I purchased a car from GBI Cars slightly over a year ago, and the experience has been awful. The vehicle had a faulty airbox and a broken AdBlue emission system — neither of which were picked up during the AA pre-sale check, and both were only discovered after the sale. This one-star review is not because the car had faults, but because of how GBI Cars handled them. Take the airbox issue: parts had been glued together, and these failed soon after purchase. GBI Cars did cover the cost of repair but later appeared to argue that they’d been misled into doing so. They focused on the idea that Halfords, who helped identify the fault, had caused the damage. They claimed to have proof, apparently in the form of a pre-sale photo under the bonnet. However, the image was low resolution over the airbox region. I compared it with a post-fault photo and, in my opinion, it was reasonably clear that the glue was already present at the time of sale. I shared this with GBI Cars — and heard nothing further. No reply, no apology for the statements against me and Halfords. Then came the AdBlue emission system fault. GBI Cars initially dismissed this as a wear-and-tear issue. I had it properly diagnosed and was told the system was effectively broken, at a cost of around £1,400. From first report to final repair took about six months. Through AA mediation, GBI Cars explored various ways to avoid acting. Eventually, they simply withdrew from the AA mediation process entirely. At that time, they had offered to repair it using a cheap part sourced on eBay. I accepted, hoping for resolution — but the part turned out to be incorrect. Then followed a month of no response from GBI Cars, and so I began preparing court action. Only then did GBI Cars agree to proceed with a proper repair, using a part sourced by the garage carrying out the repair. Buyers should be prepared for long, time-consuming disputes if issues arise. 5-star reviews from people who have just bought a car and are happy with the sales process won’t give you the full picture. Really you need to hear from people who have been driving for a while. The real test is how a dealership responds when things go wrong. In my view, GBI Cars repeatedly tried to avoid their legal responsibilities to carry out repairs. Based on my experience over the past year, I would not recommend GBI Cars.
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Byron Malsbury from GBI Cars in response to I Do Not Recommend
Dear Mr Cotton, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. I’m naturally disappointed to see it rated at one star, especially considering the extensive communication we've had throughout your ownership. At GBI Cars, we pride ourselves on our aftersales support — not just for straightforward sales, but especially when issues arise. Many of our five-star reviews are from customers who have experienced problems but appreciated how we resolved them. That level of service is why we were awarded ‘Retailer of the Year’ and were finalists in the AutoTrader ‘Customer Experience’ category. That said, we understand we can't meet the expectations of every customer. However, I feel it’s important to respond with the facts, particularly when the review includes some claims that don’t reflect the full picture. You purchased your 2016 Peugeot 308 on 19/04/2024. On 10/05/2024, you visited Halfords for a free health check, which mentioned a “free repair” to the airbox. This turned out to be a large amount of glue applied over the airbox cover. We reviewed our own high-resolution images from the point of sale, as well as the AA independent inspection, which noted no such issue. Nonetheless, we agreed — as a gesture of goodwill — to replace the airbox at no cost to you. There was a slight delay in sourcing the part, but it was fitted without hesitation on 22/06/2024. On that same visit, you raised a separate issue with the air conditioning, stating it had never worked. This had not been reported previously despite multiple communications. We tested the system and provided proof it was functioning at point of sale, including a thermometer reading showing -2°C. Following the workshop visit, you alleged your headphones had gone missing. We reviewed the CCTV footage, which showed no item being left behind. Five months later, on 22/09/2024, you submitted a warranty claim for £1,523.04 for a fault with the AdBlue system. At this stage, we were not yet involved. The warranty company initially proposed a compatible part to keep costs reasonable. However, there was a delay as the labour time quoted by your chosen garage exceeded manufacturer guidelines, and the shortfall became a point of dispute. Once we were made aware of the situation, I personally assisted in resolving the matter — working with the warranty provider to get the full claim approved and the correct part supplied. We did this promptly and in good faith. Despite this, your review suggests we avoided responsibility and failed to help — which I feel is unfair. We responded to every concern, provided repairs under warranty or goodwill, and did everything possible to help, even in the face of several serious allegations made against us. It’s never pleasant to read a review like this, particularly when we put so much care into resolving issues. We wish you the best going forward and remain available should you need anything further. Kind regards, Byron
Hugely disappointed experience with GBI Cars. Poor customer service, they kept delaying my car collection and I decided to cancel it as they promised car will be ready in a week. After a week no any single update. I have to chase it all the time. After 2 weeks I gave up as I felt they didn't tell me truth and there are many serious problems with a car and cancel finance for it. Blue Motor Company advise me to take my deposit back. I put £300 deposit and they don't want to give it back! 1/06/23 - Really bad customer service from man in his 50-60s (probably business owner, sorry don't remember his name). Keep ignoring me when I came to get back my deposit.
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I brought my Vauxhall Mokka from Gbi Cars a few weeks ago. The car was pristine and they offered a great warranty for peace of mind. Rob was really helpful and ensured I was setup ready to drive away I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending them to my friends and family
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Really happy with my car. Will happily recommend Gbi Cars to my friends and family
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the team at gbi cars are fantastic. Customer service is on point i had issues with needing the collection of my new car and they bent over backwards to make it possible very professional and kept me informed at every step. I can only recommend them with the highest of appreciation and respect.. thankyou guys
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My daughter wanted to buy a new car and we came across GBI website, My daughter saw the car that she wanted so we paid them a visit , from start to finish they were extremely professional.There was a small issue with the car (Headlamp) so we called GBI back and nothing was to much trouble sorted the issue straight away.Will definitely be going back soon to look for car for my Son.
I picked up my BMW 320i today and the car is fantastic. I received great service throughout the whole process of buying the car from GBI Cars and they went out of their way to assist me every step of the way.I highly recommend that if you are looking for a new car then pay them a visit, they are a great team.Thank you GBI Cars.
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We have had a very disappointing experience. Our £9000 car with only 26,000 miles on the clock broke down due to an electrical steering fault on the first day of purchase – it is likely that GBI cars were not aware of this before purchase, so this in itself, although frustrating would not have been a major problem. Being 150 miles away, we contacted our breakdown cover who fixed the problem for us and got us on the road again. We also contacted GBI cars by phone and they assured us they would follow it up the following week – they never did. After thinking the fault was resolved, we continued driving the car. The fault recurred and after some (costly) diagnostic testing, we discovered the fault although had been cleared previously, had not been fixed, as the entire electrical unit needed replacing – and would cost £2000. The car was then undrivable, as there was no way of predicting when the fault would recur each time. GBI cars told us that the three month warranty was over and would not help. After some persuasion (as the fault was present at time of purchase) they suggested splitting the cost of repair and offered to arrange this at a local garage they thought could offer the best service (even though GBI cars, as the dealer, is actually responsible for the full cost.) We were pleased that we seemed to at least be getting somewhere, so asked them to confirm when they’d like us to bring it in. At this point, GBI simply cut communication. This was so disappointing – not returning calls and not responding to emails, leaving us rather confused. Thankfully, we had bought the car on finance so we went directly to the finance company. An investigation by the finance company found GBI cars fully liable, as the fault was SO clearly present at time of purchase (we had a breakdown report from the very first day to prove it, as well as an independent engineer’s report!) After nearly a YEAR of being without a working car (with a young family) we have finally got ALL of our money back and are purchasing a new car elsewhere 😊 We obviously wanted this resolved as quickly as possible, but sadly, GBI dragged out the investigation by being as difficult and obstructive as possible ie. not responding to communication from the finance company, and questioning the integrity of an engineer who the finance company appointed to investigate! To this day, we have heard nothing from GBI cars – no apology, and not even an acknowledgement of the outcome ☹ If you buy a car from this company and you have no issues, then you are likely to have a positive experience - their pre-sales (unsurprisingly) appears extremely helpful and professional! However, any issues after purchase, and you customer experience is likely to be pretty appalling - something that we certainly won’t be risking again!
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byron malsbury from GBI Cars in response to Very poor after sales
Dear Abby/ Darren, Thanks for your review, on the most part it looks like you were happy with the service you received from our sales team which is always a positive. On the 30/05/2018 you purchased a 4 year old Ford C-max with 24,000 miles on the clock. The vehicle was £8395 with a part exchange of £2000.00. The vehicle was independently checked by the AA and it was agreed that we would service and MOT (no advisories) the vehicle before you picked it up. When collecting you declined the warranty upgrade and took the vehicle on the 04/06/2019. The next time you contacted GBI CARS was on the 28/02/2019 (271 days later) asking for help as your car has had a ‘fault’ as this was over 9 months after purchase we explained that we could help but this is not something we could claim for under warranty as that had expired months prior! As no fault was reported within 30 days we explained that costs associated to this repair would have to be met by yourself. After which the next call you made to me (recorded line) you then suggested that you might have made a call the day you took the vehicle? I checked the call recordings and could not locate any calls from that day. I asked if you could send a phone statement highlighting a call made but no evidence has been provided (still await this even to today). It is my understanding that you have now been settled in full and final settlement, less fair usage as you have covered over 7000 miles since owning the vehicle. Please further note that we did not willingly delay any payment but felt in this case as no fault was reported within 30 days, 3 months, 6 months but 9 months. We as a selling dealer (not someone who made the vehicle) are not liable! Good luck in the future Regards Byron Malsbury Director
I brought a 5 year old Qashqai from GBI last April. I felt very at ease dealing with Byron with no pressure to buy and I got a great car for the price . I had a couple of requests concerning the car prior to purchase that were sorted out no problem . It was also MOT’d and two new tyres fitted even though it was not an advisory , nice touch. I found dealing with GBI friendly , professional and their after care is second to none. There’s only one place I’ll be getting my next car from.
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I purchased a Honda Jazz from GBI Cars 8 weeks ago and am very happy with my choice of car and dealer. On seeing the car advertised on their website I arranged a test drive with Justin who i found to be both polite and helpful. The test drive went well with no issues or pushy sales technique so I decided to purchase the car. Justine arranged for my purchase of finance which went smoothly and hassle free, he also dealt with changing ownership,road tax and my part exchange paperwork online when i picked the vehicle up which was a great help. I have owned the vehicle for two months now with no known issues and absolutely love it. I would have no hesitation buying future cars from GBI or recommending to friends and family. Many thanks to GBI cars for your professional service but especially to Justin. Andrew
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GBI Cars is a used car dealership that is based in Leighton Buzzard. Car Dealer Reviews has been made aware that this business has recently changed the location that their business sells cars from.
GBI Cars were established in October 2013 and open their doors to customers 7 days a week.
Manufacturers: Sells a variety of makes and models
Independent Dealership
GBI Cars
Unit 1 Greaves Way Industrial Estate Stanbridge Road
Leighton Buzzard
Central Bedfordshire
LU7 4UB
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