A Montrose driving instructor has “cancelled his retirement” due to a dispute with Arnold Clark.
Brian Thomson has been without his dual-control Hyundai i30 for more than a year after an exhaust warning sensor appeared.
In April 2023 the 70-year-old took the vehicle to the Kingsway East branch to be checked as the issue was covered under his five-year warranty.
Brian’s vehicle remains at the branch to this day.
Since the dispute began he has been provided with two courtesy cars and forked out £4,000 to rent a dual-control car to continue lessons.
Arnold Clark dispute began in April 2023
“Honestly I feel like JK Rowling telling this story because it goes on and on,” he told The Courier.
“There was an issue with the electrical cables which required wiring loom and they had to order a part.
“This took roughly 12 to 16 weeks to arrive and when it arrived it was the wrong part.
“Fast-forward to December 13, 2023, the right part arrived and the issue was fixed.
“Due to the delays I requested an MOT as a goodwill gesture.”
As part of the checks it was discovered the turbo had seized on the vehicle, which had largely sat stationary at the dealership.
He added: “Obviously by this time the warranty has now elapsed.
“Arnold Clark are trying to get Hyundai to pay for the turbo, which was going to cost £2,000.
“There was a back-and-forth between the companies trying to get an answer.
“I have joked, ‘Will I see the end of this saga?’.”
Montrose driving instructor ‘had planned to retire’
Brian, who has run LSL Driving School for more than 20 years, has held off retiring after purchasing a new learner car due to the vehicle issues.
He added: “I owned the Hyundai outright and had planned to retire.
“It did impact on my driving instructing duties so I bought a new learner vehicle.
“It cost me £4,000 to rent a temporary learner car but, given the uncertainty over my own car, I had to buy a new one.
“The strange thing in all this is the service staff at Arnold Clark were tremendous but the situation has been a nightmare.”
‘Longer to resolve than we would have liked’
Arnold Clark apologised for the delays Mr Thomson has faced.
A spokeswoman told The Courier: “Arnold Clark would like to thank Mr Thomson for his patience in this matter.
“Our priority is always on providing outstanding customer service.
“However, on this occasion the exceptional circumstance was outwith our control and has taken longer to resolve than we would have liked.
“Our customer service team has been working closely with Hyundai and we are pleased to confirm that the issue has now been resolved.”
Hyundai has also been approached for comment.
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