A SHAKEN Greenock Arnold Clark customer has told how she feared that her car was going to burst into flames on a dual carriageway — just hours after the company’s mechanics gave it a clean bill of health.
Chantelle Lafferty says that she’s now ‘too scared’ to drive her BMW 1 Series following a catalogue of alarming incidents — including an oil-flooded engine — which she claims have never been resolved.
The 20-year-old — who is still paying finance on the £7,488 used car that she refuses to drive — claims that she was repeatedly told there was no problem with it, then suddenly it needed nearly £5,000 worth of work.
She told the Telegraph: “I’m at the end of my tether with it now. I had to take out a bank loan to help pay for the engine to be fixed and it still isn’t.
“I have given them enough chances to sort the problem and I genuinely have no faith in the car any more.
“I’m just too scared to drive it.”
Chantelle, of Golspie Drive, says that the car ‘cut out’ on her near Braehead as a burning smell came from under the bonnet on her first trip after the two-month-long engine rebuild.
She said: “I thought that the car was going to catch fire because the burning smell was so strong.
“I was with my boyfriend and it just cut out as we approached traffic lights and then came back on when I got round the corner.
“The engine started bubbling and popping and I had to cut over from the outside lane and pull in to a lay by to see what had gone wrong.
“It turned out that a new alternator belt had completely shredded.”
Chantelle said that the frightening incident occurred just hours after she had taken the car in to Arnold Clark because the engine warning light illuminated — despite the repair work — and she was told that it was fine.
She said: “They said that the light was just an old error code.”
Chantelle told how her car woes began in March when she had to pay £210 for work that included the fitting of an alternator drive belt and a number of valves.
She said: “I had the car back a week and it was back at Arnold Clark again because it just didn’t feel right to drive.
“A few days later I was told that oil had flooded the engine and I was going to need a new engine which would cost £4,890, although my autocare warranty would cover £3,000 of that.
“But I had to go to a lawyer because I couldn’t afford the £1,890 that was remaining to be paid for the work.
“Once the lawyer had been in touch with them the engine cost to me was reduced to £945, which was much more reasonable.”
Chantelle — who has taken her case up with the Citizens Advice Bureau — said that the car went in for the major repair in mid-May and she got it back on July 8 — the day before her terrifying dual carriageway incident.
She said: “I was really upset and annoyed because I’d been told when I took it back in on the morning of July 9 that nothing was wrong with the car.
“Anything could have happened to us on that road.”
Chantelle added: “The car was then in the garage until July 14 and when I got it back I drove it for an hour and then the warning light was back on again.
“I went back to the garage at 5.10pm but the mechanic didn’t seem bothered because he was finishing at 5.30.
“I then got the car back for the third time since the engine reconditioning on July 20 and by July 22 the light was back on again.
“It’s still not right and it now just sits outside my house because I’m too frightened to drive it in case something really bad happens.
“I just don’t know what to do anymore.
“I’ve spent £1,155 since March just on repairs.
“Arnold Clark have told me that they will clear the finance, but I have to take another car from their garage on finance again.”
An Arnold Clark spokeswoman said: “I am sorry to hear that Miss Lafferty is unhappy with the way Arnold Clark has dealt with her complaint. We take all of our complaints seriously, and ensure that any complaints we receive are thoroughly investigated and all appropriate actions taken to help our customers to the best of our ability.
“Customer care is at the core of everything we do. We have tried to bring this case to a positive resolution on a number of occasions, offering Miss Lafferty various options.
“We always strive to ensure our customers are happy with our aftercare and hope that we are able to achieve an outcome that the customer is pleased with.”