Dear Sir/Madam,I am writing to formally complain regarding customer care and the vehicle registration LM20VCO, which I purchased from the Lookers South Shields branch on 24 September 2025. Since the date of purchase, the vehicle has experienced ongoing and serious faults, causing significant inconvenience, distress, and loss of confidence in the vehicle.From the outset, the vehicle has been defective and unreliable and care from the team atrocious.First of all, I was not provided with any service history, MOT history, or vehicle handbook/manual at the point of sale.When I raised this issue with Salesman Tom Laybourne, I was advised to contact Vauxhall dealerships myself to obtain the information.I subsequently contacted numerous Vauxhall garages and was informed that locating the vehicle’s history in this manner would effectively be “like looking for a needle in a haystack.”As a result, I have since had to use a third-party website in an attempt to obtain at least a partial history of the vehicle, which is something I should not have been required to do following the purchase of a vehicle from a main dealership.This exchange here has set the tone for the next 6 months.On the very day I brought the vehicle home, after opening the sunroof cover, I discovered that the sunroof glass was cracked. I raised this issue with Salesman Tom Laybourne who I purchased the vehicle from and I was advised to make a claim through my own insurance, with assurances that the garage would cover any financial difference.I explained that I was not covered for glass claims and I felt pressured into doing this also.GIven my professional background in motor insurance and car claims. I am fully aware that a windscreen or glass claim must be declared for up to five years and may affect future insurance premiums. I should never have been placed in a position where I was expected to use my own insurance policy to rectify a defect that existed at the point of sale.In addition to the cracked sunroof, the vehicle has suffered numerous faults, including:* Faulty parking sensors* Stop/start system failure* Seat sensor failure causing persistent airbag warning alerts and beeping* Repeated non-starting issuesThe airbag sensor issue could not be repaired on site and the vehicle was scheduled to be sent elsewhere for further investigation and repairs.The most serious issue has been the vehicle repeatedly failing to start. Initially, the vehicle would eventually start after approximately 15 minutes. The car was returned to the lookers garage, where a new battery was fitted, and the vehicle remained with the garage for over a week.However, after having the vehicle back for only one week, during the April bank holiday period the vehicle failed again and would not start at all. Attempts to jump start the vehicle were unsuccessful, the car had to be recovered back to the garage.On the 10th April, I received a telephone call from Tom Laybourne regarding the vehicle returning to the garage.During this conversation, I clearly stated that I wished to either reject the vehicle, exchange it, or receive a refund due to the ongoing faults and lack of reliability. I was then offered £10,000 exchange for the vehicle without any proper assessment, research, or consideration of mileage or condition.I requested that further contact be made through my mother, Sharon, as I am unable to take calls during work hours.I was subsequently contacted by Manager Paul Stead. During this conversation, I again raised serious concerns regarding the reliability and safety of the vehicle and requested either a replacement vehicle or a refund, as I no longer had any trust or confidence in the car.I was informed that this would not be an option and that the garage must first be given the opportunity to repair the vehicle(which they already had done) I therefore felt pressured into agreeing to further repairs despite repeatedly expressing that I had no confidence in the vehicle’s long-term reliability or safety.As someone with a young family, reliability and safety are of utmost importance to me, alongside concerns about future financial burden caused by ongoing repair which I have also expressed on numerous occasions.Following these discussions, the vehicle underwent the following repairs and attempted repairs:* Replacement of the starter motor, after which the vehicle still failed to start* The vehicle was sent to GLC Auto in Gateshead on 14th and where it remains currently* The vehicle software was reflashed and updated - still failed* The issue still remained unresolved* I was then informed that the ECU required replacement using a refurbished unit rather than a new part* The replacement part was subsequently lost in transit, causing further delays, and another part had to be orderedDespite numerous repair attempts, the vehicle remains unreliable and unresolved and is still currently at GLC Auto.Of the six months I have owned the vehicle, I estimate that I have only been able to drive it for approximately three and a half months due to the amount of time it has spent in garages undergoing repairs.When it went into the garage the mileage was around 37,400 roughly, as I have video evidence from when the vehicle failed to start.I also want to add I was only offered a courtesy car / hire car after the vehicle had been in at the garage for a number of weeks.As a result, I had to put a previously SORN vehicle back on the road ,a vehicle I had intended to scrap , and I incurred additional costs, including paying for an MOT and insurance, simply to ensure I had access to transport.During one of our conversations, Paul mentioned that he had previously dealt with another vehicle which had remained in a garage for nine months and resulted in hire costs amounting to thousands of pounds. I found this comment particularly concerning and felt it demonstrated a disregard for the significant inconvenience and financial impact this situation has had on me.My vehicle falls within the M1 category and, had I requested a hire vehicle during this period, the average daily hire cost would have been approximately £40+ per day. Given that my vehicle has already been with the garage for 45 days, with no confirmed return date, the equivalent hire costs would now exceed £2,000 and continue to increase the longer this matter remains unresolved.On the 22nd May, we had a further telephone conversation with Paul Stead, during which we were advised that another part had been ordered because the ecu that had previously been ordered has now been lost.During this call, my mother took over the conversation on my behalf as I am not a confrontational person and do not like causing disputes. I feel that my patience and cooperation throughout this process have been extremely taken advantage of.My mother again requested either a replacement vehicle or a refund. Mr Stead responded by stating that we had never previously requested this, which is entirely inaccurate. The reason Mr Stead became involved in the matter in the first place was specifically because I had raised concerns regarding rejecting the vehicle and requested either an exchange or refund during earlier discussions with Tom Laybourne.All of these issues have occurred within the first six months of ownership.Under the consumer act 2015, I believe I am entitled to reject the vehicle due to the persistent faults and failed repair attempts.The vehicle has clearly not been of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, or as described at the point of sale.I now request that this matter is resolved urgently. I formally request one of the following remedies:* A full refund of the purchase price; or* A suitable replacement vehicle of the vehicles original valueIf this matter cannot be resolved promptly and reasonably, I will have no alternative but to escalate the complaint and seek legal advice regarding my rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and The Motor Ombudsman.I look forward to your prompt response.Yours faithfully,Shauna Hambley

Started off well as Mark Green was very nice and helped me buy this car and made the process smooth. However, the Aftercare is horrendous! I purchased this and within 5 months my clutch burnt out on the middle of the motorway so I had it towed back to the dealership as I thought this would be the best place to get fixed. There nearest appointment was 6 weeks away but did manage to get it get in to do a diagnostic in within a few days. This is the part I thought was outrageous as they asked for £940 (5 hours labour work) to complete this which was just to take the Gearbox and have a look at the Clutch (not even to begin to fix it) which would not be covered under my EXTENDED warranty. I refused as this bill would of cost over 2 grand due to there £180 hourly labour rate. I decided to take it to another garage which cost me to get towed AGAIN and this job was completed in 2 hours!

Since purchasing my Jaguar in 2024 the EML has been illuminated 8 times in total and supposedly repaired by the garage on a few of those occasions along with some "goodwill" repairs which I am of course grateful for. However my warranty claim was rejected for a missed service which I had asked Lookers South Shields to do during one of the latest visits which would have meant my warranty was not voided. Throughout the previous 7 visits to the garage for the EML illuminated, it was never sent to Jaguar for diagnosis. Now since the service has been missed the car was sent to Jaguar and found to have an issue with the Timing Chain. A very costly job £2900 approx to fix. Now I am liable for the cost of this due to the warranty company rejecting it due to a missed service. Throughout the whole ownership of this car it has had non stop issues where it has been sent back to the garage. A car that has cost me a lot financially in losses due to not having the car and needing the car for my work. I have email evidence of me advising your aftersales that there was a major issue with the car prior to the missed service and there was nothing done about it because at that time the EML had gone off. Registration is SY68 SHJ. I would like the full history of the car reviewed and you will be shown to see how bad the condition of the car has been in since purchase and completely unsatisfactory. I request that this warranty issue for the timing chain be resolved and covered by Lookers for the issues that this car has had since the start and the missed opportunities to send to Jaguar for proper diagnosis prior to it becoming a major issue. Thank you for your time and if this cannot be resolved I will of course go to the Motor Ombudsmen as well who will see that the car is and has been unsatisfactory.

Dear Lookers,I purchased a Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi ST Line, registration CU18 XCM ('the Vehicle') on 20 March 2026, and received delivery on 26 March 2026.Unfortunately, a couple of faults have developed, one of which means I can no longer drive the Vehicle without it overheating to a dangerous level. This more serious issue resulted in me being escorted home today by the RAC.The issues are as follows: -1. When driving at more than around 40-50mph, the temperature rapidly increases and reaches the maximum 120 degrees. The Vehicle then immediately loses power, restricting it to 25-35mph.2. When I park up and turn off the engine, the fan under the bonnet sounds like a jet engine. This happens after making a journey of more than around 1 mile, regardless of the loss of power issue above.2. Every so often, I get an amber warning light appearing on the dashboard along with a message saying 'Tyre pressure sensor not detected.' The error disappears upon resetting the tyre pressure in the settings, but then reappears again after driving a while longer.According to the RAC person, the issue at 1 above is either with a thermostat, or I think he said a valve of some sort. There is no leak from under the bonnet.Could you please advise how I have the issues diagnosed and repaired either via yourselves, or under the 3 month warranty. Presumably, there are some licensed garages I can use rather than arrange for the Vehicle to come all the way back to South Shields, which would not be possible anyway as it would not make it to you.The vehicle order form is attached for reference.I look forward to hearing from you soon.Thank you,Kind regards,Rikki Foster

Good afternoon,Please see below and attached details of a nonregulated and regulated complaint we have received – this is regarding the lost enquiry 8376859.Please note that the elements marked in yellow are not regulated, as such please can these be investigated as NR.The remainder elements are regulated and these would be dealt with by myself, these elements are:You said that you were informed by our colleagues that you could not place a deposit of £9,250 against the cost of the vehicle, which was £9,999, and £7,000 was the maximum you could deposit. You asked the cost of interest as this was not clearly displayed but you were provided with these details. You explained to our colleagues that you drive between 12,000 - 20,000 miles per year however the finance was recorded as 8,000 per annum by our colleagues. You questioned this and were told that it didn't matter as the agreement was a Hire Purchase, not a Personal Contract Purchase. You queried if you could cancel the finance arrangement if you changed your mind and were told that you would have a 'black mark' recorded against your credit account.However, on checking with the lender, Redline Finance, it states that a deposit of 95% would have been acceptable. It also clearly states that you should have been explicitly shown the interest rate, that the cooling off period is when is best to end the agreement if you change your financing arrangements and the mileage needs to be accurate for the agreement to be valid. It also states no 'black mark' is placed against your name for ending the finance agreement within the cooling off period and merely a credit 'hard search' remains.Please can you let me have the following information:• Please can you confirm if the SE informed the customer that she could only place a deposit of £7,000 against the vehicle?• If so, was this the correct thing to say at the time in line with our sales process?• Did the customer question the interest and did the SE correctly display and provide these details to her at the time?• The customer has mentioned her mileages was incorrectly stated on the documents – please clarify if this was the case and if so, why was the lower figure used by the SE?• Please provide comments around the ’black mark’ that the SE has mentioned?• Has the customer raised these issues with the dealership and what discussions, if any, have been held?• Anything else you wish to provide?Thanks,Sonia MahmoodComplaints Resolution HandlerHead OfficeLookers House, 1st Floor, Lookers Stoke, Bede Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 4GUT: 0161 291 0043lookers.co.ukFrom: N nickikelk@gmail.comSent: 12 April 2026 15:42To: Graham Turner GrahamTurner@lookers.co.uk; Gethin Williams gethinwilliams@lookers.co.uk; reservationrefunds@lookers.co.ukCc: complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.ukSubject: Concerns regarding Misrepresentation of products sold and faulty clutch of NG66 GDY at lookers Ford Car Hub South ShieldsExternal Sender: Confirm legitimacy before acting.Dear Graham----Thank you for the test drive yesterday on the VW golf TDI match edition NG66 GDY. As we discussed before, during and after the test drive and during the pricing negotiation, I have concerns about the integrity of the clutch. I informed you repeatedly that the pedal was high, the low gear changes were jolty and the clutch was not consistently smooth. I explained these issues were more prominent in 'eco' mode as opposed to 'sport' mode. I explained I was concerned the clutch was faulty. Despite your reassurance that the clutch seemed okay when you drove it to the body shop and explanation that all clutches differ car by car, you kindly agreed to raise this issue with the mechanics to ensure the clutch was not faulty. You also agreed the body shop would address the two front wing dents, black scrape on the rear passenger door, white scuffing to the rear bumper (passenger side) and scratches to the top of the rear bumper. You explained the car had been fully serviced and advisorys on the last mot had been fixed including the two suspension bushes and front and rear brake discs and pads.To reassure me further, you explained the clutch would be covered by the RAC warranty should it fail in the lifetime of the warranty. You also explained the cambelt and parking sensors would be covered by the warranty along with the electric folding wing mirrors. You cited a recent wing mirror failure of yours cost £800 so you claimed yours through the same warranty. You also explained the touch screen media device would be covered by the warranty and again suggested replacement of this would cost in excess of £1500. Prior to my visit you also informed me there would be no diagnostic charges to explore potential mechanical or electrical faults. These points reassured me to purchase and increase the length of the warranty. I was not informed which level of RAC warranty you were selling. You informed me you were providing me with 4 years cover for the price of 3.Sadly I have not received any written details or information through for the warranty either pre or post sale. On checking the RAC website I am concerned that the extent of the warranty has been misrepresented. It clearly explains that 'wear and tear' aspects of the car including the clutch, cambelt, parking sensors, wing mirrors and infotainment system are not covered by the warranty. It also states that diagnostic charges are payable even with the highest 'platinum' cover and that the infotainment system would only be covered to a value of £500 and only in cases of manufacturing faults and not wear and tear or soft ware issue. You informed me that the 'free year' warranty was deducted against the price of the car however this is marked as the current spring event offering £300 towards my deposit. The contrast between your explanation of what the warranty covers and my review of the details from the RAC are starkly different and I feel I have been missold the warrenty. This breaches The Misrepresentation Act 1967. ----With regard to the finance arrangement, you stated I could not place a £9,250 deposit against the cost of the car (£9,999) and £7000 was the maximum. I asked you the cost of interest as this was not clearly displayed. You did not tell me or show me the interest rate for the finance. I did explain I drive between 12000 and 20000 miles per year. You recorded my mileage on the finance agreement as 8000 and when I questioned this, you told me this didn't matter as it was HP and not pcp. I asked if I could cancel the finance arrangements if I changed my mind and you told me I would have a 'black mark' against my credit account. You told me I would be better to let it run past the cooling off period and address it to avoid the black mark. You did explain I could over pay on the finance and told me you had put a £600 payment down recently. You told me I could reduce the term. I have not received details of the finance. The documents sent are password protected and I have not been provided with a password to review these.On checking redline and the financial ombudsmen, they state a deposit of 95% would have been acceptable. It also clearly states I should have been explicitly shown the interest rate, that the cooling off period is when is best to end the agreement if I change my financing arrangements and the mileage needs to be accurate for the agreement to be valid. It also states no 'black mark' is placed on my name for ending my finance agreement in the cooling off period and merely a credit 'hard search' remains. I am therefore concerned that the finance was also misrepresented.Due to the misrepresentations of the products offered to me, the verbal explanation of the warranty cover differing from the actual cover provided, the limited financing details I have received and the lack of assurance about the clutch being fully operational, I am concerned you are selling me a vehicle with a pre-existing fault which nullifies the agreement. I would therefore like to unwind both the car purchase, warrenty purchase and finance agreement and have my £250 reservation deposit returned.Kind regardsNicki Kelk

Dear Sir/Madam,I am writing to raise a formal complaint regarding the purchase of my Vauxhall Grandland (2020), registration LM20 VCO, which I purchased on 24 September 2025 at the South Shields branch.Since the date of collection, the level of service I have received from your dealership has been unacceptable.At the point of purchase, I identified that the sunroof was cracked. I raised this immediately with your sales advisor, Tom, who advised me to make a claim through my own car insurance. Given that I had owned the vehicle for less than 24 hours, I found this advice inappropriate.I also requested the MOT and service history of the vehicle from Tom and I was advised that this would be provided by email or that I should contact Vauxhall myself.To date, I have not received any of this documentation.Within the first six months of ownership, I have experienced multiple ongoing issues with the vehicle:The vehicle is currently booked into a Vauxhall garage on 20 April due to a persistent seatbelt sensor fault.On 20 March, the car was taken in for intermittent stop/start faults, and the battery was replaced.As of today (5 April), both the battery and engine warning lights are illuminated, and the vehicle will not start at all.This strongly suggests that the underlying issue was neither properly diagnosed nor resolved.Given the frequency and severity of these faults, I believe the vehicle was not of satisfactory quality at the time of sale.I am now out of warranty and left dealing with what appears to be a fundamentally unreliable vehicle.Please treat this matter as urgent. I expect a prompt response outlining how you intend to resolve this situation.Kind RegardsShauna Hambley

Good evening,I am writing to formally express my dissatisfaction with the handling of my lease vehicle delivery, which has been extremely disappointing and has caused significant inconvenience.While I appreciate that transport issues can sometimes arise outside of your direct control, cancelling a scheduled delivery only one day before it was due, with no apparent contingency plan in place, is unacceptable.What has been particularly frustrating is the complete lack of communication throughout the day. I sent several emails this afternoon requesting clarification on the situation and asking for an updated delivery date, yet received no response. In the end, I was left with no option but to contact you myself at 16:50 in an attempt to establish what was happening and whether I would still have a vehicle available tomorrow.At no stage was I given confirmation that the collection of my current vehicle, which was due to take place tomorrow, had been cancelled. This uncertainty should not have been left for me to ring and resolve.The delay has also had a direct impact on personal arrangements. I was due to travel to Cornwall on 2nd April, and those plans had already been organised around the confirmed delivery of the new vehicle. As a result of this late cancellation, that journey is now no longer possible.The overall experience has fallen far below what I would reasonably expect, particularly given that this concerns a pre-arranged delivery with very little notice of any issue.Given the inconvenience caused, I would also appreciate your response to this complaint and an explanation as to how this situation was allowed to occur.Kind regards,Andrew rafferty

Victoria Friberg31 Cuba StreetGrangetownSunderlandSR28RUSubject: Urgent Safety Issue – Fiat 500 Purchased 9 March – Handbrake FaultHello,I am contacting you regarding a serious safety issue with the Fiat 500 I purchased from Lookers South Shields on 9 March.The handbrake has become loose, which makes the car unsafe to drive. As this fault has appeared within 30 days of purchase, I am exercising my rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to request an urgent repair at no cost, completed within a reasonable timeframe and without inconvenience. If a suitable repair cannot be carried out promptly, I will need to reject the vehicle and request a full refund.I need this matter addressed as soon as possible. Please confirm an urgent inspection and repair booking.Kind regards,Victoria Friberg

Feedback left on-lineI was told the car was “ready to go”. Just shy of £14,000 I paid and, although the car had been washed on the outside, the interior was filthy. Dust and dirt on the dashboard, air vents and around the handbrake area. Really poor from a used car brand the size of Lookers. Selling a clean car is vital and this was missed. Repair shop replaced the faulty sensors which I can’t complain about, their service was spot on, but this issue should have been identified before the car was put up for sale. When I went into the dealership to drop off the car, the salesman seen me and dipped his head and lifted his phone to his ear to avoid me!!! To date, I’ve had 5 serious faults with the car, have had to take 3 separate days off work to take the car back for repair, waiting around Shields for up to 5 hours each time, arrogant young girl in the desk. Refuses to give me a phone number or email address of customer service, finally giving me the name Dave Taylor, but Lord knows who he is or how I contact him. Pathetic service, pathetic car quality, pathetic salesman. Says it all. 1 star as there’s no option for minus stars

Ref: Ford Puma purchaseSales registration: YB20 CGGNew registration: TL64 TERMr TaylorI purchased the above vehicle for Lookers Ford, South Shields on 30/01/2026, the sales person told me the car was “valeted and ready to go”, this sadly was the first untruth, as, where he outside of the car was clean (although torrential rain polluted down that day so probably did the job for Lookers), the inside was unclean, no valet had been done for some time. A slight issue but not insurmountable.I seen the very next day there was an issue with the tyre sensors, also with a rear tyre losing air.I booked the car into the workshop for these to be rectified. Having to take a day off work for the bother, a thorn in my side to have to return to South Shields, however it needed to be investigated and repaired.A few days later, having finished work at 10pm I approached my car, only to notice an LED fault with a headlight. The next day I checked out the car in more depth, as clearly, not only were there no robust vehicle checks done prior to sale, it appears a basic glance wasn’t even done before the car was advertised.I had to return the car to Shields once again for repairs. Only to be told, there’s a broken part of the rear door card that needs replacing and a headlight would need to be ordered. No empathy from the young, rude girl in the desk, just a matter of fact attitude.Then, I returned a third time, so a third annual leave day was taken from work (12 hour duties, so I’ve taken 36 hours leave in total) where these issues were rectified.How can a dealership of your size miss these issues, why are staff not trained to treat customers who pay the neck end of £14K cash for a car like they are valued and their time is important to them and sorry Lookers failed and it’s resulted in THREE separate appointments that I have to make.Each time I walk into the dealership for more work, the sales person sees me. He either looks down to avoid me or, twice picks up his mobile phone to his ear as if to pretend he’s on a call, again to avoid me.Your company service approach is disgraceful. Staff rude and uncaring, lack sympathy and empathy and this purchase has cost me money, time and leave for no reason other than this car was never checked fully before being placed for sale.No courtesy car ever offered as a goodwill gesture, I have to pay to take a metro into Shields or Newcastle to kill time on three occasions, no gesture of goodwill by way of compensation is ever offered or a free extended warranty to give me reassurance having bought a car unfit for purpose.I doubt very much I’ll get a reply, however will search for a head office contact if I don’t and forward this to them.Totally dissatisfied customer.Terry LANE