I am usually never compelled to write something like this but I just have to give other jag owners in the Toronto area the heads up on my experience with Berkshire Motors in Thornhill, just north of Toronto.
As some of you who already know who read the s-type forums, I had a situation where my 2005 STR would not start period... nothing at all, it had all lights and power, just dead on the crank. I originally towed it to a local mechanic who worked on jags but he suggested I get it towed to Berkshire as he had no experience with an STR. This was early May when it was brought to Berkshire. After a few weeks they said it was the ecm and found one online from Vancouver for $500. Well that didn't do the trick, the exact same problem, nothing it was dead as before. They then said the only way to fix it was to wait for another model of the same to come in and they could do comparison tests and figure the problem out as the wiring diagrams from jaguar in England didn't match???
Well fast forward 3 months later and no STR has showed up at their shop (big surprise), and it is still sitting. I decided to be proactive and bought an 2005 STR I found for sale in Mississauga and brought it to them, this was the same year and identical. Well 2 days later my car is ready to go, it turned out it was one wire shorted out causing all the problem.
Now the fun begins, cost of the repair was $3600 for a wire and 22hrs labour and the ecm cost (never gave me the old ecm back) if they even used it. I paid the ransom and I get into the jag and notice a silver jag in the coffee cup holder, they had broken the hood ornament and never fixed it. The mechanic named Ravi said I should get it repaired elsewhere as it would cost more there than elsewhere....say what, you broke it, it was just the wire that hooks under the hood ornament. I talked to the owner Sam and he said they would repair it at the end of the week, but I wasn't about to drive 30 miles to have it fixed, it should have been done before I got there...... unacceptable in my opinion.
After getting home I pop the trunk and it is a disaster, crap everywhere where they were working, they left a battery in the trunk, the trunk board folded up and pushed aside, just a mess. As I was cleaning it out, two rotors and brake pads I purchased from brake performance in California are missing, the two rear rotors are there, but not the fronts or the pads. I figured okay, they probably forgot to put them back in, no problem. I drive up there and they plead the 5th, there were no other rotors in there. Bottom line it is my problem, not theirs. Did they steal them probably not, but they definitely misplaced them judging by the mess in my trunk.
A totally horrible experience and I would never go back there again.


I would never suggest to anyone they don't go there, but this was my experience, so you can be the judge


Cheers, Dave

 

Thanks Not that I would use them, but see their ads all the time.
Snowball

 

Dave,
This is copied from Ontario's consumer protection act.

Return of Replaced Parts
Repair shops must return the old parts replaced during the repair to the consumer if asked to.
This allows the customer to see for themselves that the part(s) actually needed replacing.
Exceptions to this can include:
the repair is provided without charge to the customer
the replaced part is exchanged for a retooled or reconditioned part
the replaced part is subject to a warranty contract and the repairer must return the part
to the manufacturer

Your first course of action should be reporting to:
Your Rights When Dealing With Repair Shops

I'm not an attorney, but I can be a real PIA when I believe I have been ripped off.

 

Dave,

Thanks for your post. I'd encourage you to pursue this and not just let it go. Unacceptable way of treating a customer.

Mike

 

I actually forgot two other issues, my a/c which was perfectly fine is now blowing warm air on the right side and cool air on the left side but only when I am idleing, the car also had all these white pieces of sticky tape that I had to scrape off with my fingernails, at first I thought they were paint chips this stuff was so thin, I really don't know if I will take this any further or chalk it up to a horrible experience.

 

At the very least I would report them to Ontario Consumer Services. The next person whom they provide this kind of service many not be able to walk away with just a lighter wallet.

 

@Dave

Read the actual Act carefully. See Jeff's link.

1) you are entitled to return of parts unless you signed off otherwise

2) under the act, a repair garage can only charge what is in a written estimate unless a diarised phone authorization is given to exceed the estimate. in the absence of either, they are not entitled to charge you at all. (yes, really ... read the act)

3) you are entitled to pursue a number of remedies under the act, but you need to structure your claim carefully and meet all relevant deadlines set out in the act.

 

Wow... what a nightmare! I've been by berkshire a few times, but never really dealt with them for anything...

First off, their technicians sound completely incompetent. The fact the fault was traced down to a broken wire/short, and yet they jumped at ECU replacement and more, suggests they have amateurs working back there...

They most definitely owe you the $500 ECU you had paid for. Your brake pads and rotors are missing too, and I wouldn't let that one slide either.

They deliver a car with a broken leaper too? A trunk a mess... sounds like, quite frankly, they didn't give much of a ****, but were more than happy to bill you $3,600... my god...

I would be embarrassed to even charge a customer after such an ordeal, because it reflects highly on their lack of competence in troubleshooting vehicles they claim to specialize in.

Right from the beginning of your description of the issue in the S-type section, I suspected broken/damaged wiring. Not sure what sort of tech just jumps at swapping ECU's around... AMATEURS!!!

 

Just like you Dave I have also have had a bad experienced with them. Would never visit them again.

 

Dave - I feel for you man. The leaper in my car is very important to me. I'd be starting an all out war if this had happened with me. Of course your course of action is less painful. You are a bigger man than I am. I hope you get to fix your car to it's former glory.

Thanks for the heads up. Never going to this shop.

 

I actually fixed the ;eaper myself the next day, I found some wire that fit thru the hole on the bottom of it perfectly, wired it down and then used some high strength epoxy glue...worked perfectly, now if I can figure out how to get my a/c working I will be happy, it blows warm air on the right and cool air only in idle on the left, just a crazy experience


thanks all for the many replies, I wish I had the time and ***** to pursue it further

 

all it takes is two letters.

one to the shop containing the details of the problems and a demand for remediation according to the provisions of the act. make sure to mention the act in such a way as to show that you are cognizant of the act.

if no resolution is forthcoming, copy that letter and a cover letter. send both to the ministry.

use registered service for both.

 

Berkshire, like it or not, is an important Jaguar specialist in the region. We don't have that many alternatives. I'd rather see them shape up than ship out. Maybe the forum could help by sending them a friendly letter pointing out some general concerns of some members...implying poor business = quick and widespread poor reputation.

What does everyone [Moderators] think? Can we have a letter on forum letterhead introducing ourselves and referring to such feedback?

 

Far better for the OP to pursue conventional methods to start with. No harm letting the dealer know that they're getting some bad press here either, and that they'd be welcome to join up and contribute whatever info they believe is relevant.

 

I'll tell you, at the end of the day, when you send a customer home with a $3,600 repair bill, you need to go the extra mile to make sure they're satisfied.

You're trying to tell me, with the $3,600 of my hard earned money on your books, you couldn't have taken the time to have one of your minimum-wage staff, tidy my trunk, and make the car look presentable prior to pick up? There wasn't $100 in that budget to fix the leaper YOU broke???

Are the Berkshire staff/service managers, so far out of touch with reality, that they don't realize what a $3,600 bill must look and feel like from a customers perspective? Something as simple as "hey we steam cleaned your trunk" , or, "we threw in a free leaper repair" goes a long, long way, in smoothing over things with a customer who just spent four-thousand bucks with you!


I'm not even going to go into how majority of the $3,600 billed was all LABOUR; I wonder, who was the tech assigned to perform the work? Was he taking a **** on the job, and you passed the cost of HIS INCOMPETENCE onto the customer???

If you're billing me $150/h shop rate (to tackle a tricky problem), I want your TOP TECHNICIAN on the job, to merit the rate, and get it turned around within a reasonable amount of time.


Sorry, but $3,600 billed AND you have the audacity to send me home with a broken leaper, just speaks volumes of how much you value the customer!!!

 

not mention missing front rotors and pads, a/c not working, and I had to bring another str to that shop to get the job done


the tech was Ravi, who is their top guy, he was the one who suggested I get my leaper fixed elsewhere cause it would cost too much there...WTF


GT42R sums up my how I felt exactly; and gets it, they showed zero accountability


one tidbit I forgot was the car was sent to Berkshire by supreme auto group in ajax and were acting on my behalf, I got involved after Berkshire having it for 3 month, supreme were pissed that they were not told what the final cost would be and I never was until it was ready, supreme expected to be informed as I was their customer, they were also shocked at the cost snd the outcome, the mechanic who originally looked at the car at supreme also checked my a/c and said it is not the compressor and it is fully charged


I would welcome Berkshires response to this thread, but not holding my breath


I also think it is probably only fair they be made aware of this and have ample opportunity to reply if they choose

 

wow just read the consumer protection act regarding automotive repairs, very interesting and I am now compelled to pursue this a little further, I never signed a thing, the car was sent to Berkshire by my original mechanic and they were not kept in the loop, this may get interesting ;-)

 

Yes, because since the car was sent to Berkshire by Supreme, it is now what is known in the trade as a sublet.

However, Supreme is also an additional "witness" if needed. Especially in the procedures where the Ministry calls for independent opinions.

 

Why?

If you want remediation, you'll have to put in the work. Hashing it out on a forum isn't going to put money in your pocket any time soon.

 

What's so special about Berkshire?