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On my 2014 XJL, I noticed a couple of very strange oversights from the factory assembly process, and am surprised that the first owner never dealt with them.
The minor one is that the rubber seal at the top of the trunk (boot) lid on the right side was not trimmed to the correct shape, so it sticks out of the trunk when closed.
The more serious one is that the rigth rear passenger door jamb is missing an important rubber trim section which is meant to cover a metal joint connection, both for cosmetic purposes and to prevent water intrusion.
Sure is strange??
Easy to trim that bit that's too big on the trunk but looking at my 2014 the rear door seal appears to be part of that rear 1/4 window assembly? Not sure but I think that small window will need to be removed to fix/replace that.
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By wathcing the pictures i would say that these are not from factory assebly line. I think somebody have been replaced the rear fender on that vehicle and did not fit the bootseal correctly and totally missed C-pillar seam. Sorry to say, but you vehicle have had some accident repairs in past. (at least who did the job did the right way by chancing panels instead try to re-shape alumium or used filler)
By wathcing the pictures i would say that these are not from factory assebly line. I think somebody have been replaced the rear fender on that vehicle and did not fit the bootseal correctly and totally missed C-pillar seam. Sorry to say, but you vehicle have had some accident repairs in past. (at least who did the job did the right way by chancing panels instead try to re-shape alumium or used filler)
Well it had a perfect CarFax report and one owner nearby from brand new so, I don't see how that's possible. I agree your argument is compelling, however.
Well it had a perfect CarFax report and one owner nearby from brand new so, I don't see how that's possible. I agree your argument is compelling, however.
I quess its possible by the way that somebody who have repaired the damages haven´t reported the damage or fix for anywhere. The level of work also indicates this kind of "dark job". It dosent mean that your car is bad etc, just rush repaired. All missing or poorly added components can be fixed or added. Fix these and enjoy!
I quess its possible by the way that somebody who have repaired the damages haven´t reported the damage or fix for anywhere. The level of work also indicates this kind of "dark job". It dosent mean that your car is bad etc, just rush repaired. All missing or poorly added components can be fixed or added. Fix these and enjoy!
Since the car seems to be in excellent condition I am not that concerned about the repair work, but the problem for me is that I paid top dollar for this car on the premise that it had a clean history, with no major or even minor damage repairs. A replacement quarter panel is considered a major repair, and diminishes the value of the car significantly. Since I bought from a JLR dealership it is likely that they noticed the repair evidence, or perhaps even did the work themselves in order to hide it from CarFax. This constitutes fraud, and entitles me to treble damages under California law. I consider this a very serious matter, and plan to contact the dealership to see what they say about it.
What confuses me too is that in order to hide a repair like this it would need to be self-funded, as insurance companies *always* report these things correctly. This is a pretty expensive repair to be self-funded, why would anyone not make an insurance claim for it?
What confuses me too is that in order to hide a repair like this it would need to be self-funded, as insurance companies *always* report these things correctly. This is a pretty expensive repair to be self-funded, why would anyone not make an insurance claim for it?
If you have a high deductible and a repair shop that can do the work cheaply (e.g. a dealer or someone that has a friend/family hookup), and the ding on the Carfax would cost thousands in diminished value, and you may be cancelled in your insurance or your rates jacked up because it wouldn't be your first claim, then maybe it makes sense.
Since the car seems to be in excellent condition I am not that concerned about the repair work, but the problem for me is that I paid top dollar for this car on the premise that it had a clean history, with no major or even minor damage repairs. A replacement quarter panel is considered a major repair, and diminishes the value of the car significantly. Since I bought from a JLR dealership it is likely that they noticed the repair evidence, or perhaps even did the work themselves in order to hide it from CarFax. This constitutes fraud, and entitles me to treble damages under California law. I consider this a very serious matter, and plan to contact the dealership to see what they say about it.
Sure. Make the claim as soon as possible for the dealer, since more time will past they most likely will claim that the repair have been happened when vehicle have been in your hands. Hopefully you have some pics from the car when it was in their showroom, where the trunk seal peeking upwards can been seen. Be polite and calm and point that they have advertised top tier vehicle and evidence of something else are quite well visible. Like you wrote: its clear fraud and if you have hard evidence that these issues have been in vehicle when it was handed over, you are in very strong position. You can ask them to fix all issues and propably getting some of your money back, since the vehicle have not been what they have advertised. (on our local law this would mean serious crime and cancelation of the deal if wanted)
And yes, like Lotusespritse wrote: The "clean" history can be more worth than the inhouse repair for the dealer. It could be just a small bump in showroom or on employer test/service drive. About clear history of the alumium body vehicle; I would not be so worry, since there are no welding involved like steel bodys. So most of "backyard hero´s" will not take the job, because it need new panels and clue and rivets. (Alumium panel are near impossible to get back its original shape and measurements once bended, unlike steel one)
My understanding of services like Carfax is there is no legal requirement to report anything to them, it's entirely voluntary. More is reported today than was in the past, so the older the car the more likely it is to have something unreported and this car is ten years old. Carfax and similar services are not perfect and should not replace a thorough inspection of the vehicle (I bet you $20 there's something like that sentence in their T&Cs).
I do know that if you go running to the dealer screaming and carrying on about fraud and treble damages based purely on internet speculation then you're probably not going to get very far, and you'll burn that relationship immediately.
Good luck.
Last edited by dangoesfast; Nov 22, 2023 at 02:33 PM.
Today I did further inspection myself and found that the rear passenger triangle window is installed such that the rubber seal is not flush with the C-pillar on the exterior, allowing water intrusion into god-knows-where. It's not getting wet inside the car, so I guess the water is somehow going down into the panels where it doesn't belong. I will talk to the dealership about it next week and maybe take to a bodyshop to have the triangle window correctly installed, and other things inspected. It's such a shame I thought I had lucked out with this "perfect" used car and then the other shoe drops.
My understanding of services like Carfax is there is no legal requirement to report anything to them, it's entirely voluntary. More is reported today than was in the past, so the older the car the more likely it is to have something unreported and this car is ten years old. Carfax and similar services are not perfect and should not replace a thorough inspection of the vehicle (I bet you $20 there's something like that sentence in their T&Cs).
I do know that if you go running to the dealer screaming and carrying on about fraud and treble damages based purely on internet speculation then you're probably not going to get very far, and you'll burn that relationship immediately.
Good luck.
I'm not planning to sue Carfax, they obviously are not held responsible. The issue is that the dealership is responsible, since they undoubtedly would catch things like the missing C-pillar seam cover as a sign of prior repair, they have trained eyes inspecting every car they acquire. With that "should have known" legal standard, they are not allowed to represent the car as pristine based on a clean Carfax report.
I do know that if you go running to the dealer screaming and carrying on about fraud and treble damages based purely on internet speculation then you're probably not going to get very far, and you'll burn that relationship immediately.
I agree. Always think yourself on otherside. Best method on these walk in and polite start with something like this: " i like to speak a bit about the vehicle i purchased from you lately. Been notised something on it what could be quite serious. Is there any place here we could peacefully disscus it?"
By this you get far ahead than running in full "Karen" style. (sorry for all Karens )
... they are not allowed to represent the car as pristine based on a clean Carfax report.
Sure they are. Used cars in America are sold "as is". Some states (Maryland is one) require that licensed car dealers can only sell Safety Inspected vehicles in most instances. A buyer here cannot register and obtain tags without a valid successful inspection.
Outside of this, it is the buyers responsibility to evaluate, offer and complete a transaction satisfactory to him. If you have something in writing attesting to certain features of the car, that would be an exception, as well as exceptional as no used car dealer would ever expose themselves to this risk. Maybe you received a Service Policy with your purchase (please don't use the term "extended warranty"). If you have water intrusion, this may be covered by such an insurance policy.
It is vitally important to have a ten-year-old complex, luxury car inspected by a person familiar with the model and brand of the vehicle before offering to purchase. I've worn off the letters "PPI" on my keyboard typing them so often on this forum.
If you purchased the car "As Is", or with a "Dealer Warranty" that doesn't specifically address the issues you've found, you may be SOL.
The only fradulent aspect that I can think of is if the selling dealer performed or paid for the significant repairs your car seems to have experienced, and failed to disclose them.
Looking at my car, I don't think the missing seal and the misaligned seal are a 100% sign of accident or damage repair to the panels. It's possible something broke in the trunk with the lifting mechanism that caused them to remove that panel for repair. And maybe the other seal went missing somehow in a separate issue, such as the small glass getting broken by a rock or who knows. I would definitely get a good paint thickness meter to see if there is evidence of repaint before approaching the dealer.
Factory trim issues
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as no used car dealer would ever expose themselves to this risk. Maybe you received a Service Policy with your purchase (please don't use the term "extended warranty"). If you have water intrusion, this may be covered by such an insurance policy.
