Stonebridge Motor Company

This is a 100% accurate log of my current dealings with Stonebridge Motors, i have nothing to hide and nothing to gain from lying, unlike them. Firstly don’t believe all of the good reviews, there will be a lot of valid ones granted, but when you collect the car they ask you to scan a code and leave a review, those reviews can only be based on the sale process alone. They will blind a lot of people with the mood lighting booth and covered car, box of flowers and sweet talk, but I’m going to tell you now that once that money is in there bank, they are the most difficult evasive company i have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. I bought myself a Porsche from them, just shy of 21 grand and on the face of it a nice car, but it dropped all of its coolant and used a litre of oil after 200 miles of driving over 3 weeks and my god trying to get it repaired under their “3 Month Warranty” is like pulling teeth. They are not interested at all. It took 7 days of numerous one way phone calls from the point of reporting it, to it getting collected and taken back to their work shop, bare in mind the cars un drivable. It has then to date sat there for a further 10 days, them telling me that the coolant pipe that is required to repair is on back order from the “main dealer” and it just keep adding time on. I have asked on numerous occasions is it “main dealer” you have ordered it from and the reply has always been yes we would only use main dealer parts as we don’t want an inferior part fitted that could cause us further problems, remember that. Anyway i rang Newcastle Porsche and asked about the availability of the pipe, and to my surprise there is one sitting there on the shelf, a revised part number for an improved version, but the correct pipe never the less. I rang them and told them, there is one on the shelf 5.6 miles away from you at the same main dealer you say you have ordered it from, i confirmed more than once with Porsche as the correct pipe, so go get it and fix my car, i even asked Porsche to put it to one side for them. I then received the most bizarre and evasive list of reasons as to why they couldn’t get that pipe, and needed to wait for the one thats ordered. Anyway they have finally sent their first email to me regarding any of this other than confirming collection, now claiming “the part is on back order from “our supplier” due to the age of the car we would not use main dealer parts as it is uneconomical”…Im lost for words. The part at main dealer is £108 + vat, the pipe can be got on ebay or design 911 for around £50 within 2 days, so quick delivery at the cheaper price is available, even so there is what £90 difference to get it today from main dealer. You are giving me all this headache and keeping my car off the road over £90 on a 21k car. They can have my car fixed in a couple of hours, probably could of had it fixed days ago to be honest yet are choosing not to, they are compulsive liars and every interaction they get worse. So the car is currently still there, unfixed, they have my part exchange, my new broken car, and my money, and seemingly have no interest in progressing the repair. My car being off the road longer than iv owned it means nothing to them, no offer of a courtesy car, nowt! They have never called me or returned a call since the day of collection i have a full call log to back this up. They do not know the meaning of customer service, they are 100% focused on the bling and social media, but are incapable of backing up the promises and claims they make on there little videos. So where to now, I feel i am being left with no choice really but to formally reject and instruct a solicitor, they have been given an opportunity to fix it and have gone well beyond what is a reasonable time for what is a 3-4 hour job, iv got no trust in them any more, no confidence they are going to progress the repair, the car isn't fit for purpose. I will update this as things unfold further, but Stonebridge Motors have completely destroyed the buzz of buying a new car and my first Porsche.

I held off posting a review as I wanted to give the dealership a fair opportunity to resolve this. However, between ignored emails, repeated inaccurate information and unresolved safety and reliability issues, I have no confidence in them. In anticipation of Stonebridge’s reply, I have evidence of everything mentioned below. I agreed to purchase a vehicle from Stonebridge Motors on 13th March, with several issues discussed and promised by the owner to be resolved before collection. I was also trading in a vehicle, which Stonebridge had their mechanics inspect before they negotiated a trade-in price. I didn’t collect the car until 10th April. I was told the delay (almost four weeks) was to carry out an MOT and ensure everything was completed to agreed standards. When I collected the car, several agreed repairs had either not been done or were completed to a poor standard. The rear bumper had not been repaired, the wing mirror appeared to have been sanded and not repainted, and there was a failed repair attempt on the roof. There were also further issues: trim hanging down, centre console not secured, interior and exterior not properly cleaned, sat nav stuck showing the car in Yorkshire, hands-free microphone not working, faulty front left sensor activating without obstruction, no log book and no warranty information or MOT certificate provided. More concerning were the mechanical and safety issues: a knocking noise in the steering, the brakes juddering, tyre pressure warning shortly after collection (indicating they hadn’t rebalanced the car when changing tyres), and the car pulling to the left requiring constant correction. I returned the vehicle on 20th April (as agreed with Adam). Dan told me 48 hours later that everything had been completed aside from the sat nav and hands-free system. When I returned, this was not accurate. None of the issues had been resolved apart from some Isofix fittings being clipped on. I had hoped the mechanical and safety-related issues would have been prioritised, but they were simply ignored. To make matters worse, a new scratch was present on the rear driver’s side door which was not there before the vehicle went back into their care. As a result of the unresolved safety-related concerns and repeated inaccurate information, I exercised my right to reject the vehicle and did so within 14 days. After several days of being ignored, Stonebridge eventually responded. They rejected my rejection, stating I had to allow a repair attempt and had not allowed sufficient time. However,the timeframe had been agreed in advance with Adam, and I had made it clear that if more time was needed I would require a courtesy vehicle. Despite this, I was still told the work had been completed when it had not. I also contacted Consumer Advice, who confirmed Stonebridge were confusing “initial” right to reject with “final” right to reject. They stated I was well within my rights to reject the vehicle within the first 30 days and was not required to allow a repair attempt, adding that I had already returned the vehicle and given them a chance, but the issues had not been resolved. Overall, this has completely taken the excitement out of buying a new car. The constant misinformation and lack of aftercare have left me with no confidence in the dealership. After emails continuing to be ignored my only options are court proceedings, a report to Trading Standards and a Section 75 claim. In the meantime, I have had to hire a vehicle for work travel whilst the car purchased from Stonebridge remains unused due to reliability and safety concerns. What seemed like a “premium” experience - a showroom tour and even a promise of flowers on collection (which never materialised) - has fallen well short once issues have arisen. I would strongly advise others to carefully consider my experience before purchasing from this dealer. If you do go ahead with buying from them, part-pay on a credit card to give you some protection as Stonebridge aren’t registered with the Motor Ombudsman.