I bought a 2011 XF in December. I needed some work done on the car in January, and without my permission (and thinking maybe I wouldn't notice?), the dealership deactivated my voice activation system. When I discovered it was no longer operational, the dealership said they were instructed by Jaguar to deactivate the voice activation system of certain models with certain VIN numbers. They had no explanation as to why. Worse, they couldn't tell me if Jaguar planned to fix whatever problem lead to them deactivating the system. Has this happened to anyone else? Does anyone know why?

 

So..........
You have a virtually brand-new car, and the dealership won't tell you why they have deactivated the voice command system "on instructions from Jaguar". Clearly the next port-of-call has to be an e-mail or phone call to Jaguar North America to find out what the hell is going on ! Nobody should fiddle with a car owned by a customer, not themselves, without some form of explanation, it is surely illegal first of all.

 

Very strange. I don't think it's illegal but definitely bad customer relations. I'm sure you would be less frustrated if they told you that the system could cause an accident due to a command error you would be more than happy to wait for a fix. I would call Jag of NA and get a more satisfactory answer. The reality is that service varies from dealer to dealer.

 

You have a right to know even if the system is completely useless. Mine has never worked, despite "training" and numerous attempts.

 

I agree there should be an explanation as to why they need to disable it.

 

Step one: Contact Jaguar as instructed above.
Step two: Use another dealer from now on.
Step three: Poor review, if necessary. Yes this can be chilidish.

Do you mind mentioning the dealer name?

 

The dealer is Manhattan Jaguar in Bethesda, Maryland. Not sure it is the dealer's fault, though, as they showed me paperwork from Jaguar saying that XF cars within a certain VIN range shoud have the voice activation disabled -- but with no explanation as to why. Very, very strange.

 

Distressing to hear from Le Chef that his (her's?) voice activation system never worked properly. Anyone else have problems with the voice activation system on the XF?

 

you where identifyed as a driver that doesnt pay attention while driving an on the cell phone, playing with Navigation, radio, voice, etc.... The on board monitors and camera hidden behind the 2 way rear view mirror monitor your driving and what you do while driving. those deemed "distracted drivers" are to have voice disabled upon next service visit, if this continues, navigation is next, then blue tooth, and finally radio. My suggestion is fly right, stay focused on driving and they may reenable your voice command.....
lol, Im just kidding, Thats a new one to me....

 

Does anyone know why my 2009 XF supercharged Jag, have an R on the rear? What does the "R" mean............

 

"race"

 

If it's listed as part of the equipment on the car, don't they have to fix it or the lemon law comes in play?

 

I just got off the phone with the dealership in cleveland, the r stands for bigger brakes and better suspension. The r package was available on the 2009, after that they just make the real r............

 

So it isn't for Ricer then?

 

I think the lemon laws come into play when it is a safety or driveability issue. But I could be wrong. Does anyone know?

 

Well, I have an update on my "voice activation" deactivation issue. I called customer service and explained the situation and the customer service person was incredulous. Two days later she called back with the same gobbly-gook about how some customers were complaining about it and if I too didn't like the way it worked, I could have it de-activated. She then said that since it didn't affec the driveability of the car, they weren't under any obligation to fix it. Seems someone got to her. Anybody else experience this issue?

 

I hope the stereo, heated seats, nav system, etc don't break since they don't effect the driveability of the car. I assume they won't fix them either.

 

You paid for the voice system when you bought the car and, being a 2011 model, I have to presume it's still under warranty...and Jaguar is obligated to repair it. If there is a defect that is not repairable then you're entitled to some sort of reimbursement or adjustment, I'd say.

For the dealer to disable the system without your permission was way out of line, IMHO. Have you asked them to restore it back to operational mode? I would. After all, it appears that defeating the system was supposed to be done *if* the owner requested.

I'm about the least reactionary person in the world but, in this case, I'd be tempted to keep rattling cages until I got some real answers.

I *suspect* a defect has been discovered that might be safety related and Jaguar is stonewalling until they divine a solution and plan of action. Pure speculation on my part, mind you.

All that being said, could you elaborate on the "gobbly gook" you were told? Is is possible that they are trying to give you an answer but not doing a very good job of it? Sometimes the customer assistance people are newbie college hires who know nothing about automobiles and are regurgitating iformation that they themselves really don't understand.

Cheers
DD

 

While broadly the same in concept the important details of lemon laws vary quite a bit from state-to-state. Best to look up the laws for whatever state is in question

Cheers
DD