Get a proper inspection done before purchase.
Having purchased cars before from this dealership in the past I was confident that I should again. In May I purchased my 2019 Suzuki swift with approx 30000 one owner from new. Lovely looking car. Was informed that any clutch issues had been resolved when I initially inquired. After a while I noticed that at higher revs and speed on open road that the engine was over running / clutch slipping. I hadn't noticed before as just been driving local roads. Eventually when it was pointed out to me that there may be a issue with clutch I contacted EMC around Nov. Booked in for inspection, at a fee. Was informed, Worse case cenario approx £1400 for a new clutch as may not be covered under warranty as wear and tear and surprisingly told previous owners driving habbits may be a contribution .At this point I'd only done 4000 miles. I therefore decided to get a very well established and respected independent assessment, and repair quote. £600 for new clutch. However on further inspection turns the gear box had leaking oil into clutch housing for some time. hence the issues that I had been experiencing.Total cost including labour for new clutch AND gearbox repair £1005. Lessons learnt. In future however reputable a company may be,I won't trust anything I'm told about a car and have it independently checked before driving it of the forecourt.
Reply from Eastbourne Motoring Centre
Thank you for confirming your name and vehicle details, enabling us to access our records here and investigate your concerns.
We understand that your vehicle was booked in with our team for investigations on 4/12/25 but you subsequently cancelled the appointment.
Without having been given the opportunity to inspect your vehicle, we were only able to offer quotations as requested for replacement components over the telephone.
Clutches are considered to be wear and tear items, their replacement is therefore generally not covered under warranty if the clutch is found to be worn out. However, if the clutch is found to be failing due to external influences such as a gearbox oil leak, the cost of both repairs would potentially be covered by the warranty policy. In order for us to have raised a claim, we would need to have submitted our report with images of the oil leak and affected components requesting a decision from Suzuki warranty. Regrettably we were not given this opportunity.
This issue would not have been identified through visual inspection of the clutch or sealed gearbox unit unless the oil leak was significant enough to be seeping through the housing; which it was not at our time of inspection in April 2025.
We are genuinely sorry that you did not give us the opportunity to investigate your vehicles clutch issue or feel able to discuss your concerns with us directly rather than via a review platform.
We hope to be of service to you again in the future and would like to assure you of our best intentions at all times.
Kind regards EMC Team