Initially brilliant service from the lady spoken with about a PCP on a new car. I paid a £99 refundable holding fee for the car I was hoping to buy however the figure quoted was too much and I decided to not go ahead with the deal.I have not received the holding fee back despite email conversations with the lady spoken with and the last two have gone unanswered. Not sure why they have not refunded me my money as agreed despite having my bank details. Still waiting for over a week now. Not happy!

Quick and efficient, thank you

The staff were very helpful and knowledgeable about the vehicles on site.

Dear SirsI am writing to express my extreme disappointment in the service I have received from Lookers following the purchase of a car on 09/06/25 with the registration NU71 ZNN. I purchased the car from lookers Darlington, it was sold under ‘used & approved’ and on purchase I was informed this car had a full dealership service history, and had under gone a thorough approved used inspection. I chose Lookers, as a reputation for a reliable main dealership and I wanted a reliable car, with the assurance that I was not getting done over by a back street garage. The main dealership represented honesty, reliability and reassurance and to quote your website was guaranteed –Thorough Approved Used InspectionEvery approved used and nearly new car we retail has passed numerous checks and tests, to give you peace of mind when you buy. The servicing and vehicle history will be confirmed independently in full.This includes a:• Verification that the used car has never been written-off or stolen.• Up-to-date status on scheduled maintenance and MOT tests.• Multi-point test, expertly carried out by one of our fully trained technicians.• Thorough and accurate inspections that meet our own high standards.Buy any used or approved used model from Lookers and you will receive the same high level of customer service and aftersales support as our new car customers.At this time I was also convinced to purchase the warranty as due to it being a second hand car this would ensure all parts are covered in case of any issues.I started to notice issues with the clutch system in early December 2025, but with no warning errors showing I believed this was due to the cold weather and due to me owning the car for only 6 months at this time didn’t think much of it. This issue then became persistent throughout December and the first warning light came on advising me to take the car to a workshop for a check up on 2 January 2026 .I contacted VW who scheduled an appointment at the earliest date which was 15/01/2026 with VW Lookers Northallerton, due to the Darlington branch not been available for bookings until February. While on the phone to the lady at VW booking the appointment, she asked if I wanted a service on the vehicle, as she stated the last service was done on the vehicle in ‘2023’. I advised the lady I had only purchased the vehicle 6 months ago and that I was assured that the car had had a full service done before purchase as advised by the salesman under the ‘used & approved’ car sale. She told me this was not the case which has left me confused about the car and Lookers honesty and commitment to customers.I went ahead with the scheduled vehicle check and oil service at VW lookers Northallerton who informed me of the issues with the car which was given as ;-Break disc front scored-Break disc back scored-clutch slipping in need of new clutch-new fly wheelWhen speaking to Northallerton after diagnosis, I was told it would cost £2690 , in repairs for a car which at this stage I had only had for 6 months. I advised them of the warranty I had took out, at point of sale and was told this would not cover the damages due it been a ‘wear and tear issue’ . I explained to the technician I had only had the car 6 month and advised again that the call centre operator at VW stated the car had not been serviced before sale. I asked if she could check on the records, as I had not been given these at point of sale, nor been advised how I could access them, despite been told that the service had occurred and that the car had a full VW service history. I advised the Northallerton technician I would come to pick up the car as they where not the point of sale dealership and I wanted to bring the matters to the Darlington branch, for them to be able to check their records and repair a fault that should have been highlighted due they presale inspection and highlighted at point of sale as a minimum.I picked up the car and next day headed to the Darlington branch to explain the situation. I provided the diagnosis printed by Northallerton and once again explained the situation. I was told that it was a ‘wear and tear issue’. I was told “it will be because of the way I drive it” , I stated since purchase of the vehicle I had only put 2400 miles on the car! I was told nothing could be done, and told again that the warranty would not to cover this. I was told that the missing service was most likely in paper copy as the salesman would have checked this before signing off on the car. I requested a copy and was told I would need to speak to sales staff regarding this as ‘they sold you the car and is nothing to do with maintenance team’I then booked in the car for the repairs and was advised that unlike Northallerton that the breaks were not in need of repair but still that the clutch was slipping due to extreme wear. Was then told it would cost £1440 and would be without a car for the 3 days of repair without an offer of a courtesy car.When I collected the car from Lookers Darlington after the work was done, I was handed a sheet with 5 starts circled and told to give them a 5 star review as they had looked after me. I took the car back to Lookers Darlington a week later as something was dangling from below the car, following the work done initially.In short the experience I have received from Lookers is not what I would expect from a main dealership. I expected service and honesty worthy of the VW brand. The service I have received has been more like a back street wheeler dealer. I would like a written apology for the misinformation they gave me at purchase. Assuring me the car was serviced & had the through used car inspection, extending a warranty to cover all work, when none of this was the case. The inconvenience caused with not been able to have a vehicle for the days the car has been in the workshop, with no offer of a courtesy car.I request a full refund for all work done on the vehicle since purchase and a full refund on the warranty that was purchased. Or a chance to return the car for the full balance paid including all additional charges when bought.I look forward to your response.

Car issues

The customer service I recieved from Jenifer was first class, she is knowledgeable goes above and beyond and therefore Iam very pleased with my experience at Darlington Lookers.

Dear Lookers Customer Relations Team,I am writing to formally escalate an ongoing issue relating to a vehicle purchased from a Lookers Volkswagen dealership, as I have been unable to obtain a response or resolution from the selling dealer despite repeated attempts.Customer details:Name: Finley BevanVehicle: Volkswagen Golf (70 plate)Registration: YE70 AYTPurchase date: 13 NovemberFinance: PCP via Volkswagen Financial ServicesDealership: VW Lookers DarlingtonBackground and timeline- Shortly after purchase, the vehicle experienced repeated battery failures, leaving it undriveable on multiple occasions.- The car required a jump start when I collected it from the selling dealer, which should have raised immediate concerns about battery health prior to sale.- The vehicle subsequently broke down again and was recovered via VW Assist / AA.- I have been without my vehicle since 14 December, causing significant disruption, including the inability to work normally.- During this time, I was placed into a courtesy vehicle which was later withdrawn by VW Mobility, leaving me with no vehicle at all.- The matter was escalated to VW UK Customer Care, who have been involved in parallel.Attempts to resolve- I initially tried to resolve the matter via repair and later a vehicle swap, acting reasonably and in good faith throughout.- I sourced independent finance at a significantly lower APR than the VW finance offered; however, I was later advised that Lookers would not support the proposed finance structure.- As a result, I formally notified the sales manager, Joe Shuttleworth that I would need to proceed via the refund route on the original vehicle.Current issue- I emailed the selling dealer on Saturday confirming my intention to proceed with a refund.- As of today (Tuesday), I have received no response, despite the urgency of the situation and the length of time this has already been ongoing.- I am currently without my vehicle and without any courtesy transport, and I have no clarity on next steps, timescales, or responsibility for resolving this matter.Request for urgent actionI am now requesting urgent intervention from Lookers Head Office to:- Acknowledge my refund request,- Confirm the formal process and timescales for resolution, and- Liaise with Volkswagen Financial Services to settle the finance agreement accordingly.This situation has gone on for an unreasonable length of time, and the lack of communication from the selling dealer is extremely concerning. I have made every effort to resolve this amicably and proportionately, and I now require Head Office involvement to bring this matter to a conclusion after 6 weeks without my vehicle.I would appreciate a response as a matter of urgency.Kind regards,Finley Bevan

Great communication from sales team

Ryan Macdonald sales team treat us really well,very experienced,friendly knowledgeable and went above and beyond to please us.

Hi there,I recently bought a used Jeep from Jennifer at the Darlington branch.The service I have received has probably been the best ever in my 42 years on this earth!I would like to leave her the official 5 stars, but the survey link sent to me has expired. (New phone since car purchase..hence lost a few things)Please can you send me the link again. Because she deserves the praise.Many thanks