughout this entire process, I continued making finance payments for a vehicle that I could not drive. Because the finance agreement remained active until the unwind was completed, I was unable to replace the vehicle. I wasn't simply left without transport, I was left paying for a vehicle I couldn't use while being unable to obtain another. As someone who relies on a car for work, this had a significant financial and professional impact. The mechanical fault itself is not the reason for this review. Mechanical faults can happen with any used vehicle. The reason for this review is the way this case was handled from beginning to end: dismissing the initial fault report, repeated delays, poor communication, constantly moving deadlines, unsupported deductions, and a resolution that only came after sustained pressure from my finance broker and the prospect of legal action. A faulty car can happen. What should never happen is a customer having to spend almost three months fighting simply to exercise their legal rights while continuing to pay for a vehicle they cannot use. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend this dealership.