Colbornes www.colbornes.co.uk

In mid-March, I bought a 12 month old Golf Estate from Colbornes VW dealership, Walton-on-Thames, which was a retirement/ birthday present for myself. Vibration and a “booming” noise were apparent straightaway. It emerged that it was caused by a missing anti-theft wheel nut on one of the front wheels and a buckled rear wheel. Additionally, one of the passenger doors wouldn’t open and there was a scratch on the roof. Although a pre-delivery inspection and service was supposed have been carried out, it was obviously done to a poor standard.

My main concern was the missing anti-theft wheel nut as its absence from the wheel was a potential safety issue. Although I believe there is evidence to indicate it was missing at the point of delivery, Darren Venn, Brand Manager at the dealership, believes there is no evidence to indicate when it happened. He doesn’t accept my argument that it was most likely caused, or was missed by the technician who carried out the service/pre-delivery inspection. Given the other items that were missed, I maintain this is the most likely explanation.

I was promised that the scratch on the roof would be rectified, but when they found out that polishing out the scratch would not be enough, they withdrew the commitment to rectify it.

As I believed the car had been delivered to me in an unsafe condition, as well all the hassle and inconvenience, I requested some compensation, which was refused. Mr. Venn believes Colbornes have fulfilled their obligations by correcting the faults, (but not the scratch).

I think the moral of my experience with Colbornes is to beware of buying a vehicle from them or having your car serviced or repaired there. If you make a complaint, be prepared to be fobbed off with denials, cover up and red herrings.

Although my choice of car wasn't as nice as MazLui's, I got myself a lovely little motor from Colbornes. I had tried a few dealerships until the fit felt right. When you're parting with that much money over a long period of time, you need to make sure the company you're dealing with is a good one! Very impressed with Colbornes and have recommended them to my friends.

I used this dealership when buying my latest car. A VW Golf Bluemotion 1.6 TDI - I was really impressed with not only the car (wow!) but with the quality of the service I received. Colbornes are dotted around surrey and hampshire and sell used cars as well as the brand new ones. Even the used cars were of the highest quality. Definitely go to Colbornes if you need a great new car. Being anonymous I can tell you that the finance deals they offer are massively competitive too!