Challenge Motor Co Ltd

I've been using Challenge for a number of years now. They have kept my Ford Freda Camper Van on the road through a number of 'challenges'. Considering that it's a Japanese import they've gone the 'extra mile' every time. This year they've sourced and fitted a new exhaust. The MOT and service has just been completed. The brakes are better than I can ever remember and they've cleaned my headlights to a standard that they have never previously been at. Thank you Challenge. My recommendation to any new people considering using your firm couldn't be higher.

I was charged £47 to fit a car battery! The most expensive car battery total cost £190. I feel totally ripped off! Would not use this garage again!

Excellent customer service. Tina was lovely talked me through what was needed didn't rip me off and work took the time they said no issues or sneaky add ons. Really good experience will use again.

My car’s alternator failed when my partner and I were in Cheltenham visiting family over Christmas. The friendly team at Challenge were able to accommodate an urgent job and get us back on the road back home to the south coast in time for us to attend a very important event which was greatly appreciated.

On arriving to the site I could see from the office / reception that the workshop space was clean, well organised and tidy. I knew from seeing this that Challenge is a professional outfit and this has proven to be the case with the level of service and communication I have experienced.

I know that I’m just a stranger on the internet but if you’re seeking a recommendation for a garage / service centre in Cheltenham then you’ll not go far wrong here.

Negatives: Poor communication. I was quoted one price initially but charged over £300 more. I appreciate that unexpected things can happen, but would have been nice to have been kept updated if the price was going to be that different. I only found out that my bill was going to be almost £1000 once all the work had been completed. Also, my front windscreen wipers were changed without them asking me. I am sure they were just trying to be helpful, but despite being young and female - I do know how to change front windscreen wipers myself... Again, if they'd said to me that they'd noticed an issue I might have agreed to them changing them for me. However, this wasn't even communicated to me when I received the final bill. I only found out they had been changed once I checked the receipt. Unfortunately I won't be using this garage again despite it's close proximity to my home.

Positives: Car now works. Fixed within one week.

Had my car booked in to get the radar/camera unit looked at. Had a very helpful initial call with the lady on the desk a few weeks ago, I explained the problem, she passed me to a mechanic who explained they could take a look and diagnose the problem, replace any parts, etc, but they couldn't calibrate the unit. He explained there's a person in Gloucester does that and "he's very good". Great, I thought. Finally he said they'd need it for more than a day if I dropped off on a Saturday morning. All agreed. Fast forward a few weeks and the day before the appointment I get a call from a man (Euan / Ewan?) to "clarify" why it's booked in. Not sure what was unclear from the above discussion but hey ho. Then he tells me they can't calibrate the unit anyway. I mentioned the guy in Gloucester but apparently they "don't deal with him directly". I said I wasn't told that, and he replied that I only spoke to a secretary. I pointed out that she had actually passed me to someone in the garage itself to discuss and arrange everything as she wasn't sure of the ability to look at the camera unit, and so given the situation I asked him to please cancel my appointment. He said they couldn't do anything with the camera unit anyway and that's why he was ringing to clarify. So there's either a lack of desire to look at this issue or a massive mismatch on what he versus the mechanics think is possible at this place. Also did no-one write down the key discussion points from my initial call? Either way shoddy customer service before my car's even been looked at, and not somewhere I would want to go as a result. After having lost a couple of weeks unnecessarily, it's now booked in with a main dealer for ease and reliability.

I took my Skoda Yeti by to Challenger as i was told they were specialists. My Check Oil pressure light keeps coming on. I was told it was an electrical issue and not to worry by the previous owner I bought it from, but as it keeps coming on I had to get this confirmed myself. So I took it to Challenger. I was booked in for a quick 30min diagnostic. The diagnostic came back with no readings to be concerned about, but when the mechanic learnt it was a RED light I was advised not to drive it and to have it looked into further. This needed at least an hour. The receptionist was very helpful in explaining all to me and promised after an hour I would be called to be advised further. This was a Friday and they could not do this work until Tues so I had to leave my car there and get a small rental. She promised me she would save the courtesy car for me on Tuesday, should they have to work further on it.
Move to Tues morning. I get a call at 8:55am from the owner, very abrupt telling m there is nothing wrong with my car. He had done a diagnostic and nothing comes up and he believes it is electrical. I asked it he had taken it for a drive, a good drive, as it tends to come on after it has been driven and doesn't stay on. Yes, yes, yes, was the reply. I explained that his mechanics advised it needed to be looked into. he said he did not have time to investigate an issue like this, and certainly didn't have time allotted to give me a courtesy car for this issue. I said, fine I will come and collect it now. When I got to the mechanic, I spoke to the boss in person. His tone had changed a bit with me. A bit more concerned for my issue. He still felt it was more an electrical issue, but you can imagine what would happen if it was a real problem with the oil pressure and pump, what would happen to my car! I asked him again if he had driven it properly for some time and up some hills and down. He said, yes i drove it for a good hour/hour and 20 mins this morning. I said, but you called me at 8:55am to let me know it was fine. He replied, yes, well I was in work by 8am and took it for a long drive then madam. Well, ... you do the calculations. I left it alone. Paid my bill and collected my car, only to find not an ounce of petrol had been used. I brought it strait from the gas station completely filled to the brim, and it was still at Full mark. An hours drive would have moved the marker sufficiently.

I don't know what the deal was. Why he lied and pushed my car aside, but definitely not a trustworthy mechanics or business in my eyes.

Very impressed; was recommended by another garage because of their specialist diagnostic software for Skodas, they took the time to explain the process and even undertook the work straight away because I needed to drive the car away. Impressive attention to detail too; running my spark plugs through a wire wheel while they were out of the car to freshen them up. All-in-all, would recommend.