Well, Jaguar Sudbury failed again...

When I spoke to the service writer, I told him "make sure there is no residue from the previous tire weights when you re-balance the wheel." He said he'd make sure of that and wanted this visit to be better than my last visit which was a disaster... I go the dealership, my car is sitting out front. I look down at the wheel and there's a big white strip on the wheel where the previous weights were. I pointed it out the service writer and he's trying to scrape it off with his finger nail... I was like "come on, please have it removed properly." He has someone take the car back their detail shop and 25 minutes later the car is good or at least I thought.

It was totally pouring on the ride home so I wasn't nitpicking the ride so much, but it did 'nt feel "right". I have the car set to Light Lode and when checking my tire pressure, it was 46 in the rear and 42 in the front. Far cry for 37 all around as specified in the manual. I know they were all at 36 before I dropped the car off...

I made this known on previous tire replacement visits that this is a sticking point with me and they still did it once again. The F'd up on two points; the tape wasn't cleaned from the wheel as asked and they had no regard for what the correct tire pressure should be (again)...

Then the service writer asked me to give him all "10's" for the service on my questionnaire... I waiting for the dealership to open and will speak to him about my service....

To their benefit, they did pick me up at my house.

 

Yes they are not the most attentive or concerned about your needs. They just want to do the job as quickly as possible and get you out of the door. That is the impression I get with their Service Advisors. They never ask thoroughly what I need. They assume you don't know a thing about your car.

I was at the dealership this morning. dropped my car off for 10,000 mile service. I brought my car in first time for 5K service but they literally refused it due to me being there "too early". They said the car has to have at least 10K for them to do a first service.

Anyhow, I got a loaner which I reserved in advance. I saw F-Pace diesel as loaner and asked for that but they said I cannot choose which car I get. I really wanted to test it though... I guess they only give F-Pace loaners to the prospective clients (maybe suburban families or moms with kids?)

I asked for oil change, windshield wiper blade replacement (they said they will have to replace the whole wiper, the blades do not come off), AC filter replacement, fluid check and tire rotation

I should be back tomorrow morning to pick my car up. Lets see how they do the job.

 

I haven't always had troubles with service centers, and I don't want to sound prejudiced against them. But I honestly have seen them slip down in quality, care, and self-image over the years.
If we're talking about a 2016 or 2017 XE, the default wiper won't let you pull the rubber strip out of the housing and swap it. You do have to take off the wiper shell (not the arm that's connected way down under the bonnet--just the wiper shell)
There are models that let you slide out the rubber insert and change it, and I am planning to look for those myself when I want to replace the wipers. I just can't feel happy with service crews doing this stuff for me anymore.

I also don't understand their minds when they turn away an owner who requests "earlier" service, but I have read it happening frequently. Are they not getting paid when you ask for that work? Is Jaguar somehow paying them BETTER if they limit themselves just to the warrantied 10K maintenance?

And mosesbotbot, the part you said where the serviceman asks for perfect-10's after his service,... literally ASKS you for it as if he doesn't feel he has to EARN such a thing first, before feeling entitled to request it. That was hilarious!

 

I think it all comes down to money. Jaguar has 5 year pre-paid maintenance which, as was explained to me, covers oil changes every 12K miles or once a year.

Since I asked them to do service at 5K miles, they refused saying that car did not have 12K miles on it yet. It is a good practice to do first oil change around 4-5K after the initial break-in period for the engine. However, Jaguar does not cover that.

 

It is my understanding that the new engines do not have a break in period, not in the same meaning as the old engines did anyhow. That is what dealers told me for the last 3 or 4 cars when I purchased them..... seen similar info online..... I do, however, get that many drivers still want to take better care of them cars than that...... I myself just could not wait 5k miles on this Jag to push it a bit harder then normal.... It would take me about 6-8 months to put that many miles on it.

 

You could just do an oil change yourself between the manufacturer paid ones if you wanted. Makes sense that dealership has to stick to manufacturer's windows for service. They're paying the bill, not you... Their windows are what you agreed to with warranty. Just as I'd want to flush the brake fluid every other year, but they see it differently.

 

All these posts are correct.
These modern cars don't need the same sort of break-in. I challenged Jaguar's Regional Team on that subject a few times during my break-in.

My questions to them: Shouldn't I change the oil after 3K or so to clean out the metal bits? What oil spec should we follow, now that Castrol ACEA-3 is scarce to find?

Their emailed answers to me: Your vehicle is manufactured with production oil in it, not break-in oil---there will be no metal filings in it unless caused by some other problem.
All cars built after 2015 should follow spec "_______" oil.

I do lean towards letting the service center do the oil change though. There's a domino effect that has taken place PARTLY because of the Auto Start/stop style gadgets added to today's cars.
The Auto stop/start puts more frequent "starts" on some of the components in the engine.
Stuff like that made Jaguar now insist on LOW-friction oil (0W-20) on all their X vehicles younger than 2015.
...And from what I hear, getting 0W-20 oil out of your engine requires the vacuum more and more (simple draining plugs just don't do it anymore).
I'm not sure if all this is accurate, but...... uuugh.

 

I have the Michelin PILOT SPORT A/S 3+ for my winter set and hit a pothole, bent the rim but the tire suffered no damage.

 

They still are not going do an oil change.

I was told that since my car is not 1 year old, they cannot change the oil yet. (even though my instrument panel says that it is due in 100 miles or so)

Will ask if they did tire rotation. BTW what are those wheel weight lines that was mentioned above?

 

The balancing weights could be attached to a rim with one of 2 ways - by thin piece of metal, or glued to a flat surface if a rim. They have to be removed before every rebalance. If they are glued then there is a glue residue on the surface where it was attached to the rim. The wheel looks better without it, but it doesn't affect the speed

 

Exactly. Most places just leave the residue from the previous weights when they are re-balanced instead of cleaning the wheel. Easy way to see if the car has had more than one tire if you look at most wheels. That residue drives me crazy and I make sure to ask any tire place to remove it before mounting the new tire.

The only two places to screw it up for me is the local Aston-Lotus dealer and the local Jaguar dealer. NTB gets it right the first time FWIW.

 

Even better that my car is set to Light Load... It's the first message you see when the car starts. I bitched the last time that they set the pressure to 47/42 despite all the tires being 36 and message on the car for Light Lode. Service manager said the next time they wanted make sure everything was done perfect... This time they failed twice; the tires were set back to 47/42 again and they left the tape residue...

The service writer called me and asked that I do not complete Jaguar's survey as "that is how I am graded..." Well, how did you do this time? It wasn't a difficult service; changing a tire. Tech should be able to figure out easily that the car is set to Light Lode (says it clearly) and all the tires are at the same pressure... You sell 200k+ cars, who'd want to see tape residue on their wheels? That should not have to be a request...

 

It's so funny.
Just before I decided to go and order an XE (a luxury car), I said to myself, go over to the authorized Toyota economy car service center in the Bronx that you used for 2 years, and say goodbye to Lou the serviceman who charged you for 4 new spark plugs when he secretly reused 3 of your old ones.
...Then go over to the authorized service place you used in Queens Plaza and wave goodbye to Frank the serviceman who gave a customer new brake pads but forgot to tighten any of the nuts on his front left tire before letting the owner drive 5 blocks down the street towards the expressway. :O

....Then go say goodbye to Roger at the Green Acres authorized Toyota center who did the 150K service on your corolla with a free 20 point check, but let you drive your car away with absolutely ZERO motor oil in the tank (he forgot to put any in)!!

You're in the LUXURY CLASS automobile professional world, now. (Whew!)

Now, you'll be handing your car over to posh specialists who all wear white overalls like James Bond's gadget team, and they all speak with Swiss, Dutch or British accents with years of precision engineering knowledge, and...and...

and...I take my first left turn into a Jaguar authorized service center to find...
ROGER as the manager,
FRANK waiting to take my key fob,
and LOU scratching his unmentionables with one hand and holding a flashlight with the other. They're all smiling too, because they remember me from, and from... and.

Oh, no. Oh Lord... I've just been snookered. It was a grand trap, and I fell for it all the way.

 

My cousin had a XJ6 in 1980's in Manhattan. Jaguar would pick up and deliver his car with white gloves... So much for that treatment today.

 

Ha! Remember the times when every car at a gas station was greeted with people cleaning the windshield, filling up the tank and checking oil and tire pressure? Times have changed unfortunately...

Not trying to defend anyone, but nowadays many trucks cost more than our luxury vehicles, so price is no longer a factor either.

 

Same issue here a couple of months ago on my XE R-Sport. Popped both LH front and rear tires at the same time on a pothole hiding on a dark wet road. I'd heard before that Pirelli tyres typically have very soft sidewalls.



Pothole damage

The tires had about 2,500 miles on them so I replaced with the same Pirelli's. In hindsight I wish I'd have just scrapped all 4 and gone with Michelin or Bridgestone which I've used for years and never blew out a sidewall. I also usually look for at least a V speed rated tire. Not because I'll use the speed but I figure it's a better, stronger constructed tire. (I'm still perplexed why the most powerful car I've owned came with the lowest rated tires!?)

 

Fireblader, well said. A little sad, but true. Part of the marketing of the XE for "those Yanks in USA" involved getting the MSRP cost down as low at possible (thus making this Jag one of the most "affordable" of our era).

I suspect (just a hunch) that our tires, our leather color/stitching options, and our carpet mats were among the items they "downgraded" in order to control the cost.

AND our windsheild wipers too. This is another rubber product that started losing its cool after only 15 uses. Mine squeak, streak a bit, and leave rubber **** on my nice super clean windscreen.

...But at least the cost-cutting was arguably on areas we the owner can swap out and re-upgrade on.

And I agree with you completely about Michelins. Definitely the most debris-resistant, citystreet-proof tires I've ever known.

 

The wipers look the same quality as that of my XK or Lotus. Do you wipe the blade edge with wash mitt or sponge when washing the car? That helps.

 

Mosesbotbol, yep I do. The drivers wiper is 22", and "imitates" the modern beam-wiper, but has some clamps distributed along its length that causes several drivers to remark that it's NOT a true beam wiper.
...Near one of the clamps, mine began streaking in the first two weeks of driving. Tried regular sponge cleaning, vinegar on the rubber insert, even sharpening the blade a bit with a wiperblade sander. No improvement.

I have some Bosch wipers earmarked for purchase later in the year, but no rush.
...We all have occasional problems with "our rubbers". Tires or Wipers or whatever...

 

You can also try clay bar on the windshield and see if that makes a difference.