Specialist Cars Stevenage - BMW Review

Good for buying cars - diabolical for servicing them. The terrible service department damaged our X5 so badly we ended up having to change cars. New car developed a fault which they can't fix. Loan cars containing other customers financial details, absolutely filthy full of food crumbs and skin flakes. It's so bad we're looking to swap the car for another brand after less than a year even though we love the car just because the service element is so stressful.

Recently purchased a car from Specialist Cars BMW in Stevenage. Derek Baker s service was excellent from start to finish. Very professional, listened to what I was looking for and never pushed the sale. Would definitely recommend.

Nothing spectacular at the moment due to Covid-19! It feels like everywhere (not just Specialist Cars) want people in and out as quickly for obvious reasons!
But customers service was still very good (like it used to be before) but with less "chit chat"!

They checked my tyres two weeks ago and said that they were fine. Today my run flats blow out on the motorway. I had to replace it and they told me that they were on the legal limit and I have not even done 100 miles!!! Bitterly disappointed expected a much higher standard of them than I received.

The second time they stated the wrong mileage in my MOT by 20k and did nothing to rectify it when I flagged it.
Also, never had been given a filthier loan car! Appalling service! Not worth 1* to be honest.

My Husband and I took a trip to Specialist Cars BMW Stevenage with a view to looking into getting a Family car and upsizing. The whole process was relaxed, professional, attentive, not pushy at all (which I hate and would have walked out if it was like that) We came away with an X5 and absolutely love it and it was all thanks to Lee Wadsworth, like my Husband said it was because of Lee that we brought the car. Lee went over and above to ensure we got what we wanted and the whole process was quick and smooth. We felt like valued customers and we had a good laugh too. So thank You Lee.

We bought a car few weeks ago and there was recall on the car. Contacted the BMW and they booked us in and send as text confirmation of time and date but not any other information. So we come on the date booked lady on reception was so nice and polite and told as that person supposed to see us is busy, if is OK someone else will see us.
We come to his desk and he said OK let me see your car will be ready by end of day. So we asked him are we going to get like courtesy car in the meantime. He said no, who told you you going to get it. We said that usually when you take your car at any garage for service they provide you car. He said you need to order if you want one, we said how we know about that. Then he said where did you take you car before, we said that we just bought a car and we didn't have any issues with previous car owned as this is first BMW that we have. He said he can't help us even we said we don't leave locally . He was so rude the all time and his attitude is wrong. Then he said someone can take us to the train station. We agreed as we didn't have any other options. The gentleman that did take us was so nice and he said that that is wrong not telling us options that we have before we come. They contacted us later that day that car is ready to pick up and we agreed to come next day. Picked the car up and on the way back ligh for emissions come on. As soon we come home called them and they said we need to bring car back. I think is so ridiculous that you need to go God know how many times and spend you time and money and is not dealt with. You should explain to the customer all what to expect.

The Aftersales team at Specialist Cars are the best around.
Always willing to help and offer a 5* red carpet service!
See you for my next service!!

Absolutely Shocking service from the service department, yet again!



Literally being lied to about when items should come in. Our tyre should have been fitted the next morning having not done it the day before! I watched all deliveries, none were tyres so it must have already been in the garage!

Literally wouldn't even give it 1 star, and DEFINITELY DO NOT RECOMMEND!

Derek Baker was professional and helpful and got me in a car I lived at a price that didn t make me weep. I will be back next year for the next awesome deal.

Tom O Neill

I ve just bought a used BMW I3 and dealing with Lee Wadsworth was a really good experience. His knowledge of the car was excellent and he had all the answers to my numerous questions.
I felt Lee was very open and honest and this gave me the confidence to purchase my first hybrid car.

I would recommend Lee W at Specialist Cars, over the last few years, we have dealt a few times, he is very knowledgable, helpful and friendly. Lee also ensures the process from start to end is easy and takes care of you throughout.

Excellent experience as always, dealt with lee no pressure found the right car very straight forward will highly recommend him and specialist cars

I received an exceptional level of customer care by Derek Baker who is a consultant at Specialist cars in Stevenage, I enquired about a 1 series M Sport and by the following day he had contacted me and sent me a personalised video of the car and told me about some of the very minor scuffs the car had as it was an approved used car. When I viewed the car the following day I couldn t have been happier with it and he didn t rush me into anything and he let me take my time to fully inspect the car and test drive it. If you are thinking of buying from Specialist Cars in Stevenage then you have made a good decision as they are fully transparent with you and they get things done for you.

After many many years of purchasing BMWs , I spoke with Derek Baker as was looking to purchase a new BMW. I was very happy to receive first class service in this day and age from him.
Derek was very knowledgable, and went above and beyond in delivering this experience to myself, so much so I am looking forward to dealing with him again.
Thank you Derek.

Genuinely the smoothest car buying experience I've ever had. Picked up a 3 series GT yesterday and couldn't have been happier. I dealt with Lee Wadsworth who was polite, professional and highly knowledgeable. I've walked away from cars I've loved in the past due to annoying or pushy salesmen; but I didn't need to worry about that here. Even with all of the (very thorough) Covid restrictions in place, my wife and I felt comfortable, informed, and that Lee was doing his best to get us what we wanted for the best price. Can't recommend highly enough.

Recently bought a BMW 125 from Derek Baker @ Specialist Cars Stevenage. The overall services and professionalism shown was brilliant during these tough times. We are very pleased with the car and the service given.

Could not fault our experience with Derek at BMW Stevenage. Answered all our emails promptly. Car was sanitised and waiting for us to view it and we bought it. So pleased with our new 5 Series. Would not hesitate to recommend and use again next time.

Great service from start to finish from Derek Baker. Helped guide through options, made the process seamless and kept us up to date on progress. Great car and service to match
Stuart

I bought my 5 series from Specialist Cars BMW last year and the service I got was fantastic. John Freeman was extremely professional and polite and the service was impeccable. I can't thank Specialist cars enough for their support and continued service over the last year. I have since recommended friends and family to use them if they are looking not only for good service but most importantly their dream car. Anyone I have recommended have been grateful and also bought their car from here. I would 100% recommend you buy your car from here as you won't be disappointed.

After many years with Toyota and happy service at Steven Eagell's we got an X5. We booked it into Specialist Cars for some work. The work done was good (as you would expect/require) but the customer service was shockingly bad. Simply trying to get hold of somebody over the phone was excruciating. Customer updates are not in their manual and I think that they think "Will call you back" means something else. I was very shocked. Really fundamental stuff! Anyhow, I have now booked my BMW into Barons Stansted and I am pleased to say that their customer service is like what I used to get at Toyota, "polite and very functional"! Phew!!!

Professional customer service. Thank you John Freeman. My M135i recently bought from this dealership in excellent condition. 5 stars.

We first started using specialist cars about six years ago when we moved from London first impressions were good and the lady at the front desk is excellent however my husband noticed that the front alloys had been damaged when I returned More

I purchased our first BMW this week from Derek in Sales. The service I received was fantastic from the moment I stepped in the showroom and throughout the whole sale process to handover. I gave Derek a brief of the type of car we needed and within a couple of hours he had sourced us the perfect car. I collected the car today, it was immaculate and the handover was faultless. I am extremely impressed with the service and would highly recommend. I look forward to purchasing more cars in the future from this dealership and would like to thank Derek for all his help.

Actual rating is 0/5: Regret buying a car from them, bad experience all the way, customer care to servicing the car. Car received faulty , and checks they said they do did not do. Many faults on the car after buying it and got lot of grief and hazels, and my valuable time wasted for many days, made me wasted many days and my holidays stuck with issues and problems and in addition there was apologies and empathy. Service was a total let dont. made me return back many time to correct problems. The did not carry out works as they said they did. Out standing Recalls not sorted out and much delayed by extra few years. unacceptable to find after a major service for example found a very dirty, dust and debris filled engine air filter. Had to get it changed at another BMW service centre. The problem did not end there. They lost our trust and will never again buy or recommend this pace to any of my families or friends or to my colleagues. " as we know the Best advertisement is by word of mouth " We are afraid Stevenage BMW had failed this miserably. Had also raided this BMW HQ. Hope they are professional enough to acknowledge and such broken chain and improve quality across body. Summery: They kept my car for 7 days - to carry out Service & Recall and warranty issues said they will do , but no Recall was done, Not all the services were done, Warranty items done done. After receiving the on the 8th day driving out there was a loud rattling sound, i stoped in the middle of the highway road and checked under the bonnet and found the engine air filter cover and unit was out and not put back securely, had to dive back them to put this right wasting for 3MV hrs to do this. Bit of the car interior were missing when i purchased the car so had to go back to get it sorted with much worries and tension. Paid for 4 new tyres ans they fitted wrong size not the correct size and spec to the Tyre spec label on the car or to BMW. AC did not work when purchased. etc. etc... i could go on .

Just purchased a second hand BMW from Specialist Cars. Excellent service throughout. Very clever to send videos of the car. Thank you very much John.

Excellent service start to finish. Went in to look for a used M2 in long beach blue unfortunately none were in stock at the time. I spoke to John Freeman who was quickly able to source me the car in my dream spec. Very happy with John's attention to detail and the service I received. Would recommend to anyone

Great staff, great service and plenty of new and used BMWs to choose from. Hands down the best I've ever used.

Nik C

My experience with Specialist car's service centre at Stevenage was not so good. From the time of booking service to the point I collected my car, I didn't feel like they value customers at any point. Just poor communication all around. May be they are just too busy. I will not be using their service again.

Called this morning to book my 3 series due for a recall, spoke to Julie in aftersales/service department.
Very polite, professional and very kind. Thank you Julie for booking inn my car and offering me for a courtesy car which I needed the most for work, and make me feel at ease. Looking forward for a smooth service/process althroughout. See you on the 12th of February. Thanks again.

Great service and support from Lee Wadsworth in sales who has looked after me since I first bought a new series 3 and has just helped me with a new purchase which I am delighted with. I appreciated the good contact (not at all pushy!), response and communication. Overall the service I have received from Specialist Cars Stevenage has been excellent and everything I would expect from a first class BMW dealership.

Great service from start to finish, Derek Baker answered all my questions and got the transfer completed from my 640 into the amazing M4, Smooth safe transaction ensuring all covid restrictions were followed every step of the process.

Would I buy a car from Specialist cars BMW absolutely not. There after sales service is shocking in fact it s worse than shocking. I have constantly had to chase them for updates on my car and each time I have been promised we will call you back. Do you think I received a call back absolutely NO. What is wrong with you if you say your going to do something at least follow through with it, Ed you need to learn to be able to return customers phone calls. This year I will actually be changing my car and I certainly won t be visiting Specialist cars and for that matter any of the dealerships as I figure they are all as bad as the Stevenage branch.

We ve been customers of Specialist Cars Stevenage for almost 20 years as the service they give is second to none.
Derek Baker was so patient with us and listened to what we were looking for and found the perfect car for my husband.
We part exchanged our car and found the process to be very easy.
Derek and the team are true stars and made us feel like they really cared that we were happy with everything.
If you want someone to listen to what you want and guide you in the right direction without being pushy, make sure you go and see Derek :)

Nice clean and well stocked dealership. Very helpful staff.

Bought a BMW 1 Series last week and I love it. Derek was great and he made sure I found the right car. He ensured the car would be perfect when I came to collect it and he stuck to his word. Had great customer service from him and would definitely return. The manager was also great and he also made sure I was happy with the car I bought. I can t thank them both enough.

The customer service was excellent from Derek. It was all really easy and straight forward to buy the car with his help. They also managed the Covid elements exceptionally well.

I purchased my first ever BMW from specialist cars on Saturday. Couldn t believe how excellent the customer service was, especially from Lee Wadsworth who sold me my BMW who went above and beyond with finding me the right car for the right price including insurance and hp. I thoroughly recommend anyone who wishes to purchase a new BMW to go to Stevenage Specialist Cars and mostly speak to Lee Wadsworth.
Stephen Potts

After a bad experience with specialist Cars some years ago, NOT repairing my BMW Alpina B10 , as it apparently needed a 'throttle housing' which they claimed was an Alpina part, but charged me labour for looking at it. I took the car to a non-franchised dealer who agreed with the diagnosed and fixed the car. When I asked them where they got the part, I was told specialist Cars as it was a standard BMW part!!! However, the actual problem proved to be the ECU.

Today, I rang Specialist Cars to see if they would now repair my present BMW Alpina. The service lady queried if I mean Alpino, then advised that they are BMW and Mini dealers. After conferring with someone else in the team, she said they are not Alpina dealers, but would be prepared to look at it, I declined through lack of confidence as they might decide to charge me again and not fix it.

One star for the coffee.

Excellent service from start to finish Lee B from new car sales, then over to Lee W at used car sales, Lee W was fantastic he made buying a car very easy and personable, can t thank you enough.
Will definitely recommend to others to visit Specialist Cars Stevenage.

Used to be a great agency, but it has gone down hill in the last 18 months. They never get back to you, never read their email and candidly, the vehicle servicing has become quite shoddy. Not the level of service I had been used to receiving from a quality marque.

My recent purchase was conducted under very different circumstances due to the Covid19 outbreak but I can not fault the professional service provided by Lee. Although short staffed this was a very swift transaction, the car, and the car keys were sanitized before hand over and the team have put in some very strict measures to keep staff and customers safe.
The car was spotless and everything that you would expect from a BMW!

Avoid at all cost. Extremely disappointing experience, very much in agreement with other 1 star reviews left by fellows customers.

I took my car for a rather expensive VANOS replacement unit, a known issue on this particular model. Ever since I got the vehicle back, I have had nothing but trouble within short periods of time (and little mileage). In total I have spent roughly half the value of my car in repairs, and to this day my vehicle is still not fixed.

I initially went to Specialist Stevenage because I wanted to get the job done right in a BMW workshop, which would also guarantee the repair. My experience has been nothing but disappointment. I feel that I have been misled and overcharged. I have had trouble getting appointments booked and communication issues as pointed out by many customers on their reviews, dealing with rude managers. Having discussed my experience with John, the customer service manager, he denied any wrongdoing and challenged even the most basics facts. When I confronted him with the poor reviews on his workshop (ca 20% of customers disappointed), he simply replied we can t satisfy everybody . Not what you would expect from a brand like BMW.

I made the promise to never return to the shop and publicise the terrible service they provide to my friends and colleagues.

Good dealership and parts shop. Great service by BMW team.

I bought an X3 a couple of years ago from here, and found the buying experience great - helpful and professional sales staff, no pressure, and they helped me to choose a great car. However, the service side is different. I have had the car serviced there twice and both times suffered long waits and poor communication.
The last time was in July. I had arranged for a courtesy car. After making the arrangements for the service I was called in to hospital for a follow up check, an invasive procedure, on the same day. I wasn't sure if I would be able to drive immediately afterwards so called the garage and asked if I could bring the courtesy car back the next day. Absolutely not! apparently it had to be back in the evening to be prepared for next day. So I asked if I could bring my car in on the day of the service and wait for it to be done instead, and not take the courtesy car. No, that wasn't possible either (no concern or empathy was shown with regard to my hospital visit). So I went ahead with the service, and was going to make every effort to get the courtesy car back to them on time.
During my procedure in the afternoon I had a call from the garage to say they had been too busy to service my car but not to worry as I had the courtesy car until the next day! No apology for not getting the service done.

Specialist Mini at Stevenage are a truly professional company. The staff there are extremely helpful and friendly
I ordered my latest Mini from them and right from the start I was guided through the process by Ian Taylor who could not have been more helpful.
From advising me about the interior specifications available and informing me about new colours that were going to be released.
When I collected my car I was taken through the handover process very thoroughly which was very good as several things had changed since I bought my previous Mini.
The whole process was simple and easy.
I have no hesitation in recommending this amazing dealership.

We recently bought a car from Lee W at Specialist Cars. I can't recommend the service highly enough. Lee was great, knowledgeable and easy to deal with. He did a lot to dispel the stereotypical car salesman- he was helpful and delivered everything he promised! We will definitely return when it's time for an upgrade.

Went to buy a BMW with my girlfriend from this showroom. Was seen to by Lee in sales, who was very nice and knowledgeable and showed us around, taking us for test drives in the 3 and 4 series. Never pressured Decided to go for a BMW 3 series. Run up to getting the car has been fantastic, constantly in the loop. Aftercare has also been great, with follow up calls to see how I was finding the car. Really good car buying experience would recommend.

Really poor service, at least since Covid. Service department never able to answer the phone other than by someone who cant discuss what you want doing.
Last two times I went there for work (in May 2020 and June 2020) work not done properly. Items which had to be ordered in advance to be fitted and were ordered three weeks before my appointment not there on the day despite me calling three times in the days prior to going, to be told they would be there. Promised an end of Warranty check which was never done.
Now I have a flat because of their poor fitment of a tyre valve last time I was there. Not able to get me in urgently with a waiting appointment to sort out this mess. Cant explain properly why I cant wait while the work is done (although clearly its not to do with social distancing its to do with them not having enough staff to cope with demand). Despite the car not being fit to drive until this is mended, cant see me with a waiting appointment for a week. After spending half the day on the phone to them I ended up being offered to be transferred to a manager to complain. That turned out to be an answerphone. Hung up and gave up.
Called Barons in Watford instead and its restored my faith in customer service. Told me to come in tomorrow and they would do it on the spot. No notice needed, no appointment needed, no parts that won't be there, no excuses, simply makes me feel like a valued customer once more.
I wont be using Specialist Cars Stevenage again.

Kate and Megan were lovely. Not hard sales, not pushy, just nice ladies. I haven't bought the car from them yet, I found a cheaper price privately which they probably will be unable to match, but the customer service I had so far from these ladies was great!

How a great review ended up turning so sour is quite baffling. Having purchased my car through the quite brilliant and friendly sales team, everything from the staff to the car was great. However a few years down the line, i did not need the car anymore and wanted to sell it back to Specialist cars. The member of staff who i dealt with in attempting to sell my car was obnoxious and rude, accused me of wasting his time, snappy. Basically everything you don't like in a person. It's a shame because up to that point I had nothing but positive things to say but this really left a bad mark. I think they need to look into how some of their staff treat their customers because it was frankly quite pathetic

Booked an MOT and service weeks ago, wasted an hour driving to and from, then when I arrived to pickup it was immediately clear my car had not moved. They cannot achieve their commitments to customers.

Recently purchased an i3 for export to Ireland, from Derek Baker in Specialist Cars Stevenage. He was absolutely brilliant to deal with from start to finish. Transparent, informative and knowledgeable in all dealings with me. Would deal again with Derek any day.

Just bought my used 6 Series Gran Coupe from Lee Wadsworth. Really enjoyable experience. No pressure - very laid back and any minor issues (eg paintwork) were resolved without any arguements. Felt very Covid safe. Would recommend Lee.

Excellent service from start to finish Derek couldn t do enough for me even though I most likely tested his patience throughout the process. Would definitely return for my next purchase.

Just bought a car from here, I was greeted by a very polite receptionist, who passed me on to Derek in sales. He was very helpful throughout the whole process, and quick to respond to any questions and queries I had via mobile or e-mail.... highly recommend

I just picked up my new car today and am over the moon with it ! The friendly advice , care and attention from Derek was first class , thank you so much

Excellent service from staff within the sales area and service area

Five weeks on , still no V5 , looks like dealership lost it
Media books for new Z4 .. missing , no stock , no time scale when I will get one
No call about car ...

Which is great by the way ... Z4 is fantastic, but this is the worst BMW dealership i have ever dealt with ...sorry but true

Thank you Lee for helping get my family a used (but like new) car. We were in touch over the phone, then arranged a meeting, Lee picked me up from the station, I did a test drive, he had all the info I wanted, wasn t too pushy. Followed up after the sale to ensure everything is going well with the car. Will definitely go back when I will be looking for an upgrade.

Worryingly poor service from the Service department. First time using Specialist Cars and left the car in for 3 working days with 2 worn tyres to be replaced. After being told the job was complete and paying for the invoice, I fortunately checked the tyres before leaving to find that they hadn't been replaced and the old worn tyres were left on the car. Staff were very apologetic and provided a full refund but won't be returning!

I am a driving instructor so I rely on my car for my business. It is so important that my car never lets me down. Lee Wadsworth from the used cars department was brilliant. Really knows his stuff and was extremely helpful in finding me a used car suitable for my requirements. He made the entire process easy and seamless and worked around my busy schedule. Could not recommend more highly. Top bloke

How many times do you have to call to get a service quote?

Once?

Twice?

Had to call 3 times and eventually someone got back to me.

Had to wait 1 week for something that a service advisor was able to do within 5 mins at the 3rd time of asking

When you set a client's expectations and fail to meet those on 2 occassions that's very poor.

This is BMW not Vauxhall

Bought a fantastic used car from these guys. John Freeman in sales was a lovely chap, really knew his stuff and was not hard sell. Very proficient all the way through, and we could not be happier with our new car or the service we received, We thoroughly recommend Specialist Cars Stevenage

Received the perfect service today. Friendly service at reception in the morning *and* in the evening, they gave me a lift to and from the station, and even had a good natter about cars with the service rep at the end of the day. The little things like that can make all the difference. Keep up the great work folks!

We purchased an X1 from Specialist Cars BMW Stevenage in August. John was super helpful and informative - we managed to drive away the same day. No issues with the car to date and we can drive assured knowing the (used) car has a 12 month BMW warranty. John has been great at following up with us to ensure we are happy with the car. The whole process has been very easy.

It has been a very good experience. Andrew Semon has been extremely helpful. He has good knowledge of cars and communication skills. Andrew managed to get us an excellent deal without any hassle or pressure. Would definitely deal with him again in future and recommend to anyone.
The BMW centre itself has got a very relaxing atmosphere with a coffee corner, where you can watch TV with kids and enjoy a hot chocolate while waiting for your car to be ready.
Hope to deal with you again in future.
Thank you

Totally satisfied
Well done and thank you Derek

Had my car serviced 3 times here. Been hassle free every time and the staff are lovely.

Expensive but premium feel and good at what they do. Parts were in within 3 hours.

Had my BMW 1 series repaired at their Bodyshop in Hitchin after an accident. Andy was helpful from start to finish, all done very quickly and my car looks as good as new. Highly recommended.

Bought a used BMW 320ix xdrive M Sport Gran Turismo from John Freeman at Specialist Cars BMW Stevenage.
The purchase process was very easy and smooth including a Test drive on day I looked at car, even thou it was late on a Saturday afternoon. By the time I was back John had reviewed my car I was trading in and had a price. The personalized video of the car was a nice touch while I decide if it was for me and looked at insurance costs. I purchased following day remotely and arranged collection on 1st October 2020.
The process was easy, enjoyable and smooth. This was down to John, who was very professional, friendly, honest and above all, genuine. Everything was done in a timely manner, with excellent communication throughout the process (which included a part exchange). Many thanks to John for a great buying experience