Advising extreme caution to prospective customers!
We have used Cowley Motors for our MOT’s for the last couple of years, so I felt confident in asking them to undertake some of the advisory work on my son’s and daughter’s cars.
Our daughter’s car was dropped off at Cowley Motors for a new sump, 4 budget tyres and a service. We were given a cash price of £300.00 and the work was completed within a couple of weeks. Our daughter, a student, had saved the money to pay for the repairs herself.
Our son’s car was then taken to Cowley Motors. There was a problem with the car, in that something kept draining the battery. Despite installing a new battery and glow plugs ourselves, the problem persisted so we decided to take it to the garage. The car was able to be jump started and would run for a couple of days before the battery would die again.
Over the next ten weeks, we contacted Cowley Motors on several occasions to ask how the car was coming along. We were given every excuse going, first it was the injector, then an electrical mechanic was coming to see it, then the wrong parts had been delivered. After around six weeks of them having the car, we were told it was the ECU unit and quoted £450.00 for a reconditioned ECU and to have the car coded.
Again, we would periodically enquire as to the status of the car. Our son was eager to resume learning to drive in the car and had saved the money requested by Cowley Motors to fix it. However, after ten weeks it was clear that they either could not or would not fix the car so we arranged to collect it and asked if they would ensure that the battery was charged so that we could at least get it home.
On arriving at Cowley Motors, the car was completely dead. Seals on the bonnet had been removed and the engine cover was missing. It was clear that someone had looked at the injectors, as a number of the plastic casings had been removed and just left on top of the wiper blades. The car had obviously been moved several times, but the engine bay had been left unsealed, without the engine cover over the three coldest and wettest months of the year.
Despite trying the garage’s jump pack and a set of jump leads attached to our own car, the car would not start. The owner brought out a diagnostics machine and spent five minutes talking to another colleague before informing us that the car was “goosed” and offered to have it towed back to our house later that day (Monday).
Now I do not profess to know anything about cars, but if we could start and drive the car when we dropped it off, staff at the garage had managed to move it, at least a couple of times then how do I know if the car deteriorated due to their negligence?
The car did not arrive on the Monday – instead, we were asked if we wanted to have it scrapped from the garage – we did not! Eventually the car was returned to us on Wednesday, minus the engine cover and despite repeated requests, they cannot find it – apparently it has been taken by the bin men!!!
Feeling dejected by the service we had received, we thought we had better check the work on our daughter’s car too. Yes, there are four budget tyres and the car has a new oil filter and new oil in it. However, the new sump is the old one – it has been “bodged” with filler and the air filter and plugs are certainly not new.
I have wrestled with my own conscience as to whether to write this review or not as a family member works at this garage. However, if this is how they choose to treat relatives of their staff, I dread to think of how other customers are treated. I am afraid Cowley Motors have lost any repeat business, as well as yearly MOT’s from our family in the future and I would suggest that they look at their own internal procedures to ensure that people get the work they pay for and also start to display a duty of care to the vehicles of their customers.
I have photos of my daughter’s car which show the sump and the air filter and plugs have not be replaced, as well as photo’s of how my son’s car was returned to us and am happy to share them with Trustpilot at any time.
19. mai 2021
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