(not to use the proper wording!)

So,.....the driver's door on my VDP started to develop an issue. Not a big deal, but it was bothering me. The inner door handle, would not retract into its "shell" all the way, when released. The door still operated fine, but that handle not being flush, was seriously interacting with my OCD.

So I decided to take the door apart, to see what's going on, and what (if any) needs to be replaced. I found out that the cable was frayed at the door lock end, and was holding on 4-5 strands, and the other strands were loose, and interfering with the rearward movement of the cable, hence,...the door handle would not fully retract. Simple enough. Just replace the cable, right?

The call to TWO dealerships revealed that the cable is NOT sold separetely from the inner door handle!! WHAT? WTF? (and the rest I said, I'll leave to your imagination). The cable IS NOT a part of the "unit". There is a cable, and there is a door handle,.....no reason why this should be ONE PART. Right?

Well,....dealers want to sell the cable and the handle together, and one quoted $256, and the other $230!! So I called my buddies at the junk yard,......sure they have them, and the price is $75! For the stinking cable!!? Nope,....they sell it as a "unit" too, just like the dealers!!

I was LIVID. I don't mind getting screwed, but I NEED to be kissed first!

So,.....a trip to the local bicycle shop, purchased a lenght of cable, fished it through, bolted two ends at the right spots (also available at the bike shop, for the cyclists on the go, that need to repair their brake cables, and such on the side of the road). Total cost: $11.-

Thank you Coventry for being GREEDY, and by such actions you are pushing MANY prospective Jag owners away. No wonder your reputation sucks.

These cars are engineered to minimize the posibility of DIY, but that's not enough? You need to "bundle" the parts together into "units"?! What a crock.

I've got news for you,.....all motorcycles, bicycles, airplanes, boats, and COUNTLESS other vehicles use these cables, and NOBODY is trying to sell the brake lever (example) with the cable, but YOU.

I love my VDP. I will keep it for the rest of my life, so maybe in your twisted "business plan" I am not a customer you want. I understand that. I will never buy a new car from you, and I will do whatever it takes to fix this one WITHOUT going to your "dealer network". So I KNOW you don't care about me. But by maximizing the profits on the "back end" (ripping people off on parts and labor through your "network"), you are driving away THOUSANDS of people that would buy these gorgeous cars, if you didn't develop the reputation of having the product that is "expensive/nightmare/rediculous, etc." to maintain.

Think about it Coventry.

Sorry about the rant forum.

Over and out.

 

I feel your pain!

I needed fuel injector seals (not the o-rings, but the seals) -- the dealer only sells the seal WITH the injectors for about $200 each (times 8!!!). I found an ebay source for the seals, o-rings, filters for around $35 -- for all 8! I also found a source for rebuilt injectors for around $35 each.

Luckily, the "old" seals worked fine, so I didn't need to "try" them out, but I got the ebay set just in case!

Just another example of screwing the DIYer!

 

It's like Margaret Thatcher used to say "if you need to ask the price you can't afford it" With my latest Jag I saw it in the dealership, liked the colour and bought it.

It really didn't matter if it was £70,000 or £100,000, it really spoils the whole experience of buying something if you have to worry about how much it costs.

Part of the pleasure of owning an expensive British car is being able to boast at cocktail parties how you have just paid $256 for a door handle or how your last Service cost $6000.

If you can't afford an expensive car you should buy a Reliant Robin.

Sorry only winding you up, I am always first in the queue for a good deal, and just because you have a Jag you shouldn't have to pay through the nose for it!

 

Jag u are dat we don't need winding up!

 

You got ripped

The bike shop down the street *gave* me a new cable when I asked the mechanical department if they had a used one lying around. I use it as a dipstick for the transmission.

 

I think that is one reason that Jags tend to have a bad reputation. One trip to the dealer will leave a bad taste in your mouth for a long time (and a debt on your credit card). That is one reason why these forums are so valuable. It is possible to maintain these cars at a reasonable cost. It just takes some research and DIY, but it can be very satisfying when the cat is purring.

 

No, it's not about the money at all. Not to brag, but I am doing well, as a rertired Col. and a business owner. It's about chickenshit "business strategy" that this company has. If I was told in three places that the cable is $250.- with nothing attached to it, I would pay without the problem. I would still probably buy a used one, because I believe that the used car should have a used part, with enough "life" left in it, to match the life expectancy of the rest of the car's components, but the used place wanted to sell me a door handle as well!

Many moons ago, my dad was a diplomat in a communist country. I grew up there with him, and this reminds me on the stuff I saw over there. The shortages of common goods were so severe (because of seriously flawed communist economic "plans"), that they created, what they called, "conditional purchase". Long story short,......if you want to buy the item "X", you have to buy the item "Y" as well, even if you don't need it. Example,.....a kilo of coffee, comes "attached" to the sack of potato.

A door cable comes "attached" to the handle! It does not. It get's attached during the installation, and if they wanted to sell it both together, they should've made it as "one unit", with the cable being the INTEGRAL part of the "assembly". Of course that would be more expensive to produce, but at least the owners out there would not feel like they are being nickled and dimed.

 

Very frustrating, yes.

Not trying to excuse Jaguar, but, on the odd chance it'll make anyone feel a bit better....

The practice of selling parts as an "assembly" has been going on (and gradually getting worse) for decades and every manufacturer is guilty of it to one degree or another. I can well remember having the very same discussions with Chevy customers back in the 80s!

Cheers
DD

 

Not to Justify or defend this practice, but I can see a possible reason for "bundling" parts. A few years ago I had a broken pivot on my 2000 XJ8 door handle, and when I found the price of a replacement, I proceeded to repair it. About 5-6 months later, the cable on the same handle broke, so I then replaced it with new, as I didn't have time to fabricate a repair. Point being, that if you were a purchaser of the car new, or even used for that matter, and you were paying a tech to repair the broken pivot, and 6 months later the "same" thing happened and were charged for a "different" repair, you would probably be upset. Perhaps Jaguar is selling them as a bundle because they are aware of the life expectancy of certain related parts. Just a thought from a former tech.

 

How replacement parts are sold to us generally follows how they were originally purchased by Jaguar [or BMW, Chevy, Honda, whoever).

Jaguar undoubtedly contracts with a company (Valeo or whoever) to manufacture door latches. The original agreement surely called for x-y-z specifications including an already installed cable....making the assembly ready-to-install onto the car on the production line. Convenient for Jaguar, to be sure. For us, not so much!

Whoever makes the latch assemblies must buy the cables from *somebody*. And between Jaguar, the latch supplier, and the cable maker a decision *could* be made to offer the cable alone. For reasons we can speculate about....including simply being greedy...the decision has been made not to.

It's fairly clear, though, that ensuring low cost of repairs/parts is not something Jaguar is concerned about. They've likely done some research which reveals most customers are perfectly willing to pay the price.

A handful of DIYers on hobby forums....which might make up, what? 2% of Jaguar owners?.... grumble and complain and shake our fists in outrage...but that's about it.

Cheers
DD

 

Lol...I feel your pain.

The drivers door on my A6 has dropped a little recently, turns out to be the hinge pin.....not the hinge, the pin.

The part must be supplied as a whole unit ( not just the pin ) needs painting, remove and then reinstall £149

 

LOL Daniel,

At least they didn't try to sell you the 'whole door' because the handle is attached to it!

I've used assorted bike cables over the years as well.

@Jim, I thing that it is either Grant or Doug that uses high tensile bolts instead of hinge pins.

 

Oh, that's a nobrainer! Take it off, and give it to ANY machine shop worth its salt. They'll make you the pin on the spot for a LOT less.