I'm always skeptical about buying a halo car from dealers that other products are commodity priced, like a $70k Vette waiting inline at a chevy dealer for service with no loaner or an NSX at an Acura dealer. I give Hyundai credit for a separate setup for the Genisis at the dealer. People complain even more on the lower priced cars as it is a more significant purchase for them.

 

There is no doubt this process sours you on the car and forces you to look elsewhere. I did a buyback on a 2011 BMW I owned and if it wasn’t for the incredible and professional way BMW customer relations and my dealer handled the situation, I would have moved to another brand. I ended up ordering another BMW and it was 100% trouble-free and a joy to drive. While I was upset about all the dealer visits and the buyback process, I remained level headed and professional when dealing with BMW and believe this approach got me far more than being a nasty and difficult customer. BMW initially gave me 30 days to find a new car. Since I ordered another BMW, they let me keep the car (at no cost to me) for two and a half months until my new car arrived. If you end up ordering another Jaguar, negotiate with them to keep your F-Type until the car arrives (if it is drivable and safe), or provide you with a dealer loaner.

How would you rate Jaguar and your dealer for handling your situation?

 

Having owned two Corvettes, one of which was a Z06, that was never an issue for me. Neither of them ever experienced any issues under warranty other than a burned turn signal bulb, and that speaks volumes. The last 3 generations have been incredibly reliable.

However, when I went in for oil changes, I was always met by the service manager, who moved me to the head of the line without an appointment, and their most senior technician was always assigned to my car.

Many Corvette owners reported the same treatment, and most Chevrolet dealers are well aware that they need to treat Corvette owners a bit differently than the Sonic crowd.

 

I think that "market segmentation" is what we are speaking about here. Most markets, if not all, segment what they do based upon "enterprise value" to the marketplace that they serve. In summary, as was mentioned if there is a higher end, more expensive, lower demand/supply car, the market or buyers would be studied as to expectations etc.


I feel that the interaction between mfg./dealer/and customer is special and differs by mfg., region, style, etc. etc. Getting this right has been and remains a global business issue, by which predictive analytics, surveys, and other tools attempt to do this.


In the case of mfg. references, I could think of every car that I have had and the problems (strong in some cases, and mild in most) are nothing but a pain. However, how they are handled is where the brilliance comes in. For example, my Audi A7 suddenly had an oil pressure monitor go, and as much of a pain as that was, they fixed it immediately, and I never had another problem again. That is class!!!!


As for JLR, my dealer as I have stated in NJ has been stellar with me on both jags. I am impressed with them, but they can only go so far. JLR NA has now been responsive to my issue, as small as it is to some, it is big to me (again segmentation of expectations). They said to me that the level of base settings should not be an issue, as it is the rattle that should be. They are going to listen with an audio engineer in 2 weeks and I will get this corrected. With this, and the ECO "D" flashing, am I disgusted with JLR. Personally not, once I got over the "emotional" aspect of this, and thought about it. If it is a problem that you see as "STRONG" again as you deem to be an issue, that is something that only you can determine.


In summary if the problem(s) were big enough and meaningful enough to me, I would "exit stage left". No sense gambling on something(s) that are so meaningful to you, the customer, the most important link on the "Value Chain"! Good luck

 

My dealer experience has been excellent overall and the service guys have gone out of their way to try and fix the situation so I have no complaints. I met with the GM this morning and he was supportive and understood my position and promised that they would work with Jaguar NA to complete this as quickly as possible. During previous service visits, they have been upgrading my loaner car to anything I choose, so I've had another F-type, a new corvette and the new Mercedes S-class as loaners, so I can't really complain about that.

During this whole ordeal, I've remained calm and composed at all times. Even now, I'm not really upset. After all, it's just a car. I just have other things I'd rather focus on than this. I have no ill-will against Jaguar - things happen. This is my 2nd Jag and a 3rd is not out of the question.

 

It is good to hear that your dealer and Jaguar are at least accommodating you until there is a resolution to your situation. I have to admit I was initially apprehensive about getting a Jaguar because I never viewed the dealers I visited in a positive way. I had my F-Type serviced by a local dealer twice recently and the experience was outstanding.

 

Steve and I have become friendly acquaintances, including ongoing business dealings outside of the whole Newport Jaguar experience. Let me know if you need any assistance or any additional pressure applied.
I have found you need to stay in regular contact, otherwise other dealership business matters will distract him from your cause.

 

Good to know Mike. I think I misspoke though - I met with Bennet not Steve this morning and just remembered that he is the service manager, not general manager.

 

I so wish that in the UK we had legal options such as a buy back or lemon law. My car would have been parked up in Coventry in a heart beat.

Maybe its a fight between JLR and Maserati for worst ownership experience. Fight. Fight. :-)

Lets play a game of top trumps for worst car manufacturer experience in the world.

I play "Failing to respond to emails for two weeks after promising to sort out your issue then going back on their word" - what have you got?

This could be a long game...

 

I sense you want the GT for reasons related to your R's issues (frustrating, no doubt) as well as for reasons (possibly more at this point) related to what the GT will offer. I can certainly understand that. Hey, it's not like you're abandoning the marque altogether, right? Whichever way you go, I wish you the best.

 

I've had pretty bad experiences with MB service so bad my wife won't let me even consider the car. I've only owned one though. We'll miss you if you leave. Just realize every once in awhile everyone builds a Lemon. You are against you getting two in a row if you stay or leave. Thanks again for putting together that drive a while back!!

 

Having seen the first GT, i can honestly say the looks are way below the F. I think the GT took the worst parts from the SL and SLS.

The ugly headlights and front end from the SL and the plain SLS rear end.

The interior and over all reliability are in the GT's favor along with depreciation.

They do however come at a 20k premium.

 

Uh, I think you might have me confused with someone else

 

Just remember the movie "The World According to Garp", Robin Williams bought a house after an airplane crashed into it because the worst thing had already happened to it.

 

I did, sorry, I saw Shift's note and for some reason thought he was you. Sorry... I won't miss you as much.

 

2016 has some interesting new cars if you can wait... The new R8 and the Maserati Alfieri (which I'm thinking of trading into).

Both are new platforms though, so if you really want a shop free experience neither is a good choice. Nor will the GT, IMO. Low volume is low volume and even MB has issues with low volume cars....the SLS was really problematic in its inaugural year.

Safe would be a 911....

 

Amg

 

The Alfieri's platform is the same as Ghibli and QP. It will most likely have a version of the 3.0 V6 tuned to over 500hp available ,but it will start at 404. Ferrari is doing a version for their own car at over 550. The R8 on the other hand is shared with the Lambo new Haurican which is really new! I think the GT is a way to get into SLS territory for less money by being evolutionary.

 

You say you have a deposit on a (custom ordered) GT, huh? Although you'd be making the switch for reliability reasons, this here's another reason you may want to consider in deciding to go on with the switch. I've just read the June issue of Road & Track, specifically the comparo article:
F-Type R Coupe vs. AMG GT S vs. 911 Carrera GTS.
Without going into much detail, this article is not pretty for the F-Type, at all, placing it quite inferior to the Teutonic rivals in just about every category, except for acceleration due to the Carrera's strange choice of a substantially smaller displacement engine, plus not being s/c or tt/c engine, like the Jag and the Benz are, respectively).

Some of the describing words and expressions used when compared to the German cars.
The good:
"Ridiculously fast" - Looks great - Attractively priced"

The not-so-good:
"Unpolished, slightly ill-mannered, punishing (suspension), tight cabin, cramped, crude, rude, refinement is lacking, a diamond that lacks polish, lacks the agility of its lighter competitors, gear changes feel slow-witted compared to the dual clutch Germans, brake pedal feel doisappointingly rubbery, a packaging disaster".

True that the GT S is more expensive, but in your case it doesn't matter because you're already getting your hands on one. The Merc is an impressive looking car and the 3.0 sec 0 to 60 doesn't hurt either.

Of course, this is just one guy's opinion (Mike Duff), but how wrong can he be?

I can feel for you, man. Cars over $100K should not have this number of incidents so early in their lives. The Lexus traditional reliability comes to mind (of course, at a far lower cost). I hope that your next choice makes up for this bad experience.

Cheers,

 

I wish more of the magazines ran secret shopper experience tests on:

- Buying the car and delivery
- The service experience
- Engaging the manufacturer in the case of major faults.

Forget the ride quality and crap audio engineering. On the these 3 counts, JLR would take a hammering.

We have a JD Power Study of Customer experience in which Jaguar apparently has done well the past 3 years. JD Power lost all credibility with me having now been through a fairly exhaustive experience of what they offer - the results have to be a sham based on what I've personally seen. I've 2 dealers near me and both are shocking - which Jaguar admitted to. The laugh is; Jaguar themselves are worse.

If they spent as much effort as they do on giving out free F-Types to ex-footballers, actors (I like Sherlock) and team managers on their paying customers then life would be different.