Arnold Clark, Glasgow

[AlexK]

Arnold Clark, Glasgow
915 Springburn Road, Eastfield, Glasgow, G21 1LZ
Phone: 0141 557 7200
Fax: 0141 577 7209

Guidelines for members: Comments should be self-contained feedback on your overall experience following the purchase of a car or completion of service/warranty work.  Leaving feedback purely on the basis of a test drive or phone call is of no use to anyone.  Please do not comment on other people's feedback - instead, take all conversations into PMs.  All feedback must be constructive and factual.  Emotional ranting, retaliatory or libellous comments will be removed.  In all cases of dispute, your dealer must be given the opportunity to resolve the situation first.

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[AbarthForum.co.uk]

[cookie]

Well we are not going to slag arnold clark off as we have had years of brilliant service from them at their Fiat branch in Perth. Having purchased our Abarth in september last year from David Murphy who is no longer there (which is a pity as he was a briliant guy and could not do enough to help). We had the squeaky brake syndrome, only to be told that nobody else had mentioned it and it was not a fault that they were aware of. They took the wheels off and said that they had cleaned the brakes due to a build up of dirt and brake dust. However the car had only done 900 miles and they squeaked the minute we left the dealership. The service manager has not been a helpful chap, far from it if I am honest. Being the only Abarth dealer in Scotland the aftersales service could be alot better.   

[AGP2009]

Hi Guys,
Just thought I'd share my experience of Arnold Clark Abarth as i'm now working in scotland for 6 months, so  I'd been up here a couple off days so I thought i'd take a trip to these guys with my 3 month old agp as I'm having a few problems with it: selt belt keeps coming disconnected whilst driving, rusting exhuast and ohh the usual screaming breaks, it has done 6k miles now.
Anyway once I eventually found the garage as the post code on the web site took to some housing blocks lol, I walked in and went to the service counter and started speaking to the lady behind the counter which seemed like she was clueless about my car and whether it was in warranty or not? I then proceeded to tell her the problems I had with the car ie the squeeking brakes, she then replied that is'nt covered by the warranty and will have to have a look and charge for this!although they have squueked since new, I certainly did'nt spend almost 15 grand on a car that comes with squeeling brakes on to have what seems the poorest aftercare ever (exeption off all other abarth dealers) all in all they are BY FAR
the WORST car dealers I have ever visited!!!!!! These fools should be stripped off there Abarth Dealership as the can't have Any happy customers as all I seem to read is complaints regarding this so called company!

[davidj1888]

When buying my abarth 500 I had a generally good experience at AC although until I  put pen to paper the salesman never returned any of my calls enquiring about the car.
I returned the car three weeks ago for a warranty claim on the side stripes and was told ,"no problem we ll have them in a few days" ..... still no phone call.
My only concern is that iI have paid for three years servicing, so unfortunatly I have no choice other than using AC s service department for the next three years.
I will however be taking a close look at the car before and after servicing making sure everything is as it should be

[Munchie]

Hi All,

Picked up my A500 from Arnold Clark in Glasgow last friday. On arriving at the dealer back in April I was welcomed with a coffee and a smile from John Smith (Abarth Sales dude). He was very helpful in letting the wife and I look around the abarth cars - not getting that in your face sales crap was a change from the norm.

Test Drive - On that day I also took a test drive in an SS version - very impressed on the day - Had no issues on booking for a drive. Great country roads near the dealer.

Sales - John was very keen about the cars which I think helps as a lot of car sales person's no little on the cars they sell. After the order was placed ( BN with black stripe, 17" 10 spoke wheels, black leather). I was phoned on many occasions regarding the car status. (Talked to John about this, as many Abarthisti crave updates on progress of their cars - It's a personal touch that should show the dealer is proactive and involved with a happy smooth sale - but also remember this is a two way thing.)

Delivery Day - The transaction on the day was very smooth - only to forget my card no. to pay for the car in all the excitement. Lucky my wife was there to rescue the day. Free mats would have been nice but maybe next time hay John? 
Took a few photos on the day as posted in member's cars - not very good - but will study from the photo master DraigFlag with the aim to become one's Padawan.

So overall a positive for myself and Abarth Glasgow - Thanks   

 

[fishbone]

Gotta say, Ive never had pleasant experiences with AC in the past, but when I got my AGP John Smith was very helpful, and kept me posted etc... so a pleasant change

However Ive had some warranty issues but was too scared to do anything about it... again previous experience! Anyway, took the plunge and the problem was diagnosed, parts ordered and I got a call when the parts were in and booked the car in. So all good there!!

My stripes are also peeling off and Im waiting on getting that sorted out, the stripe guy must be busy!!

Of course, maybe they know Im a moany git, I dont take any crap... so they are probably thinking.. 'theres that moaner get him sorted and shut him up!!! 

[black abarth]

When I picked up my 500 the car still had delivery sticker marks on it, the inside also only had a quick run over by the valet team.  Arnold Clark have always been the same.  I bought a new citroen years ago and I swore that I would never deal with them again. The usual though they had to be the only abarth dealer in scotland, so I had no choice.
The sales man I dealt with was John Smith, he was great to deal with so no complaints there.
As for the stickers, I luckly noticed the demonstrators stickers were pealing so I decided to leave that option and the car looks great without them.  I think the stickers are a bit of an after thought .  I am a little worried about the after care because they are well known to be a bit of a nightmare fingers crossed

[fishbone]

Well pleasantly surprised again!

Took the car in this morning to get the strut tops done - was told they could do the stickers as they were expected in later on.

Anyways, got at call a few hours later, car was ready to collect but the stickers hadnt arrived. No problem tbh.

So, there you go! A pleasant change to my previous experiences! So those of you with concerns, at least give it a try. Its like haggis. You say you dont like it but you havent tried it. Hmmm... ok that was a crap analogy. 

 

[danrae]

i had my service done last month at arnold clark they were very gd and only took them 2 hrs

[cookie]

our car went in on tuesday for its first service and a few warranty issues.the service was done under a service package we took out upon purchasing the car very good value i have to say the service was done to abarth spec and  we were happy with all the work our only niggle is the car has lost its induction noise and is now very quiet under throttle (mrs cookie not happy) help .....  we met john for the first time he was a nice guy helpfull and honest  .danielle on the service desk was helpfull and plesant we had no issues there quite a nice experience the garage has new management so maybe its on the up . we had asked them take sticky marks of the door kicks but was not done and it was washed but not great we can live with that . so to sum up a lot better than the last time we went 8/10 .we never saw the service manager which was good we would probably not have scored as high if we had (leopards and spots ) is all we will say bobby.........  well done A C keep it up 

[davidj1888]

I was going to post this in the Arnold Clark getting better but decided not to....
Took the car in today for replacement side stipes to be fitted at 8 this morning, told them the boot was opening when the door shut and asked them to have a look at it, they said they would also update the b&m,got a courtesy car and left.

Returned to pick the car up, the sidestripes had been replaced and the boot catch had been tightened. The service guy explained there was no b&m update and i had to buy a iphone connector lead to get better conectivity ( i dont want to use the ipod i just want the phone functions to work properly) is there an update for b&m?

Finally and this is why i did not post in the getting better thread, the car had not been washed.... yes you heard correctly the garage had replaced the stripes without washing it!!!!! I assume they
 have just pulled off the old stickers, wiped the panel and stuck on the new ones.....   they seem ok but i ll keep a close eye on the edges peeling!



Is it just me or is that a poor show

[davidj1888]

I have just received a call from Arnold Clark after they read this post....
The gentleman explained that the car was not washed because the stripes need 48 hours to cure, when I asked why it wasn't washed before the stripes where fitted, he explained that it's just a courtesy wash and may or may not be done.
Also the replacement stripes are final and are no longer covered by warranty as you only get one replacement. I hope this has cleared it up for you guys and be warned that negative posts may well result in a call from your dealer

Admin: tidied quoting.

[fishbone]

I know from experience that we are always quick to criticise and slow to praise,  so Credit where credit is due here. Had a couple of occasions to take the car to the dealer, once for some warranty work and the other for my service. For the warranty work I was called o let me know the parts were in and a suitable date agreed, I was kept up to date wth the work and got a call when the car was ready, same for my service.

So... good work and  for AC Glasgow...

[mickread]

Another one of these   thingeys for AC Glasgow.
Just had my 18k service...all very slick, quick and no problems....good to see Kev Slattery back at AC too - their Edinburgh service department fell to pieces when he left....so a real asset to see him strengthening the team at ACG...(as well as you John!).

Added 19/8/2010:-

Would just like to add that AC Glasgow always go the extra mile. On Sunday a whole pile of us (8 or 9 cars I counted) pitched up at the Italian Car and Bike fest at Hopetoun House, Edinburgh - all organised by Jak at AC Glasgow....as was breakfast...and I can't help thinking that the Edinburgh dealership were nowhere to be seen....even on their 'home turf'.....?

These things make an absolute world of difference - the difference between feeling part of an exclusive 'club' rather than just another 'punter who bought a car'..........

Same applies with next road trip on 31/10........

Nuff said!

[irishpete]

Now that this section is back I'd like to add my two pence worth.

Booked the car in to AC Glasgow last weekend (at late notice) to get a windscreen washer jet replaced.

When I first called to book the car in, the person I spoke to (Drew?) advised that they were up to their eye-balls getting the '10 plate cars prepared for the Monday and they may not be able to fit me in.

However, when he realised what the job was and that I was coming down from Aberdeen he said they'd take a look at it if I could get the car to them first thing in the morning.

Have to say thanks to the 2 guys working on the service desk that morning, they made me feel very welcome and before I knew it the car was ready to go.

I even got a free Abarth keyring out of the visit, which was a nice touch. Next time I'm going to be a little more obvious in my admiration for the Sabelts they have on display. 

It wasn't a big job but I often think that it's how people deal with the little things that really counts.

In the past I've had dealings with AC in Aberdeen and this pretty much swore me off the whole company. However this experience has restored my faith (in the Glasgow branch at least) and I've decided that I'll now have my servicing work done with them as well.

Definite  in this case.