Hartwell plc Avis 

Picked up my wifes new (to her) Abarth from here yesterday and got to say our experience from initial enquiry to collection was brilliant.

I dealt with Chris Clarke and he was more than helpful with everything. Initially we were to pick the car up last Saturday but he realised the car was due a Cam Belt so offered either a discount to allow us to still collect that day or to collect at a later date once the work was done. We opted to collect the following week and he managed to get the work done to suit

our next day off.

We travelled 4hrs by train to collect the car and Chris even met us from the station to bring us to the dealership. Car was just as described/pictured and ready to go with a full tank too.

I booked a BYD Seal test drive at Hartwell Kidlington this Sunday. Unfortunately, the saleswoman I interacted with was very unfriendly and displayed a poor attitude throughout the experience. It was a disappointing visit. I would recommend being cautious when dealing with her if you visit the BYD Kidlington location.

If you want to keep your sanity don’t go here!! I went to the Scunthorpe branch in 2023 and made the worst mistake. It’s had about 7 repairs under the warranty but from the date the issue is reported it’s usually about 2 months to actually fix the issue. Ive had to make 4 trips each time for a diagnostic and then repair. Only once got a courtesy car. I’ve spend countless hours on the phone, writing emails, using petrol and time off work. The service I’ve received is shocking. The latest repair was reported in August and diagnosed in September and I then had to wait until the end of October for a repair. The guy then ordered the wrong parts so my car had to stay in the garage for 3 weeks. When I came to collect it all they said was ‘we’ve cleaned it for you’ I’ve decided to sell it and when asking for the service history I was told they couldn’t provide this due to gdpr and later told they don’t have this information & to call Ford. Later that day they emailed me the service history. I’ve emailed the ceo & had no response. Just absolutely shocking I’ve had 2 years worth of stress. Never ever again

I have similary same problems. I purchased a car through Milly with 3 years warranty and all other extras but shocked to find out thay its now run out and on the invoice says 12month. When i have clearly paid for 3 years. Trying to get them to resolve this os a nightmare and would not recommend this comapny at all. My car even came with a different number plate and an extra 2k miles clocked up. I will be writing a formal letter of complaint now ask for full £900 back plus loss of time trying to resolve the issue. Double chec all your paperwork with this company

This is the review I'm writing after driving my Mazda 3 automatic, which I bought from them (Abingdon store) about one month ago, so I can give an honest review.

I went there to check the car, meaning to drive it home that day, but they said the car needed some servicing before being sold to a customer. I then inspected the car and pointed out some faults that they promised to fix. I paid a deposit, and then went back home. A week later, they called me saying the car was ready. I went there, the faults I pointed out were fixed, I paid the rest of the money, and then drove it home. Overall, I am happy with the car they sold to me.

Pros:

1. They fixed all the issues I reported, although I later discovered (a few days after driving it home) that the left mirror's auto-fold feature was not working, i have to fold it manually every time, lazy to go back from london to oxford to fix this.

2. They had the car serviced before handing it over to me; this is a thumbs up!

3. They also completed an additional MOT apart from one done in MAY 2025, before handling the vehicle to me, checked the new mot history, changed front brake pads and 1 tire for me.

4. The sales and vehicle handover process was smooth and friendly, no hard push additional service sale.

5. On the day I picked up the vehicle, the car's left rear tire had a big scratch. After I pointed it out, they took care of it and replaced it for me in 30 min, so I could drive from Oxford to London without a problem.

cons:
The only issue is this: I requested the full service history from the salesperson (who was not present on the day I picked up the vehicle). However, it seems he may have left the company, as an email I sent him after returning home was diverted to another person. I have received no response regarding the full service history since then.

Called up 3 days in advance to book in to see a car as I lived over an hour away. I arrived on time, but the sales advisor (Sven) was busy serving someone else. I was happy to wait, and asked to see the car whilst he finished off. After 5 minutes of looking for the car, he established that the car had been moved to a different store for a potential sale that morning. He said it would be back on Monday, but if I wanted to see it today I could drive to the other office (25 minutes away) to see it. I then drove the to Abingdon, only to be told they didn’t have the car and knew nothing about it. Absolute shambles. Their loss to the tune of £25k.

Hartwell Ford at Hemel Hempstead and Dunstable are complete con artists. Advertise a good leasing deal for a Gen E Puma which myself and other members of the family applied for. We all had to pay them deposits to secure the deal and reserve a car which they have held onto for well over 6 weeks. Eventually they came back and apparently none of us have passed the finance check with Experian, which is totally ridiculous considering our Experian scores range from 974 to 999 ( the maximum score possible) we have spoken to Experian and they have no record of any checks being put through. I have never failed a credit check in my life, my score is the max it can be and there is no adverse information held, and there is absolutely no reason to fail a check according to Experian. This is obviously a scam to drum up interest in the electric Puma when the deal actually never existed and it’s now re-appeared at literally double the price! Total scam and none of us in the family will ever touch a Ford again so their little scam has totally backfired as they have lost a family of previously dedicated Ford owners who are now looking elsewhere for their new cars. Even after being told the deal has ended it’s still taken well over a week to get refunds on the deposits we all paid so they’ve literally been earning interest on everyone’s money for all that time! Customer service has been non existent. Extremely difficult to get any response to enquiries. I don’t believe this deal ever existed as apparently we can re-apply at the new price if we wish and were told not to take the finance decline personally as apparently only 1 out of over 60 people passed their finance check ! I actually work in finance myself and there is no way only that percentage of people would pass finance checks! More likely only 1 car at that price existed for each dealer and the whole process has been a marketing scam to drum up interest. The whole process has been a frustrating scam to keep our deposit money for almost 2 months for a deal that never existed ! This company puts Ford to shame and none of us will ever touch Ford with a barge pole again so Bye Bye Ford !

We visited Hartwell’s Kidlington in August to look at an S-Max we were interested in, and from the start, the experience was fantastic. Richard Brewer spotted us and immediately offered his help, suggesting a test drive, encouraging both of us to have a go, and going through the car inside and out. He was honest about minor issues, and reassured us that anything we’d noticed, including minute dents caused by door swings, would be sorted. There was absolutely no pressure to buy, and he even allowed a fully refundable deposit while we took a few days to decide.

When we went ahead and bought the car, everything promised had been completed before collection. A couple of minor issues cropped up afterward, but a quick call to Richard had them booked in and sorted promptly, and the aftercare was excellent.

Richard was friendly, approachable, and completely trustworthy, and all the staff were welcoming and professional. He also explained the warranty and servicing packages, which worked out to be good value and gave us peace of mind.

We’d highly recommend Hartwell’s Kidlington, a smooth, honest, and friendly experience from start to finish.

Brilliant job done by Hartwell on my scirocco rear end after a scaffolding lorry collided into it, absolutely spot on with no signs what so ever of any repairs at all, just like it rolled out the show room, perfect!

Bought a Golf R from Hartwell in Kidlington BYD, Customer service and any type of comms after the sale are shocking, when you do get through they tell you “ we’ll get back to you before close of play “ never do,

Took £358.50 of my money after speaking with CAB they told me contact the bank and various other outlets( social media, local area news ,solicitors.FCA)

You’d be better popping into Arthur Daley’s car lot in Hammersmith to buy a car avoid these chancers like the plague.

BYD- Build Your Dreams more like BYN build your nightmare !!!

26/09/25
In response to Hartwell’s reply
No one agreed, me included that the £358 would be used ref Fill service history. There were not “ service indicators” on the car unlike the previous one for an oil change so as far as I’m aware it’s got a FSH , if the petrol light comes on you fill it up, if it doesn’t and you run out of fuel well then it’s the systems issue.

“Reached out” with an Email still no reply ghosted on the phone now by Email . If you go that extra mile you’ll get a great service don’t waste your time and hard earned money with these muppets. 😎😎😎

Poor communication, you always have to chase them for an update, if their recent Puma Gen E deals weren’t so good, I would have cancelled my order! It’s a shame most customers will remember how poorly they have been treated, I wouldn’t buy from them again.

I applied for finace application for hundai santa fe. When my application was declined after paying reservation fee £99. 3 which they told me its refundable. 3 weeks down the road am chasing to pay back my money only telling me we will give a call back. Nkw they telling the product consultant who was handling my case resigned. Very awful experience. Can you please refund back my money.

I purchased a Seat Arona from Hartwells Abingdon in 2024 with around 17,000 miles on the clock. Since then, the car has been back four times with issues, and at its first MOT (carried out at Hartwells Kidlington) I was advised that the brake pads were 80% worn, the discs were corroded, and a shock absorber was leaking — amounting to over £1,000 in repairs after just 10,000 miles of light use.

Naturally, this has left me very concerned about the condition the car was sold in and whether the correct checks were carried out at the time. From my understanding, brake pads, discs, and suspension should not deteriorate this quickly unless there were pre-existing problems.

I am giving Hartwells the opportunity to respond and work towards a fair resolution, as I would like to believe this is not representative of the standards or reputation of the group. I hope this feedback is taken seriously and that my confidence in Hartwells can be restored

Horrific experience on all levels, no customer service, communication was utterly dreadful. They have taken no ownership of my issues and simply blamed Ford, never would I buy any vehicle from them passenger car or commercial. I can’t comment on Ford UK as after several emails and no contact it tells you everything you need to know.

Awful experience. My car went in for a full carpet replacement as the other was in terrible condition from previous owner. Car is a Fiesta ST3 2023 registration so still very new. Was told my car would take 48 hours originally but took 6 days. Car went in on Tuesday 12th and I received a call on Thursday 14th from Ella with an update saying it will take longer than expected but will call me on Friday with a further update. Didnt hear anything at all until Monday at 15:15pm to pick my car up after being told on the phone we close at 17:30, depsite me saying i will be there 17:00-17:15. Turned up to collect the car and it was missing the full drivers side door trim so all wires exposed. Car was left dusty and filthy from all of the work carried out. Also to top it off there is scratches on my drivers side door and white scuffs on rear bumper. Not happy at all.

I brought my car in for a 90,000-mile service at Hartwell Ford Dunstable (on 24 June 2025) and less than four weeks later, the clutch failed completely. Luckily it happened just near my home — had it occurred on a motorway, the outcome could have been dangerous.
Despite being a major scheduled service, the dealership performed only a basic visual inspection, with no meaningful checks on critical components like the clutch or drivetrain. They produced a video focusing entirely on tyre tread, while ignoring far more serious wear risks.
I raised a formal complaint and was met with dismissive responses, no accountability, and zero goodwill — not even an apology. I was simply told, “We can’t predict a clutch failure,” and offered nothing more than a future booking slot (which I declined). They refuse to acknowledge their role or issue a refund.
In my experience, this was a box-ticking service with no mechanical depth, and when challenged, the management refused to take responsibility. I’ve now escalated the case to Ford UK and The Motor Ombudsman.

From communicating over the phone about a possible sale , to travelling down to Hartwell to see the vehicle, all that was discussed about condition and spec was accurate and true . Nothing too much trouble for the guys even when asked for an underneath of car video to show all in good condition. Would highly recommend Hartwell Ford to do business with on your next vehicle
On collection the car was cleaned but the interior and engine bay could have done with a professional vallet and not just a wipe down with a cloth, my only gripe but I am very picky
But overall top marks

Hartwell Hereford have messed up the last two years servicing on my car. In 2024 they put in the wrong sump plug and all the oil ran out. They did admit it was their fault and put it right. So gave them benefit of the doubt and took it back there for service this year May 2025. Since the service the car has been leaking oil. I have today taken it to another independant mechanic who has said oil was leaking from the sump due to washer missing from sump plug. So Hartwell messed up again. I rang Hartwell Hereford to complain but they don't want to know. So obviously I won't be using them again. Just seen Hartwell's reply to my complaint. Firstly it has taken them weeks to reply and secondly noone has contacted me about booking car in with them. I don't know why they want me to book the car in with them, will never use them again, have already had it fixed elsewhere

Absolutely Disappointed – Avoid Hartwell at All Costs

I purchased a Ford Mustang EcoBoost from Hartwell Scunthorpe, which already had an aftermarket exhaust fitted. At the time of sale, I was offered and agreed to an extended warranty (Hartwell Plan B) for peace of mind, paying around £66 per month. I trusted this would protect me from major mechanical issues — but I was wrong.

Recently, the turbocharger actuator failed — a fault that is completely unrelated to the exhaust system — and Hartwell/Car Care Plan have refused my warranty claim, blaming the exhaust. However, their own warranty handbook (Page 18) clearly states that modifications only invalidate a claim if they cause the failure, which is not the case here.

To make matters worse:
• The fault was diagnosed and confirmed by Haynes Ford (Maidstone) and supported by an independent garage
• The car is still with Hartwell Reading, and it has now been over 5 days with no update, despite promises to call back after technician review
• They refused to properly investigate the issue unless the engine management light (EML) was on — even though I was advised not to drive the car any further due to risk of engine failure
• I have now been without my car for nearly a month, trying to get this resolved — causing immense stress and serious disruption to my work and life
• I have emailed both Hartwell and Car Care Plan — and neither have responded

At this point, I am escalating the matter to the Motor Ombudsman, Trading Standards, and preparing to take legal action to recover all associated costs.

If you’re considering buying a car or taking out a warranty with Hartwell — don’t. Their service has been unprofessional, evasive, and completely unreliable. I won’t be letting this go — and I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through this either.

The excellent customer service that was provided to myself from James Thorpe was of the highest standard.
He explained everything in full details covering all purchase options, full reviews & insight into the vehicle type I was looking to purchase, I was so impressed by the knowledge & excellent manner of James, it makes a process so very easy when you have confidence in the individual that you are dealing with.
I would also thank finance manager & all other staff members who made this purchase so pleasant & my new vehicle
is of highest standard.
This service is reason I have returned to Hartwell for both service & exchanges of vehicle over the years.
Highest standard of customer care anywhere.