Bad Experience with a vehicle
In April 2025, my partner and I purchased a 2015 Audi A5 from GMZ Motors. On the surface, the vehicle seemed to be everything we were looking for. We were approved for finance, travelled to the dealership, completed all the paperwork, and had a smooth handover with Matteo, one of the service advisors. We left feeling positive — at least initially.
Just two weeks later, that confidence turned into concern. While entering a motorway via a slip road — one of the most dangerous moments for a car to malfunction — the engine light came on, the car began misfiring, and went into limp mode and refused to accelerate past 30-40 mph trying to get off the slip way. It was a frightening and unsafe situation, especially for a car we had just purchased.
We contacted GMZ Motors immediately and spoke to a service advisor. Rather than offering help or showing any concern, we were simply told to contact the warranty company. No apology. No reassurance. Just a complete lack of responsibility.
The car was towed to an Audi dealership for a full diagnostic. The master technician discovered that the turbo had failed and the DPF was clogged with soot — serious faults. What alarmed him even more was that there were no warning lights or error codes showing on the dashboard or on his diagnostic tools related to any DPF issues. After further inspection, he found the reason why: the car had been potentially remapped.
This was the first time we were made aware of the potential remap — something that GMZ Motors never disclosed to us at any point during the sale. It wasn’t in the listing, not in the description, and was never mentioned in person or in any documentation. Audi confirmed that due to this, the car no longer qualifies for any warranty, and they strongly advised against performing a software update, as it could further damage the car and potentially cause even more issues with its potentially hidden issues.
This lack of disclosure raises serious legal concerns. Remapping significantly alters a car’s performance, and selling a remapped car without informing the buyer is a serious breach of trust — and potentially a breach of consumer protection laws. It now leaves us asking: What else might GMZ be hiding from their customers? The fact that something so significant was kept from us casts a shadow over the legitimacy of their entire business practice.
During our attempts to resolve the issue, we contacted Zain, the manager, via WhatsApp. Rather than offering accountability, he dismissed Audi’s findings and tried to dissuade us from trusting them, referencing his own negative experiences with Audi. He encouraged us to look at GMZ’s positive reviews instead — but ironically, we now find ourselves among the customers who had a negative and costly experience.
We were offered two limited and unhelpful options, including towing the car to Newcastle at our own expense so they could carry out repairs using non-Audi approved parts (some of which weren’t even in stock). The lack of transparency around the repair process and the dismissive attitude gave us no confidence moving forward.
Eventually, we decided to cut all communication with GMZ Motors as it became clear the situation wasn’t being handled properly. The issue has now been escalated to the finance company, who are conducting a formal investigation. Audi has advised us to drive the car cautiously, avoid any software updates, and await the outcome of the investigation before making any further decisions.
To date, we’ve spent thousands of pounds out of pocket to deal with issues that should never have existed on a vehicle sold as roadworthy.
Our experience with GMZ Motors has been beyond disappointing. The lack of transparency, the dismissive attitude toward serious safety concerns, the undisclosed remap, and the overall customer service have been unacceptable. We urge others to be extremely cautious when considering buying from GMZ. What happened to us shouldn’t happen to anyone else.
30 de abril de 2025
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