Sarah Duncan
1/5
Awful experience which I was surprised at as came highly recommended. Rude staff who kept our car for days with no updates - no calls when promised and phone not answered when we rang. Eventually said they couldn’t find anything wrong and ‘just drive on it and bring it back if the warning lights come on again’, despite the ‘engine inspection required’ light coming on and the car going into limo mode at high speeds. We queried this repeatedly but reluctantly did as confidently advised that ‘there is nothing wrong with the engine’. I ended up having to get towed by the RAC after a cold 3 hour wait on the side of the M25 as it overheated; thankfully I’d packed extra jumpers expecting this as a possibility. The RAC did more diagnostics than staff at Martin Adams despite them having it for days and did a combustion / gas test which showed exhaust gases in the engine which indicated a blown head gasket, caused (or at least worsened) by driving on it as instructed. When I called to check the next day was shouted over that ‘your partner never said the overheating light had come on’ which I had to try hard to interrupt and point out that he hadn’t said that because it hadn’t come on until after the initial visit although the ‘engine inspection’ light had, as we said. Again took days to even look at it, costing us loads in taxis as magically neither time were any of their courtesy cars available, then eventually said couldn’t find anything wrong but maybe the temperature sensor working incorrectly as ‘the engine is fine, it’s not the head gasket as it drives fine’ despite it NOT driving fine and regularly going into limp mode. Replaced the sensor at nearly £300, lo and behold it engine and overheating warning lights coming on again. Also returned with nearly an empty tank when it had been 3/4 full on drop off. Rang them back and more rude attitude ‘well I don’t know! I’ve googled and maybe it’s the coolant level, bring it in if you want and we can have a go at that but I can’t work it out. We’re really busy but can try’. Unsurprisingly we did not take it back, took to AJ Dunlop in Beaconsfield who were incredibly kind and professional and turns out the head gasket IS the problem; probably not fully blown but likely cracked, and confidently said the engine coolant would have no impact on this and not worth repairing. Thank goodness we didn’t take it back for more pointless work at great length from staff who seem inconvenienced by customers. Really disappointed as I’ve used them previously and received warm and friendly service but am incredibly gutted by this experience where following their advice likely worsened the state of the car to it now being scrappable. It wasn’t Martin himself we were dealing with I think but another young mechanic called Martin who just always seemed to want to brush us off and to have no idea what was going on. Reading the other reviews I don’t know what we did to deserve such horrible service compared to other people with excellent care. Out of pocket for pointless work and now got a car we need to scrap despite repeated confident assertions that all was completely fine apart from perhaps some sensors firing incorrectly and telling the car there was a problem when there wasn’t. Turns out there was all along.
