Vertu Motors - BMW Sunderland Reviews 

Well where do I start with my experience with this company.

I had a warranty issue with my alloy wheel which had prematurely started to corrode. So I called the garage and spoke with the warranty clerk who said to just drop in as there was no need for a booking as they would just look at the alloy and take some photos of the concern.

I called into the garage and was then told
I needed to book in as what the warranty clerk had told me was wrong.

After booking the car in and leaving with them it was confirmed that the wheel was indeed faulty and would be replaced under warranty.

So I waited until the wheel came into stock and booked the car in again for the repair. This time I just left the wheel with them and used a spare wheel I had. After receiving a call to state the wheel was sorted I came to collect and was having a coffee in their reception area. The technician came out with the wheel and kindly said he would put it in my car whilst I finished my drink. So I didn’t check the wheel over at the garage. So a day or so later I was ready to fit the wheel to my car and thought I would check it to make sure it was ok. I noticed there was a small mark on one of the spokes of the wheel and also the centre hub also was damaged. I called the garage to explain this and was told to bring the wheel back to the garage. I took the wheel back and left it with them and then I waited and waited… no contact from the service team or manager. So I reached out to them and they said they were dealing with it. I then waited again and was then told they were going to repair the wheel which was brand new. I rejected this and said I wanted a replacement as it was received damaged.

They gave me some cock and bull story saying they would have to speak to BMW to ask them if they would replace the wheel. After another long wait they agreed. I was told the wheel was ready to collect and called
In to collect the new wheel. Unfortunately the wheel wasn’t actually ready and they said they would fit the tyre to the wheel so I had to wait again for this to be sorted.

I viewed the new wheel with the manager & technician and we checked over the wheel which I found had marks on the hub area (exactly where the original wheel had corrosion), I was assured by both of them that this wouldn’t affect corrosion. So I took their word for this, as I had been waiting over 6 weeks to collect the wheel and was running on a spare wheel (again I explained this to the garage but they were not interested in my safety)

I have reached out to BMW about this experience and they have said as they have gave me a goodwill gesture in replacing the damage warranty wheel they are unable to do anything to rectify my shoddy experience with their Brand! I have also not received my customer survey which surprise-surprise is a tactic they use to avoid getting poor CSI ratings.

All in all I would avoid giving this company your business and look elsewhere!

If I could give a minus score I would. I’ve never experienced such awful customer service ever. The garage was unbelievably rude and Mini head office customer service ( where you escalate complaints to, were even worse).
I have driven Mini’s for years but after this, I will never go near a Mini garage again, especially the Sunderland branch. Women beware!!

Dealt with Nicki price he was a true gentleman and very professional it was a pleasure from signing to handover he kept me informed by email and videos links he was the reason I ordered my car would recommend Nicki to everyone he is a credit to vertu and I won't hesitate to highly recommend him.

I bought my car brand new from this dealership.

Over a 2-3 year period, I had a recurring issue with the speakers in the car and the amp, and despite the car being covered by warranty the first two times, the third time, I had to pay over £700 for the exact same issue that should have been covered by warranty.

I was told it wasn't covered despite it being a recurring issue caused by damp affecting the amp, and the fault is caused by a known common fault with that car that allows the amp to get damp and it eventually has to be replaced.

I can prove this as I found documentation online and I proved this to the dealer. They actually build the car differently now to stop this very common fault from occurring.

However, what makes things worse is that the fault has still not been repaired despite being in the workshop for over nine weeks in total over 2 visits. Yes, I went 9 weeks without a car, as you wait weeks for your car to be booked into the dealer if you need a courtesy car.

So now I am over £700 out of pocket after paying for a fault that wasn't repaired and I have lost all faith in BMW.

But get this, I was told if I bought a new car they would give me the £700 back as a discount. Talk about rubbing it in...

Not one person from BMW has contacted me about this experience or seemed to care, and the dealership would not even let me speak to a manager as they were so busy.

The lady who has been dealing with me has been great (I don't want to reveal her name in case it stops this post from getting approved), but she said she could do no more to help and asked me to contact the official complaints department. I did this over three weeks ago and am still awaiting a response, so even the chain of command high up seems broken.

BMW, and especially the Sunderland dealership, have no concern for their customers, and for a premium brand, they really need to up their game.

The car has now been sold, and I'll never buy a BMW again.

I’ve just obtained a BMW 310r which I intend using for commuting to work purposes. I bought this excellent machine for a bargain price. It’s a 72 plate which just over 400 miles and it’s in a pristine new condition. Once again my point of contact for obtaining this bike was Steve, as always he sorted out all the finer details prior to delivery to my address (obviously didn’t want to get her dirty), great guy to deal with. Also big shout out for Darrin for delivering my 310, who knows my location quite well 😂 also thanks to all the other lads who checked my bike out prior to delivery. Also nice touch filling up the tank with fuel 👍

Bought a Mini Cooper from Kathryn in Sunderland. Great service and the car was immaculate. Picked us up from the train station and we were in and out and on our way in no time.

if i could give 0 stars i would.
I recently (1.5 weeks ago) purchased a water pump for my 2015 1 Series.
1 week after installation the part has failed and has cracked causing all of my coolant to pour out of the water pump. the reservoir itself will NOT hold coolant which means I cannot start my engine due a massive risk of cracking the head.
I phoned BMW Sunderland where I purchased the part to be told the only way I could have a replacement part was to DRIVE my car to BMW to have a tech check it had definitely failed. Problem being I CAN'T START MY CAR due to not having any coolant because the water pump EMPTIED the reservoir, and it won't hold coolant.
I told the guy on the phone we have already removed the part as the car is stationed outside of my home, to be told there is nothing he can do as they will not replace the part unless it is on the car, and I drive it to them. He did not want to listen to the fact that I CAN'T start my car my engine will blow. Now I work in the automotive industry and personally think this is absolutely appalling service, especially when I paid over the odds for the part itself.

I had a fantastic experience purchasing my 21 plate Mini Countryman All Four JCW at Vertu Motors (mini) Sunderland. Due to me being unable to view the car in person, Sales Advisor Josh Winter provided me with further detailed images and video, answering all of my questions and kept me updated about the progress of my sale. He answered any queries I had timeously and collected me from the train station for the short journey to the dealership.
Josh was knowledgeable, cheery and he made my car buying experience a great one.
I cannot praise him highly enough and would definately buy from Josh/ this dealership again.
Thank you for my wonderful (as described) car.

Extremely overpriced, unprofessional and misleading.
Do not use this garage.
There are a number of other German car specialists in the area that will give you a professional 5 star service without misleading you.

Purchased a car for my daughter from Josh in vertu mini, very easy and pleasant transaction from start to finish. Josh was extremely helpful and stayed in touch throughout the entire process. Highly recommended.

When looking to change to a mini countryman all my questions were answered by Paul Martin . He went above and beyond to ensure we were happy with the car. The handover was not rushed at all and clear explanations given . Very pleased with customer service and would definitely recommend to family and friends.

I bought my mini countryman, and would def recommend this mini centre, I was made to feel welcome as soon as I entered the doors, Lee wilkinson gave the best service I have experienced when purchasing a car, he delivered everything he said made my purchase stress free, I love my mini

After a deer ran out in front of of my 4 week old car on the motorway, there was only 1 place I wanted to take it (against my insurance company's wishes) - Vertu, Boldon. This place used to be great when I last needed a bodyshop in 2012.

The front bumper, grille, radiator and other sensors needed replacing, with a bonnet respray.

They were quick to get me in and provide a courtesy car. 2 weeks later I had my "new" car back. Before I drove it home, the bonnet alignment seemed off, it went back in for "adjustment" and I drove home. Next day, a car wash and close examination showed lots of overspray around bonnet edges, milky white lines in the lacquer coat, hologram/mechanical swirl marks in around 15 locations on the car bodywork (the bodywork other than the front end had been immaculate, with 2 coats of ceramic sealant).

The bonnet alignment had been a bodge with some rubber stoppers at the extremes of adjustment, but it could still be seen that the bonnet was misaligned when gaps between the adjoining panels were compared.

Andy, the bodyshop manager came out to see the car, with a colleague and agreed with the issues raised. They took the car again and brought it back "fixed". The bonnet had now been properly aligned, over half of the holograms were gone, and the bonnet overspray had been smoothed down slightly.

Still not looking "like new", so they took it again. All but 1 hologram now gone and overspray still visible when brought back, along with a clearly defined masking line where further rub down had taken place.

4th time, it was agreed (after 10 mins of discussion to try and dissuade me from asking for more remedial works) that a respray of the lacquer coat on the bonnet would be done. After the 4th time, the paintwork was finally as per expectations, but I need to reapply my ceramic coat.

2 days later I noticed a sharp nick on the edging bezel of my dashboard, which I'm convinced is from Andy's colleagues clipboard he had with him at every visit, and rested on the dashboard. I haven't had a front seat passenger since before the repair, and it wasn't there then. I have contacted the bodyshop and Andy by mobile and I'm just being ghosted.

The 3 sets of correctional work after the initial attempt demonstrate that not only was the standard of work quite low, the QC inspection afterwards is poor too.

The discussions seemed a little strained at times, but always polite, that's the only positive I can get from this experience.

Absolutely disgraceful people to deal with
have problems with fuel economy for over 18 months quite simply drops at random to about 13mpg
from the actual service manager today ,
my car at 20000 miles and two years old is old and worn resulting in the poor fuel economy

it might be tyre pressure

the price of petrol has gone up thats why im only getting 13mpg ,explain that one

the reason it changed after 18 months car was new up to 18months its old after that

i have changed my driving style

using different petrol stations

i cant say theres a problem just because i put in £30 petrol one week and £60 the next for same journeys same trips/mileage because the computer says theres not

best one i cannot know how many mpg the car is doing, well theres approx 4.5 litres in a gallon , you fill it up drive it check how far you have gone fill it back up then you have how many litres for how many miles convert it to mpg

now remember this man is in charge of your car when its in the garage and he thinks these are rational explanations

I could go on with excuses they have made but it would take too long

I must just making up problems for fun to waste my time taking it over to leave it and then pick it up again to be told computer says no

even the breakdown people said they were an absolute disgrace, the reply to this thats their opinion

but on a plus side i did not know my aircon needed recharged which they did while not finding out what was wrong with the car and they also found my battery was a bit low and kindly offered to take it in overnight to charge it for me but could not again fix the fault on the car

just as a final thing they also managed to change brakes while they had it which were changed six weeks earlier but could not yet again fix the fault on the car

should have looked at the reviews on here first I hope bmw uk do or even vertu group head office

this is an update to the reply
basically its a case of computer says no so it must be correct

absolutely terrible I dont keep putting a car in for fun

i have been driving for 45 years i can tell you when somethings wrong but you refuse to admit it

i know by how much fuel i spend from one week to another , i know theres something wrong when it can nearly double in the actual amount of fuel put in per week ,I drive the car day in day out i know when its not running right your staff without even looking at it tell me its tyre pressures or some other absolutely stupid reason you actually show how you think you can just brush over everything by stupidly stating we are rubbish on reviews on trustpilot but ok on google

well here i go to google to leave the same review and maybe everyone else will do the same

finally answer this openly on here
how did your technician last time say that what ever he reset should fix the problem (my imaginary fault) and if it started again bring it straight back

secondly are bmw car inferior in your opinion as i have been told on several occasions that an over 25% drop in fuel economy is due to a 2 year old 20000 mile car being old and worn your garages words not mine
I would like to hear your view when i put this to bmw directly as if it is the car was not fit for purpose to be old and worn at 2 years old

Purchased a new battery for my motorbike and when I connected it, it was completely dead. I tried to charge it but it wouldn't take any charge. I took it back and they refused to exchange it for another one. They said they would need to test it on my bike but I couldn't get the bike to them because the battery was no good. They would not accept the dud battery back as they claim it has to be tested on the bike. I explained that it had nothing to do with the bike - that was very clear but they would not budge. After talking to a Manager, I was no further forward and had no option but to purchase another battery at a cost of £110. I found this nothing short of disgraceful after being a loyal customer for many years, purchasing both bikes and cars from them.
17/7 update - after recieving a reply saying they would investigate my complaint, two weeks have gone by and I got the expected response - nothing! I belive they have no interest in investing my concern at all.
30/8/23 update - as I suspected, I have had no further contact from this company.
31/8/23 update - received a call from Selina Kirk, Service Manager apologising for the poor service and that she would take up my case and get back to me. Sure enough, she called me back and said she thought she had resolved the situation and would I make an appointment to go into the showroom and see her. This was arranged for the following day.
1/9/23 - I saw Selina today who had solved my problem and immediately issued me with a refund. Her customer service was second to none and this is obviously why she is in the position of Manager. She apologised and explained where she thought the system had gone wrong. I cannot thank her enough and left with a very different impression of Vertu to when I first had the issue.
Well done Selina and thank you for your assistance. I hope your excellent customer service rubs off on others.
This rating has gone from 1 to 5 stars.

Utterly incompetent. The car went in for a simple diagnostic and service. “A problem” occurred (a screw cross threaded, they blamed it on wear and tear?!?) I was told that they needed to keep the car for several days and now I am left without a car. Being told all courtesy cars where out on loan. There was nothing that could be done, as ALL of the managers where at a conference. I am a carer for my 96 year old father, who is registered blind and 88 year old mother, who is in a wheelchair, unable to get to them….. I am worried sick about their welfare. Vertu Sunderland are disgraceful as they are fully aware of this situation.

Car went in for service.
Drove car home and there was a vibration that wasn't present when it went in. Checked under bonnet protective coverings over brake fluid tank had not been secured back on. Phoned up told to come back in and get it sorted. Took car back assured it was done. Drove home still a vibration, checked was exactly the same as before. Took back in again next day, coverings fixed properly, however on driving home still a vibration.
Bonnet up again and looks like other areas not secured back together properly. Another visit back tomorrow now.
Also all service history on the idrive system deleted, and as it wasn't on BMW servers can't be put back on.

Let's all agree, in life things go wrong in all customer experiences. The important part is putting it right, the service I received from the Head of Business was fantastic! Dealt with my issues fairly and reasonably, with a resolution we both agreed on. Thanks Jeff!

Absolutely outstanding service from Sunderland mini, specifically Brooke and Charlotte. Came in on Monday and picked my brand new car up today, three days later. Friendly, made you feel at ease and did everything they could to help and accommodate our needs. Brooke was also amazing with our three year old when we originally came to the garage. Giving him cake and chatting away to him. Which is so lovely!!
They kept us up to date and it’s probably been the smoothest large purchase we’ve had thanks to great communication.
Huge thank you, we love our new car!!!!

What a difference a year or two make!!

I purchased a car here in 2020 (pre pandemic) which had issues (which I don’t mind, that’s life) but dealing with the correction of which was terrible! Constant battle, no answers, no updates.

However, I used the garage and “gave it a chance” as it’s now under the ownership of Vertu Motors and top marks!

Friendly, informative and extremely helpful! I had tyre insurance which I had paperwork to complete, they helped completing that, even the Service Manager got stuck in to help me (something which didn’t happen previously)

Massive thanks to, Stephen, Lauren and team, doing a great job!

Keep it up Vertu!