Hey guys, a while ago I posted on the forum about my X-type that was having idle problems, well what I thought were idle problems. The car was running beautifully, until I took it down to a shopping centre and tried to start it again after shopping and it just cut out. The car would idle low and as soon as i put it in gear it would cut out. I posted on the forum and received helpful advice about the idle air control valve etc. I tried all these things to no avail and eventually took it to a mechanic who told me the alternator was knackered and I had it replaced. This however did not sort out the problem. I then took it to another mechanic/ auto electrician who re-did the alternator again and replaced the battery saying that that was the fault and that the car was running fine again.

Went to collect the car and the same problem was present. However this time there was now a light on the dash showing a gearbox problem. I had a gearbox place diagnose the gearbox etc and they informed me the actual box was fine they think it is the tcm unit.

Had the tcm module replaced, twice, and this had no effect. Anyway, after much frustration and time/money, I decided to take the car down to the professionals. Here in Cape Town, South Africa we have one service centre only for Jaguar/Land Rover/Volvo. So off to Jaguar -Cape Town the car went on the 28th of November and at Jaguar the car still remains. After almost a month of diagnosis, they cannot find the fault and have finally decided to call Jaguar technical in the UK to report the fault and get assistance.

My question is, have any of you guys ever had a problem the agent (Jaguar) could not diagnose and if not what sort of auto place did you take the car to? I am out of options because most places I take the car to will not look at it because they say they cannot get the tools to diagnose these cars. Also, is it normal for them to take this long to diagnose the problem?

Also if anyone has any suggestions on where to look or any contacts at Jaguar UK that I can call to try move the matter up the ranks would be appreciated.

Unfortunately this is my only car and am not in a position to buy another while Jaguar attempts to diagnose/repair the X, so I am in a position that I cant wait months more for something to come of this. Any help or suggestions would be great! Had a friend who bought the XK and was happy with it till it came to service time, he said the experience and service from Jaguar was terrible, after that he decided to sell the car and bought a Mercedes instead. I thought his experience was a once off however after a month of waiting I am no longer that sure about my assumption.

All the best for the Festive Season guys!

 

Ok, so an update, after just over a month waiting, they figured out the problem. The previous owner had put the wrong plugs in. So they replaced them with the right ones and it works a charm (how Jag showed this as a gearbox error I don't know). All in all they took a month charged 2 hours labour to replace the plugs (seems a bit excessive, i tried taking them out and putting them back in and its about a 15min job if im feeling lazy) and some extra labour on top for having diagnosed the problem.

So great, it's back, now however they gave it back with new issues, the foot area lights never go out, i mean if its locked, started up etc they never go out, had to pull the bulbs to stop draining the battery. The front interior lights above the console do not work anymore at all, the passenger light in the middle only has two modes now, always on or always off. They do not turn on when I press unlock on the fob or even open a door.

Took a left corner and heard a crunching sound, the access panel under the wheel arch was now missing a bolt and was folded into my tire...

Had the aircon re-gassed and found a cap off the fuel rail lying in the engine bay...

Went back to Jag to complain about their shoddy service giving me a car back with more problems than it had and the dealer principle and workshop manager were argumentative "we didnt touch that" etc. The then proceeded to fold their arms and ask me why i thought their service was poor. After saying they should not argue with a customer who has waited a month for a spark plug problem to be diagnosed (as spark is a fundamental element in the car running one would have thought this would be checked initially) he said we are not arguing we are "Debating"?????? What has gone wrong with this company? Do I now need to "debate" with the agents about whether they caused the problem as the car was in their possesion at the time. When I said they will fix it, it is not my problem, they then said ok but at least the car is running so they can book me an appointment to see what they can do in 3 weeks time.....

I am hugely dissapointed in not the car but the Jaguar Experience. Is this normal with this brand of vehicle? Does Jaguar just have bad service in general in other areas of the world or is it localized to my area?

 

Ok so time for another update.... (it just doesn't get better with Jaguar service does it?)

Car was meant to be collected on the 14th, waited and waited, never got a call in the weeks leading up to the date to confirm, the day before also, no call to confirm from Jaguar. Time rolled on and nothing, eventually decided to call them and they had no recollection of the fact that my vehicle was waiting to be collected... Seriously??? They chose this date etc not me. They were adamant that they could only do it on the 14th and they took my contact details, work address etc.

So spoke to the lady at the desk who had no idea, spoke to the Dealer principle who appeared to be as clueless as the lady. He asked for my contact details (which he was already given) and said he would "find out" about this matter. The lady eventually called and asked for all my details again and to find out what was wrong with the vehicle...

One would assume that after receiving such terrible service that this would be top of their agenda, and they would have some form of idea as to what I was talking about. But with Jaguar it seems nothing should be assumed when it comes to their service and common decency. Anyway they collected the car on the 15th when they finally sorted their stuff out. Now it remains to be seen what they fix and what they break again.

Will update when I get more confirmation on what they are doing.

Have a great weekend all!

 

Ok so the saga continues..

Had a call back from Jaguar, they are not accepting responsibility for the lights as they say they did not touch them, I asked if this was the case please show me video proof etc that Nothing electrical was touched on my vehicle, even though the first bill I paid stated that they had checked all the earthing etc (which im pretty sure has to do with the electrics unless jaguar is using some very advanced technology) & (although they were working fine when the car was handed to them and they somehow miraculously broke under their supervision). They are bringing the vehicle back today and I can book it in for diagnostics and they will quote me on fixing them... sounds like a scam lol. I would have assumed being the "highly qualified specialists" as the brochure said that they would have at the very least told me about the problem when the car was handed back to me the first time, but either they don't care, don't know, or don't want to take responsibility which is my best guess.

Anyway asked to speak to Warren Ellis, who is their dealer principle and he is in a convenient meeting so cannot be called at this moment.

Spoke to Jaguar Customer relationship department in the UK who will liaise with the South African department and have opened a case and will investigate.

Soooo I am left waiting and even more aggravated with Jag SA again... Will the cycle of bad service ever stop?

Tune in again next week when I try and get some updates and answers from them.

 

Ok, well got the car back the same as I gave it to them yesterday. Not a huge problem or anything but they couldn't even be bothered to clip the front dome light housing back in properly so the one side was "hanging" loose and away from the roof liner.

Will be speaking to Steve Atkinson who is the Franchise Manager and member of the Executive Committee as soon as possible and hopefully I will then get some solutions to this problem.

As always, will update when I know more.

Have an awesome weekend

"Service and customer support are far more important than price in driving vehicles sales, says Steve Atkinson, Franchise Director of Combined Motor Holdings (CMH)."

"Our experience is different. Price is an important consideration and ensures that a customer makes the first contact, but after that sales support and service become the key purchase drivers"

Both quotes from Steve Atkinson the Franchise Manager and member of the executive committee, so let's see if Jaguar lives up to his standards.

 

This is a sad story that speaks of a complete lack of pride in their work on the part of the "technicians" and the service staff - I can assure you that it is not a universal Jaguar tale because my dealer here in Canada provides excellent service in every way. That doesn't help you, though. Surely in Cape Town there must be independent shops that will service your Jaguar properly - there is nothing particularly odd or difficult about the X-Type.

 

Hi Sov211 thanks for the reply. I completely agree with your statements regarding the lack of pride in their work. It is unfortunate as this leaves a sour taste in the mouth of clients who would have invested in their company by purchasing from them in the future. I was always impressed by what I saw online about the company (although looking back I never really investigated Jaguar in Cape Town) I just assumed that their excellent reputation would be no different here.

I struggled to find anybody here who would work on the car. When Jaguar gave me the car back they even told me that I was "lucky" they worked on the car as it is not their problem to fix other peoples problems if the car was taken somewhere other than them..

I have emailed them and am hoping to get a response from their higher ups and have the issues fixed as currently the car is just bouncing back and forth between myself and them without anything actually being done to fix the problem.

 

So, I am not the only one here in Cape Town having problems, here are two examples of other woes at the same dealership/agent.

"June 2013
Quoted price for Trade-In, the next day the price changes by R50,000, end up paying R12,500 more than the quoted price the day before.

April 2014.
Service light indicates 1st Service is due. Book Jaguar XF 3.0D in for 1st service & arrange courtesy car. Earliest courtesy car available is 1 months' time. Car booked for May 23rd. 2014. On May 23rd Informed that I have exceeded 1 month grace period from time service light comes on and actual service and that I have to pay for a 132 point check to ensure that the warranty is not invalidated. Car returned without centralising steering wheel.

Collect car, has a strange scraping sound when turning right. Booked again to have this rectified and the steering wheel centralised and a courtesy car is arranged.

When delivering car for the repairs no courtesy available. Eventually I am given the dealer principals car, and told it must be returned by 15h00. Car returned and steering wheel not centralised. 2 weeks later arrange with Gustave workshop manager to have my car collected to have the steering wheel centralised. My car not collected.

August 08, 2014 write to the holding co. CMH CEO Mr, John McIntosh. No reply"

It's amazing how these things appear to to mimic my experience at the same branch and in the complaints they all name the Dealer Principle as the person responsible.

Here is a second example.

"Never purchase a Jaguar/Landrover, they are completely unreliable and dishonest.

Dont even buckle to the temptation when they bring out a good looking new model.
After owining a Jaguar for 3 years and having it continuously break down, then taking it to the Jaguar/Landrover dealers,
having them repair it only to have the same repair fail every year,
I had to give up and buy another vehicle.
Reported issues to the Jaguar customer care,
they are unprepared to assist or investigate and simply tell me that there are many reasons that a repair can fail
and they wash their hands of the problem. They officially told me that they only investigate once the repair fails 4x.
Over and above these problems that I had to pay for myself, during the previous 2 repairs they damaged my vehicle
(bust a fan belt and burnt out the started motor) which they also refuse to pay for.
All what I say is true and has been reported as CRM8000001302_SAJAH51146BE95774 to them."

While I don't agree with the fact that their vehicles are unreliable, I do agree with their inability to admit their mistakes and rectify them as the report above suggests.

Admittedly, reading the part about the CEO not replying makes me a bit worried about the fact that he doesn't seem to care either...

I did email the Dealer Principle, Warren, on the 23rd of December while my vehicle was in their possession to get an update to how long they would take on it and I never got a reply from him either. Had to call and ask or I would not have gotten a response.

 

Squirrel:
Simply appalling. If all this is true, the Cape Town dealer needs to have its franchise revoked by Jaguar Land Rover - because it is apparently, by its actions and inaction, actually damaging the reputation of the brand.The experience of the owners detailed by you is not the general experience of Jaguar owners elsewhere.
While the ownership of one example of any make might not make a representative sampling, I think I can confidently comment of the quality of Jaguar cars because I have owned many Jaguars (31 in total - it is a disease for which no cure is wanted or needed) of various types (and have 4 at present: two of them being X-Types) , from a 1966 Mark 2 to an XJS, multiple XJ models both XJ6 and V12 versions, an "XJ40", X300, aluminium XJ8 and so on, and now my modern (and gorgeous) XK, - all have been superb automobiles and the modern Jaguars, including the X-Type, virtually trouble-free over years of ownership and use. One example: my wife is a busy person who drives daily an X-Type which we have owned for 12 years, and which is exposed to the elements 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In those 12 years we have made exactly ONE repair: replacement of an oxygen sensor. My own daily: use X-Type Sportwagon: not a single repair. Nothing. The XK? not a single repair. Nothing. The Mark 2 ....a somewhat different story but it is almost 50 years old, and charming. The quality of modern Jaguars is as good or better than that of any marque on the road, German, oriental...
But poor preparation of the car before delivery, poor maintenance and poor repair servicing - not only inadequate servicing but even damaging servicing, can turn a very good car into a chronic nightmare. Dealer honesty and integrity, service expertise and honesty, good customer relations, especially in the premium car market - these things are absolutely essential. There is no place for shoddy dealer service. This all needs to be brought to the attention of Jaguar Land Rover South Africa (or whatever is the umbrella company is called) and if necessary, Jaguar Land Rover itself.
Again, I feel there MUST be an independent and honest shop that can deal with your car.

 

Sorry to hear about your ordeal. Sounds like quote a nightmare. In doing a quick search it looks like there is a Jaguar owners club in Cape Town. You might consider contacting them and see if you could get a recommendation on where to take your car for service. Won't help with your situation now, but could maybe avoid problems down the road.

Good luck and hope you get some satisfaction soon.