Please avoid this place, trust me, your wallet will thank you. I will tell you my story and then you can see why I hold such a strong negative opinion about this place. I contacted a number of local Jaguar specialists about replacing the 5.3L V12 motor for my 1990 Jaguar XJ12 Vanden Plas because of a blown head gasket, and finally chose to commission the task with Birkshire Automobiles. The staff at this family owned business seemed very professional, and to his credit the owner/manager Sam Sehota has years of experience, and is highly approachable. But I was soon to learn that he is charming, but not trust worthy.

I was quoted approximately $3000 for the job, and ultimately the bill came to $6621.24 . I had no qualms with paying the extra because the vehicle had to pass safety. My invoice had two notes, one stating that the AC condenser and hoses were bad, rear view mirror was not operational, and the second note stated “6 months warranty on engine”. Well I was soon to find out that this warranty was bogus.

The job was performed in winter, so immediately after the new motor (120k km on motor) was put in I stored the car away for winter. When I brought the car out in spring I noticed that I couldn’t drive ten minutes without the Jaguar stalling. I brought the car in to Birkshire Automobiles and was told that a T piece connector was transferring gasoline improperly. I was charged $346.50 for the repair. Sam assured me that the car would not stall again. My wife and I went for a drive and it drove fine. On the way back my car stalled five(5) times, one of which was in the middle of train tracks- you can bet that gave my wife a fright.

So, I brought the car in for servicing again. Sam had my car for two weeks, and he replaced the coils and the ecm, the bill came to $1559.40 . While waiting in the lobby to pick up my car I overheard a mechanic in the back room talking to his colleague about another client, and he said “Ya that guy isn’t going to be coming back so make sure that you hit him with a big bill”. On top of that when I picked up my car it had a negligible amount of fuel in the tank. I literally had to roll into the nearest gas station on fumes. At least the car finally drove! No more stalling, but wait there was now a pinging sound coming from the motor. I was advised by Sam that this was because of carbon build up in the cylinders, and so I was charged $266.68 for an injector flush. But wait, I thought I had a six(6) month warranty for the motor, nope…this wasn’t covered. Wouldn’t it make sense to flush an engine for a customer before putting it in their car, especially if the motor is supposed to hold a warranty? And the best part is that on my drive home the pinging sound was still there, I paid $266.68 but the problem wasn’t resolved.

The very next morning I turned on my car and I got a low coolant light on my dashboard. I put in a full jug of coolant in the motor and then went for a drive with a friend and this happened . My car was eating coolant at the rate of 1 jug per 20 minute drive, and it would also stall at every single stop sign. I sent Sam an email advising him of the situation, and he told me tow the car into his garage again. Keep in mind that I live in Mississauga and his garage is in Thornhill, and by this point I have already towed my car to his garage at least three times. I answered Sam’s email saying that I would only bring the car in if it was going to be repaired at no charge to me because of the warranty, and ordinarily he responds to emails within four hours, but this time he ignored my email for over a week… I then had my friend’s experienced mechanic take a look at the car and he informed me that the motor had a blown head gasket. This is the reason that the car was giving off so much white smoke from the motor and the tail pipes. My friend’s mechanic said that the gasket was leaking from one side of the motor. The coolant was being introduced to the combustion chamber and was not igniting, and this is what was causing the car to stall and give off the smoke.

I called Sam and told him what the mechanic had diagnosed. Sam told me that gaskets are not covered by the warranty because they are not part of the motor themselves, and are prone to go. I asked him how much it would cost to fix, and he said about $5000. So basically I had already spent over $10000 in repairs, was back to square one after driving only 150km, and he wanted another $5000. Please do yourself a favour, and avoid this place!

 

For the reference of others, I guess this is Birkshire Motors in Thornhill Ontario?

Birkshire Motors for Jaguar | Land Rover | Range Rover Sales Service Repairs and Parts in Toronto Ontario Canada

The base of your issue (eliminating the numerous unrelated problems) seems to be paying them to replace your engine with a used equivalent that now appears to have a blown head gasket. They are now apparently denying warranty.

What is your plan of action with Birkshire to resolve this?

 

Yes, Birkshire Motors, Thornhill, Ontario

 

Head gaskets not a part of the motor? Hog wash !!!


But, flushing the injectors is completely different from flushing the motor!!


A warranty is a contract. Did you get a printed copy? You might want to read it to see just what it does warrant and he remedy if any failures take place. I have a rather low personal opinion of them. But, some work just fine.


Was your engine repaired? it seems not. and that another engine was installed. Rebuilt and if so by whom? or merely another used engine...:'
I see that you are in Canada. so, I can't be specific as to remedies..


In CA, repair shops are regulated by the Bureau of Auto Repair. BAR, a part of the Consumer Affairs department of the state government. If you have a similar bureau, that is the place to start.


Here shops are required to give written estimates and not work sans a written authorization. Failure to do so can mean no pay !!


Same for add on's. Favorite place for scams. Kind of like bait and switch!!


Now, CA's Small Claim Court is a great place to resolve things like this. Most are consumer oriented. But, you must have evidence. It is the plaintiff's burden to prove the allegation. An expert is the way to do it. He explains the variance from proper workmanship and the consequences. and, testimony as to the cost to fix the damage.


Good luck


Carl
claim cout

 

That is correct. The motor was replaced by another motor that has a blown head gasket also. I don't think they bothered to run a compression test before installing the new motor. I'm not even sure what my options are, I guess I could pursue this in court but it may not be the effort in regards to time and money to pursue the matter. I want to warn others so that they don't get victimized and scammed out of their money as well.

 

On the original invoice it says "6 Months Warranty On Engine"- sort of a catch all. It doesn't say anything further than that. The engine was not repaired, it was a straight engine swap. I agree that it is hog wash that a gasket is not part of the motor... I have considered small claims court but I'm not sure if it is worth the time and money, I want to make sure that I can warn as many people as I can so that they don't become a victim also.

 

That's all well and good, but knowing the resolution as well as the other side of the story would be much more helpful for all concerned.

Most of the vendor bashing posts get locked for not having the above.

I urge you to stay with this issue and let us know what happens.

 

Well I don't know what else to tell you. I have all the invoices for "repairs", including the original invoice which states there is a six month warranty on the motor. I also have all the email correspondences between myself and Sam (Birkshire's Proprietor).

Sam refuses to replace a defective head gasket at no charge citing that the gasket is not part of a motor... If that isn't a blatant disregard for a warranty claim, I don't know what is. As I mentioned in my first post, the car has been driven only about 150km since the new motor was installed. Unfortunately for me the end will be me putting up the vehicle for sale because I cannot afford to perform any more "repairs".

 

Doesn't seem like the original problem that blew the head gasket was remedied. Could be one of the two thermostats was damaged, a clogged radiator, head warp-age or some un-remedied issue. It should be warranteed and I would sue and recover to cover all or part of you costs. Then perhaps use that money to find another V12 Jag or a replacement engine.


You're in to this car for a considerable amount of money...I've been there and done that. So what now?


Suggesting small claims court not being worth your time...how so... 2 hours to fill out the paper work and maybe a 1/2 a day in court. Unless you have internet mogul money I don't see how it's not worth it because you have a receipt that says "6 month warranty" and you acted in good faith by paying for additional repairs after the fact.


Taking to the internet for warning and revenge.... It doesn't work. I doubt they have many XJ Jaguar V12 customers and at this point don't care if they get another because those engines are hit or miss. There are many newer Jag and Landi's to fill their lifts. There are many thriving businesses with bad Google and yelp reviews. Every business owner knows you cant make every customer happy and the effect of internet reviews is marginal at best.

 

After watching the video....it's smoking in the engine compartment...could be just a leaky hose at this point. Sometimes after a complex major engine job an overlooked untightened hose clamp or torn hose can be missed. So perhaps find another local enthusiast to have a 2nd look.

 

Beating what may be a dead horse:


1. It is referred to as a "new" motor. That would be extremely unlikely. Source?
So, that leaves 'rebuilt" or good used? if rebuilt, by whom? Berkshire, or out sourced.


2. You should not go to any court, Small Claims or not, with no evidence. In this case, an expert in the field. A master mechanic or a mechanical engineer with IC experience. He/she will expect to be paid!! So, it isn't free.


Or, just wash one's hands of it. Sell it with a full disclosure. In the matter of the warranty it is so vague, that one could assign rights under it, whatever they might be!!


Nope, gotta resist. enough on my plate.


Carl

 

As for me, I'd not let it slide. Money and/or principle.


But, to each his own.


Carl

 

JagCad, I am considering taking the car to the local Jaguar dealer so that they can pressure test the system to isolate the source of the coolant leak. If they also arrive at the same conclusion as my friend's mechanic that it is the head gasket...I can pursue further action?

 

if it was me, I would file a lawsuit.

 

Jose:


Small claims is a law suit, bereft f paying lawyers.


But, I agree, don't let them off the hook,.


Carl

 

Did they definitely change the motor? In your other post you were asking how to check. Have you checked the engine number against the original?? If it the same engine, you have them by the b@lls :-)

 

Richard_gib, I haven't checked the engine number yet. I suppose getting a history certificate is one option.

 

Ok, it was an engine swap job, one out, one in.

It is not clear who provided the replacement engine. If it was the shop, they must be forced to honour their warranty. If the engine was provided by JgrV12, I'm not sure the fault is down to the shop.

 

It isn't terribly unusual for used engine warranties to cover 'internally lubricated components' and exclude gaskets of any kind. Not sayin' it's right....but I've seen it many times. If the bearings fail, if the crank breaks, if the con rods fall off....covered. Gaskets....often not covered.

This is the sort of thing that needs to be disclosed, discussed, and agreed to *before* the job begins.

In small claims court the first the thing judge will want to see is a signed repair order. Right after that he'll want to see the ** written warranty **.....which might be incorporated in the text of the repair order. What the written warranty states will be a key element.

It's nothing less than a cryin' shame to have spent so much money for such a poor result.

Good luck,

DD

 

I am very new to this forum so this will be my first reply to a post!

Unfortunately, my comment will not be very comforting post but I feel that I have to warn you, the same as you warn us about this place.

I had an experience with a small claim court (North York) and I was quite 'disgusted' by the experience. it is in no way just a $ 50 and 2 hours work. It starts like that but you have to document your claim. So you have to get estimates and with a car not running, you either pay for the estimates and someone to come or you have to tow your car all over town. a friend estimate or comment does not work. It has to be done by a specialist.
In my case, it was about a car being sold 'certified' but that was not. The car was seen by the MTO who threatened to remove the plates (Yes that bad)....but they would not help me. They suggested to go to small claim but would not testify 'strongly'. The MTO never went back on their own to the garage.

These type of shops are used to go to court. They generally have specialist lawyers...yes real lawyers, crooked ones that have been barred from real law and find work doing this type of things. So they know all the tweaks.
They are mechanic or will send their mechanic so they are 'specialist' with their words. They try to bully you with technical terms. As licensed mechanics, their words have power.
On the reverse, you are not a mechanic so your words mean nothing. You need to get your witness on court, so you need to summon them (more money) or even pay them to attend court.....but on the day of the court, the other party does not show up. So you have to do another court...and this can go on 2 or 3 times because they always have great reasons!
the part that I found the more disgusting is that these lawyers or law professional spend their life there and they know very well all the judges. in my court, the opponent lawyer started by speaking about personal life with the judge...best friends! talk about justice!

now it is not all bad. I did 'kind of won'. the other party was found guilty....I got a bit of cash and they had to fix some items on my car. now that is a joke of course. it is like sending a girl that was raped by her doctor to the same doctor for therapy!
I got a little bit of cash that barely covered all the expenses, and did not cover all the days off needed. The whole experience is also very stressful. They generally threatened to counter sue you so you have to pay their legal fees. Of course you can take a law professional yourself and 80% of what you get goes to him. you have to pay in advance of course.
in my case, they "fixed" the car extremely poorly, as expected, and I was concerned that they would sabotage some other part.

so i just want to warn you that small claim is not an easy task.

In your case, you are in for quite some money so it may be worth spending a bit more ($ 500) but going with light heart, seeing it as a personal experience for yourself, not counting on getting really any money back so you do not have high expectations.

The best would be to start the claim and during the pre-hearing, early in the process, find an agreement. but then of course, you would have to bring the car back to the same shop. Something like suing for $ 5,000, and settling for $ 1,500-$ 2,000 off the head gasket work and a new 3 months warranty...hoping that nothing else major is wrong.

i thank you however for your warning. I have a 1986 XJ 12 and I have purchased parts from Birkshire. I am now warned. the problem is that there is not many Jaguar garage around town.

I wish you the best and hopefully, your experience is nothing like mine.

On a side note, I dont know your mechanical experience but do you really want to own one of the worst built car, known as being extremely poorly reliable and prone to many failure, if you have to bring it to the garage each time? This seems like a money pit.

I may be corrected on this forum but Jaguar are not known for being Toyotas.