Just thought I’d share my experience.
So I thought I’d come here to share my experience after owning a BYD Seal U DM-i.
Back in October, I went to my local BYD dealer to purchase a Seal U DM-i. I test drove the car and initially thought it was brilliant. The amount of technology you get for the price is genuinely impressive, and I took delivery within the same month.
However, after around 4–6 weeks of ownership I started noticing a few things:
- Very loud/rattly suspension noise
- Misaligned body panels
- Small paint imperfections on the bonnet
- “No video signal detected” occasionally appearing when selecting reverse
At the time, I decided to monitor these issues and planned to raise them together at the dealer after a few months of ownership rather than making constant trips back and forth.
Unfortunately, the biggest issue was still to come.
In late December, I noticed a loud rattling/clunking noise from what sounded like the driver-side wheel/drivetrain area whenever turning right under load. I immediately contacted the dealer to get the car booked in.
The vehicle was initially booked in just before Christmas, but the dealer then contacted me to say their BYD warranty/computer system was down and they could no longer look at the vehicle on the agreed date.
Something about this didn’t sound right to me, so after several phone calls I ended up driving to the dealership directly.
A mechanic came out for a road test with me, confirmed he could hear the noise, and after inspecting the vehicle advised there was slight play in the driveshaft and that it required replacement.
The issue was that, due to the “system being down”, they still couldn’t process the warranty repair. So I was left driving a brand-new car with a known mechanical fault over the Christmas period for over 200 miles.
The vehicle was eventually booked in for repair on 13 January 2026.
I was given a courtesy car and later informed the repair would take longer because the required part was delayed. Interestingly, I was now being told the vehicle was not safe to drive — despite previously being told it was safe over Christmas.
The dealer had the car for 10 days to replace the driveshaft. I collected it again on 23 January 2026.
Three or four days later, the exact same noise returned.
Back to the dealer it went.
After another lengthy period, I was informed BYD technical had become involved and the conclusion was that the measurement between the engine and engine mount was “out of tolerance”, requiring an adjustment to reposition the engine.
Eventually I received a call explaining that:
- an adjustment had been carried out
- a new engine mount had been ordered
- but the part was on back order with no ETA
I was then asked if I wanted to collect the vehicle while waiting for the replacement part.
At this stage I had already lost confidence in the car, so I asked what the expected timeframe was. The response I received was effectively: “There is no timeframe — it will arrive whenever the part becomes available.”
Weeks then passed with no progress.
Eventually, after discussions around rejection through the finance company, the dealership wanted the courtesy car returned and advised: “The adjustment has been carried out and we are confident the vehicle can be driven without the noise being present.”
I confirmed in writing that taking the vehicle back would not affect my rights should I later pursue rejection.
I then collected the car.
The very first left-hand turn I made, the exact same noise happened again.
I informed the dealer immediately and was essentially told: “The part is on back order — there is nothing further we can currently do.”
At that point I’d had enough.
In total, the dealership had my car for 41 days, repairs had already failed, the same fault persisted, and there was still no confirmed timeframe for resolution on a brand-new vehicle.
I escalated the matter through Santander Consumer Finance. An independent inspection was carried out and the complaint was upheld under the Consumer Rights Act due to failed repairs.
The vehicle has now been collected and the finance agreement unwound.
Overall, I’m massively disappointed — not just from a vehicle quality perspective, but from an aftersales/customer service perspective too.
I genuinely wanted to like the car because on paper it offers fantastic value for money, but my ownership experience ended up being the worst I’ve ever had with a new vehicle.
Hopefully this helps anyone researching the Seal U DM-i or dealing with similar issues.