Thompsons (of Penrith) Ltd

Reviews

• AC

  Ali Cornforth

  4 days ago
  1.0
  I booked my van into this garage around three weeks before travelling abroad, expecting enough time to complete the MOT and investigate a starting fault. The MOT took around two weeks, leaving the starting fault as the main outstanding issue. I explained several times that the battery and glow plugs had already been tested, yet to my disbelief when speaking to a mechanic in the third week of having the van that he was considering checking the glow plugs. When I called on the Friday of the third week to ask for an update, with my departure planned for Monday, I was told quite honestly that they hadn’t even looked at the problem. They replaced the starter motor that afternoon, but this didn’t resolve the fault. I was then told it could be the injectors or low compression, but the person able to carry out those tests was away for four weeks. I collected the van the day before my trip, with the original fault unresolved. A quick check of the battery terminals revealed that the nuts securing the terminals hadn’t even been tightened properly. Once I set off south to catch the ferry to Spain, the starting problem became progressively worse. By the time the ferry arrived in Santander, the van wouldn’t start at all, and I had to be towed off the boat. After fiddling with the wires connecting to the starter motor, I eventually managed to get it running. However, during the drive to my destination, I had to stop several times and spend around 20 minutes each time trying to get it started again. In Spain, I finally had time to investigate the problem properly. I discovered that a nut securing a connection on the starter motor hadn’t been tightened properly either, despite having contacted the garage about the worsening symptoms and being assured that everything had been tightened up. Remarkably, with no mechanical experience whatsoever, I managed to identify and temporarily resolve the issue myself. I appreciate that difficult faults can take time to diagnose, but the lack of progress, communication and, ultimately, the failure to properly secure a starter motor connection is unacceptable. Had they been honest about their availability and diagnostic capabilities, I could have taken the van elsewhere weeks earlier. Based on my experience, I would not use this garage again. And I would recommend anyone else who is having mechanical issues with there vehicle to stay clear of this place.
• MM

  Masimba Moyo

  Sep 22, 2026
  1.0
  Not really impressed with the service, took my car there for minor service and they only changed oil and the oil filter. I asked the lady why they didn’t change the air filters, then she said air filters are only for major service. Have never heard such in my life. On the invoice , they say the put screen wash, nothing was added.£167 for oil change, thats a reap off
• RW

  Rafał Wróbel

  Aug 12, 2026
  5.0
  Very friendly staff. They took a look at the issue and diagnosed it straight away. Unfortunately, the fault was not fixable. The diagnosis was completely free of charge, so thank you very much for your time and help!
• SM

  Sylwia M

  Aug 12, 2026
  5.0
  very helpful guys, fully recommended
• IH

  Ian Hamilton

  Apr 8, 2019
  5.0
  Brilliant service repaired exhaust on my camper van no problems attall would recommend anytime 👍👍👌