Avoid this garage at all costs. After our car broke down, we arranged with Group One Bromley (via the RAC) to have it towed to their site for a repair slot scheduled a few days later. Although Group One initially agreed to hold the car, the RAC was turned away on arrival and told to bring it back at a later date.
Once the car was accepted and inspected, we were quoted £7,500 for repairs—on a five-year-old lease vehicle with just 37,000 miles and a full service history. The diagnosis was a failed differential, allegedly due to a prior oil change done incorrectly a year earlier. However, this work was carried out by a highly experienced mechanic, and both he and other professionals confirmed that if it had genuinely been done wrong, the car would not have driven 7,000 miles without breaking down much sooner.
We asked Group One to escalate the issue to VW, given the unusually high cost and the relatively low age and mileage of the car. The service manager, Ian Johnson, initially agreed, but then disappeared—ignoring emails and phone messages over the span of nearly three weeks. When he finally responded, he reiterated the same explanation, blamed the previous garage (despite admitting the timeline didn’t add up), and offered no further support. One day I phoned the garage 18 times before someone picked up the phone.
Ultimately, we took the car elsewhere and had the issue resolved for £2,800.
The service we received was shockingly poor—zero communication, no accountability, and a pressured attempt to charge significantly more than necessary. Steer clear of this garage.
P.S. I also made a formal complaint over a month ago and have yet to receive a response from Group one.....what a surprise.
