Cotswold BMW Reviews 47

Disappointing - salas team were so pushy and when I spoke to the head of sales the response was "it was hard to find good people". Service greeting felt like they could have been somewhere better!

Date of experience: June 26, 2025

My wife’s BMW X1 was affected by the EGR recall - unfortunately, the EGR failed before the recall notice arrived, causing major damage to the turbo. Our garage contacted BMW at the time and were told there were no known faults. After paying for costly repairs, we received the recall letter - frustrating to say the least.

The EGR has since failed twice more, again damaging the turbo and confirmed by three independent garages. Despite BMW’s warranty letter stating they would cover any subsequent damage caused by EGR failure, they refused to contribute to the cost. Instead, Cotswold BMW issued a grossly inflated repair quote, which BMW UK used to deny any help - claiming repairs exceeded the car’s value.

The worst part? My wife was told to scrap the car by Cotswold BMW - and then immediately offered a deal on a new one. Three independent garages confirmed only one repair was actually justified and that the car was otherwise roadworthy.

This experience has been disheartening and financially devastating. BMW failed to honour their warranty, dismissed independent assessments, and the dealership used high-pressure, manipulative tactics. My wife trusted BMW would do the right thing. They didn’t. We’ll never buy from BMW again - especially not from Cotswold BMW or any of the Cotswold dealerships.

Date of experience: June 08, 2025

Having been through a terrible sales experience with a previous BMW main dealer, this was a breath of fresh air.

The salesman was excellent through the process, appreciating that I was 3+ hours away so couldn't really pop over to come and look at the car, so went out of his way to make sure I got plenty of pictures and video to allow me to make an informed buying decision.

On the day I arrived there we were collected from the station and provided every courtesy to make sure we were comfortable and relaxed during the process, there was no rush or pressure for additional services.

In fact Cotswold went above and beyond by undertaking the next service which would have been due just over 6 months from collection and providing an additional set of new number plates with the registration we were transferring.

The only downside was that in the process, the user guide and digital key had been left at their other site and not able to be presented with the car. A simple oversight which eventually got resolved and new ones provided.

A pleasant experience and we wouldn't have any issue recommending them or using them for our next purchase.

Date of experience: March 29, 2025

I seen a car I really like and spoke to Charlotte who explained all the details, Booked a visit and Charlotte had the car ready for us on arrival, she went above and beyond to ensure you were satisfied with the car, even arranging for the paintwork to polished to my satisfaction! Charlotte even picked us up from the train station on collection day. Customer service like that really makes a difference!

Date of experience: March 20, 2025

Wow! Other than very expensive hotels I’ve never experienced service like this. Greeted straight away with a smiley face and welcoming lady who let us know what was going on straight away, the lady then seated us straight away made us a coffee where then Ben took over within 5 mins who was super informative, warm, polite and very efficient. Staff worth their weight in gold there. When I came to pick up my car I had a full run down of faults and how to get them fixed and when, I have confirmation texts and emails and everything else I could have thought off. Literally could not fault this show room and its staff … seemed a very relaxed place and everyone I see was clearly very good at their job and felt like asking for a job there myself!

Date of experience: March 07, 2025

From the moment we walked in we were greeted by Paul very friendly and Helpful (Receptionist) We were then introduced to George sales team i informed him we were interested in new car and showed him NHS price he informed me he couldn't match that price but did not fobe us off but continued to give me info on car but thinking i would go elsewhere he said some deal could be made but again not NHS price.We left and thought about are Experience in showroom and decided to go back and see what offer they could do they were so friendly and with a lovely showroom we then met up with Toby and agreed a price and purchased a new car .We paid a little more than the NHS website but felt the friendlyness of all the staff we met made the purchase very pleasant we are so excited to wait for new car ( Special mention to Chris Redman mechanic if he hadn't sent pic of car model to his dad i wouldn't have looked we were on the verge of purchasing another make of car
Thanks
Steve/Michelle

Date of experience: February 21, 2025

I was receiving messages about my battery being ‘fully discharged’, as the battery is over 7 years old, I enquired for a price for a replacement battery for a 3 Series BMW, using their online contact form, someone called ‘Tom’ phoned me back and obtained further details of the car, including VIN number and said he will obtain a price and call me back before 6pm.

That was 5 days ago and he never called back!

Date of experience: January 13, 2025

I have received nothing but consistently excellent service from Cotswold BMW for years. This garage is the main reason I would struggle to switch to another vehicle brand - I find it hard to believe the service & vfm can be topped. I wanted to leave a review today and say a big thanks to Tom Broughton and his service team for their help with the service and repair of the coolant leak in our 5 series. Great job as always.

Date of experience: November 08, 2024

Shocking communication. I had to wait weeks for a quote to come through after chasing and being told it would be done several times.

Since the quote has come through I've attempted to contact Cotswold BMW Cheltenham via three different methods and not managed to get anywhere.

This is really disappointing service from what is supposed to be a high quality brand.

On the plus side the responses were quick to start with and getting the vehicle booked in and checked in was fairly straightforward - other than the dealership not even attempting to open the doors until 5min past opening, then not being able to do so and forcing everyone to come in through the Mini entrance.

Date of experience: October 31, 2024

Absolutely superb Mini sales. Sam was efficient, polite and extremely knowledgeable when we went to view a second hand Cooper. The mechanic we met who was preparing the car was a delight as well. My daughter had had a very stressful experience when her previous Mini was written off in a flood so this was an unplanned purchase. We are buying the Mini as a direct result of such professional service. BMW Arden Tunbridge Wells and Vines Mini Crawley - this is the benchmark I would expect from the BMW/Mini franchise

Date of experience: October 07, 2024

Having spent many months, looking for a new car (I’m very fussy!) I found my dream car at Cotswolds BMW, I live approx 120 miles away, so my initial contact was with a salesperson, and we communicated a lot via phone and video calls. The sales process was very efficient and reassuring when spending your money. The car was presented superbly and the handover was excellent. For me the test of customer service is about when you need the team to assist. I needed assistance and living so far away, it meant having an open line of communication and a team member (Mike Sales Manager) taking ownership and seeing it through to a positive conclusion. As a very happy customer now, I’m enjoying my new car and the reassurance the team are there to help me whenever I need them. Highly recommended 5*

Date of experience: September 01, 2024

I booked on line service of my motorbike .
When I went there i was told that they don’t take booking online because itsn’t working .Ok no problem .
So I booked for 1 month later( just for 12.000 miles routine service ) and I called them asking for final price (like always I do )it was £377. .
I dropped my motorbike and when I went to collect it .The price was £504 .instead £377.
Of course I asked why ,They told me that the first price they gave me wasn’t included VAT and the air filter either.
They told me that it was my mistake and that I ordered air filter as well saying ‘YES” when I was asked .
They are no honest at all and very bad BMW standard .
For a routine service £504 they don’t even bother in adjust the chain or clean the motorbike(normally is courtesy of BMW but I can’t complaint about it. )
If you go there you need check it out twice if not they are going to rip you off .
They don’t want little jobs.

Date of experience: August 30, 2024

I am very vocal in publishing negative reviews of bad service and should be equally vocal on complementing good service! The service received from Cotswold Group (Mini) has been superb from the MD through to the entire sales team. Whilst Cotswold Group have been badly let down by Mini production issues they have gone above and beyond in exceeding expectations. It restores your faith in quality service and fair minded customer dealings. Thank you to Paul, Tom and Ed in particular and others in the sales team not forgetting the cafe bar team too!

Date of experience: August 30, 2024

Bought a 72 plate 340i Touring from them a couple of months ago. Firstly on drive home the tyres were not up to the correct inflation! Like a fool I pad for ceramic protection! What a mistake huge waste of money. They did not do any of the door shuts and they were still dirty from being untouched. Same inside the boot area. Water stopped beading after about 4 weeks. They did offer to redo it but have no confidence in them whatsoever. Better off doing it myself, ex staff car with loads of scratched in the paint work. Know doubt was washed by BMW! Please do not waste your money for a sticked on your windscreen. Take your car to a detailer to have it done properly and with care, not by a 18 yr old spotty kid on his/her mobile!

Date of experience: July 11, 2024

i purchased a 2019 bmw 320i from cotswold bmw 13 months ago and complained constantly that there was something wrong with the engine, as there was very little power and i didnt think the engine sounded right. after i returned it to them to investigation the problem, they said that they had carried out an investigation and it was normal for the age of the car ! i returned the car to them on two more times over the 12 months saying the same thing hoping they would find an issue and repair it before the guaratee expired, only them them to say the same thing. 1 month after the guarantee expired the car broke down. when i asked if they would be prepared to help me with the repair, they asked me for the reg of the car, and then said that the guarantee has expired so as far as there concerned its not there problem ! it turned out that a pipe in the engine was cracked (very common in this car). it cost £607.00 to repair, then i sold the car for £8500 less than i paid for it, having done only 6000 miles since buying it !

Not only is cotswold bmw the worst company ive ever delt with, but it was the worst car ive ever had having cost £22.500 (for a piece of crap). i wouldnt recommend anyone to buy a used car from these people.

Date of experience: August 07, 2024

Impressive facilities at Cheltenham BMW, sad to say the purchasing experience does not match the building.
It seems that the only thing they respond to is the order or payment.
Purchased a car over 40k , so would hope for some sort of customer service.
Drove just over 2 hours to collect the car, paperwork was done with no issues.
Would not say the car was particularly well presented , water marks over the car, not particular clean.
As an ex demo the car was only a few of months old.
Just about to drive off and I noticed the rear parcel shelf was missing. A hunt took place and after a short time it appeared.
I would expected the car to be checked before being delivered to the customer.
On the drive home noticed the BMW voice control would not work , and the Sat nav operation was not correct.
If you ever need to contact the sales team , don’t get your hopes up for a response.
Having had the car a few days , had a couple a questions about the idrive 9 operating system, tried to email and phone with no response.
Left it a couple of days, nobody replies.
Eventually phoned reception and managed to speak to the salesman who sold the car.
Having had a number of BMWs from various dealers over the years, I was was surprised to learn that Cotswold don’t have a BMW technical support specialist ( I was told he left and has not been replaced).
The advice I was given was look it up on u tube !!!!
Premium brand customer service Cotswold , I don’t think so !
In the end spent hours sitting in the car going through and downloading the English language version of the operating system . I assume that somebody had done a full factory reset on the system as it was an ex demo car , deleting all the uk settings.

Date of experience: July 16, 2024

I got a letter from BMW to go to them for a recall because they need to replace the egr, etc. I gave them a working car in March, since then the engine light started to appear every now and then. While stopped at traffic lights, the car would shake strangely. I went to my favorite garage to the mechanic who has been repairing my car for years, and he said that it was too expensive a repair, that I should go to them or BMW because it was their fault. I went to them. Apart from the fact that I was unpleasantly served, I had an appointment for 10:00, then when I arrived no one took care of me but I had to wait in the waiting room. I came in, said that I had an appointment at 10:00 and the woman to me "what for?". After some time she assigned me to some woman at the desk named Jess if I remember correctly. This Jess tried to Squeeze me, that what I have written in the documents that my mechanic printed out for me (computer readout) that it is not related to this recall at all. That it was in March, now it's August and too much time has already passed, because if it was from what they repaired in March it would have come out right away. She kept telling me that they could do an investigation for £180 and then they would see what was wrong. When I asked her why then my mechanic didn't want to fix it for me I only heard "I don't know". Why then she did not call any of their mechanics who could explain to me if really what they did in March is not related to the engine light that keeps appearing to me. This is not the kind of customer service I expected from BMW. Going to them with a complaint, they referred me to their price list. It is ridiculous and I will continue to complain. I will not leave the matter like this

Date of experience: August 06, 2024

I purchased 2021 MINI approved used vehicle from Cotswold Cheltenham MINI in Nov 2022. I dealt with John Corlett. The vehicle was purchased outright for over £23k. Upon my arrival we took a look at the vehicle. John stated the vehicle had been cleaned and was ready to go however, upon my examination both the interior and exterior did not appear to be recently cleaned. I requested that the vehicle be recleaned. He honoured my request but did not appear to be happy about it. After collecting the vehicle, I drove it back home which is approximately 90 minutes away from the dealership. Once I arrived back in the city, I could hear what sounded to be a grinding noise coming from the rear of the vehicle and a smoky smell. I promptly reached out to John via multiple emails and calls to make him aware of the issue and in hopes of getting it resolved. He is extremely unprofessional to say the least as he has not replied to date. I have been dealing with the local MINI dealer and have put the vehicle in the shop multiple times however, they have not found the issue as yet as the noise happens sporadically so trying to determine where exactly it is coming from has been a challenge. The issue is when I hear the noise, I have to wait a few days for an appointment and then they get the car and test drive it however, it does not seem to make the noise once it is in their possession for them to fault it. This has not only been an inconvenience; it is becoming a financial problem as each time the vehicle is put in the shop there is a £156 diagnostic fee assessed. At this point I would never do business with Cotswold Cheltenham MINI again as they do not take care of their customers after the purchase of a vehicle. Not good business.

Date of experience: July 16, 2023

Over a period of about 6 months, my experience of Cotswold BMW has been a series of failures and broken promises that goes all the way to the top, at times leading to putting the safety of me, my young family and other passengers of my new car at risk. I could accept a single mistake, but a pattern is a sign that things are not right; no attention paid to customer service if anything goes even remotely wrong.

Timeline of events:

November: I purchase an X5 from Cheltenham branch, that I am told is in stock.

December: Told via email that the car is no longer available. I respond to express my disappointment and receive an automated response stating that the sales rep has left the company. No one at BMW contacts me. I make my own phone calls and eventually find the car I was promised had already been sold to someone else.

I decide I have lost faith in the Cheltenham branch, so I find a similar car at Hereford branch. This time the sales experience was smooth and hassle-free. The salesman at Hereford (Tom) is the only person I've interacted with who has bucked a disappointing trend, and he is the only reason I'm giving this review 2-stars instead of 1.

April: I report to Hereford that the head unit in the car is faulty. It occasionally switches off altogether, meaning I sometime have no instrument display (e.g. speedometer). This is an obvious safety issue I would have expected to be dealt with as a priority.

The technicians confirm the issue, they are now waiting on BMW Technical (Germany) for advice on next steps. I am told should be a day, maybe two.

Several days later, no response so yet again I have to chase up. The service rep is on-leave/away at short notice. No one else knows what’s going on.

I’m advised to ring BMW Assist. I contact BMW Assist, who say they will arrange a courtesy car. I am told someone will be in touch. I wait at home all day (had to take the day off work) and receive no further phone calls. It later transpires that the hire car company were passed an incorrect contact number by BMW Assist (which I had confirmed several times verbally over the phone, and which is recorded on my BMW customer account).

After many phone calls to BMW Assist throughout the day, I receive several apologies and I am told someone will be in touch with me first thing tomorrow. No one from BMW Assist has ever contacted me since.

May: In exasperation I ring Hereford branch again. I eventually get through to a manager and explain the history. She is apologetic and promises she will [a] get the issue fixed, and [b] find a way to make amends for the situation once this is all over with.

When I drop the car off I ask the rep if, while the car is in, could we also look at two additional issues; [1] some bodywork damage, [2] persistently squeaky breaks. He said these things can be looked at while they wait for the replacement head unit to come from Germany.

Over a week later I pick up the car. I enquire what has happened with the body work damage and the squeaky brakes, since it is clear on visual inspection that nothing has happened. The rep who deals with me has no knowledge of anything that has happened to my car so cannot answer any of my questions. She promises to get back to me by the end of the day.

A week later, I hadn't had a response so I complained to the Corporate Sales Manager, Chris Howard. I get a holding reply "I've passed this on to the relevant department... someone will be in touch shortly". Another week goes by, and I've heard nothing.

I am tired of constantly chasing for answers and the broken promises (we'll make amends for this... we'll be in touch, ...) so I am now close to giving up. Genuinely thinking of selling the car.

Date of experience: May 23, 2024

Fantastic experience buying a Mini Countryman recently at Cotswold Cheltenham BMW/Mini !!
Buying a car is usually stressful but we couldn’t fault the service and attention to detail from Joe in the sales department.
It was a real pleasure - he listened to what we wanted, gave us all of the relevant details and left us to a relaxed, informative test drive. He even made our dog very welcome ! I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this dealership to friends/family.

Date of experience: April 09, 2024