RJC, in your first post of this thread, you said that your brake rotors were warped, and that you were sure that was caused by the car sitting for a long period of time at another dealer's lot. Is that what normally happens to brake rotors when a car sits? I'm asking because most people in the Northern half of the country store their cars for the winter. Do they all end up with warped brake rotors? Thanks.

 

We think what happened was the car was washed then put away wet and just sat for several months in the humid hot S Fl air, this causes rust to build up on the rotors and pad contamination that adheres to the rotors causing high spots thus an uneven/warped surface. Jaguar goes to great lengths by wrapping the brakes in plastic to help alleviate this problem for shipping but if the dealership removes the protection the chance of contamination occurs if the aforementioned condition occurs. It's also a good idea after you wash your car to take it for a short spin and use the brakes, also never wash your car when the brakes are hot, as a cold stream of water directly applied to very hot rotors may warp them.

Hope this helps Michael.

 

One more question. How did you know that your rotors were warped? Is that something you saw, or something you felt, or something you heard? In other words, what are the symptoms of warped rotors? Thanks.

 

Steering wheel oscillated/shimmied when applying the brakes above 60 mph then stopped when the brakes were released. You must be sure there are no balance issues which can also cause the steering wheel to shimmy, but if the wheel is smooth with no braking and then starts to shimmy with braking it's either the rotors or a binding caliper but more often rotors .

 

I do that every wash. Drive about 700 yards around the block after drying the car to get the brakes "back" and get any risidual water stuck on the car. I don't have an air compressor at home.

 

Smart thinking.

 

Ordered the new SL today as I was very lucky to find almost the exact options in wanted and I was able to get a dealer to get me one switched from the port to be here before the end of May!!!

The car is as follows:
2013 SL550
Twin turbo V8
7 speed wet clutch trans
430hp 516 lb ft of torque
Iridium Silver Metallic
Black Premium Leather
Black Ash Wood
P1 Pkg which includes active ventilated and massage seating, keyless go, airscarf etc
Analog dash clock
Lane departure warning
Drivers assitance pkg includes distronic cruise control, active blind spot and lane (didn't care about this option pkg but it's was there)
Appearance pkg (AMG)

The only other option I really wanted was the magic sky electro tint to the pano roof but at least the pano roof is standard now. The car lists for gulp $118 and they are primarily going for MSRP.

I'll keep you guys updated; we are very excited and hope this car will be a good one!

 

Can't wait to see pictures and read your impressions! I guess you like silver and black.

 

Yeah, it's kinda hard to negotiate price when you are ordering a car as opposed to buying one off the lot.

In any case, congratulations on your new ride. Can't wait to see the pics.

Mike

 

As said before THEY ARE NOT YOUR FRIENDS. Since you are no longer a customer of their's they are washing their hands of you. They did a bang up job making you think they were though from your postings. Hopefully that was a lesson learned.

Best of luck with the SL. Hope it is everything you dream it to be. They are indeed nice cars. More common than the XK but beautiful none the less.

 

Thanks gents.

Yes silver/black are my favorite combo but for the SL I really wanted the silver/berry with piano black wood and black deviated carpets, essentially the launch edition combo but I couldn't get one unti Sept. The launch car also has a special silver metallic paint.

Went to the dearship today to drop off the loaner and sign the lease termination paperwork but the GM was out and there were blank sections in the paperwork which I asked to be filled out completely before I sign and they will email it tomorrow a.m.

I also asked the SD if there was anyway I could keep the loaner till the 23rd and he said he would try to see if the GM would reconsider. I also ran into the shop foreman who is a great guy; he told me it appears the left cylinder head is the issue due to valve guides or cylinder issues; this is the second or third 5.0R ive read about with the exact same issue, all late 11's and my very early 12.

I saw my car and it's was not in pieces but they are still awaiting instructions from across the pond, the car will either get a new cylinder head or a replacement engine. When I saw the car sitting there it kinda broke my heart...she's such a beauty.

I went to see my local MB dealership trying to see if my salesperson Dave could get me the same car i found myself but unfortunately he couldnt, I really like this guy as ICE will attest to he's a real sweetheart. I had a feeling he probably wouldn't be able to get the car so I brought him a very special bottle of private reserve wine from a private vintner that is one of my clients and he was so grateful. The SL looked great except the front was kinda funky but in the flesh looked better than pics. The side and rear angles are quite nice and IMO the car looked better than an SLS it was parked by. The interior is simply gorgeous as are the AMG 19" rims, yes 19's no 20's as 18's are standard and look far too small. The seats are extremely comfy and the cabin has been widened so it's very roomy. The car looks great with the pano hard top up too. I did not drive the car but will before I take delivery from the other dealership.

The lease deals are terrible on these as there's no factory incentives so leasing is out. The car should be in the port of Atlanta around the 17th and here within a week of that.

I hope Alpine reconsiders about the loaner...we'll see tomorrow.

 

Guess what came in the mail today??? The JD Power survey for my Jaguar!!!
This is an 8 page very comprehensive questionnaire. I graded my car very fairly and gave it Good marks where it deserved them and Bad marks where it deserved those.

I also received an email from Jaguar USA today asking about feedback on my car which is to go directly to Jaguar engineers; anyone else get this? Very weird both of these things arrive on the same day?

Here's an excerpt from the Jag email:

Dear*ROBERT xxxxxxxx

Jaguar is passionate about providing vehicles that combine sensuous style with dramatic performance and is committed to producing vehicles which meet the very highest standards of quality & customer satisfaction.**

To ensure that our engineers deliver on this and meet the expectations of Jaguar owners, we invite you to participate in our online quality survey regarding your Jaguar XK. Your feedback will be received by our engineers directly.

 

Got my jd power survey today as well! Thankfully, no problems so far. My only gripe is 12 mpg and a small gas tank. However, the 550 hp/505 tq, amazing exhaust, and killer looks makes up for it!

 

I just completed the Jaguar questionnaire I referenced above, wow they asked lots of questions and I gave them a list of many of my problems especially the engine misfire which may require a new cylinder head or replacement engine that triggered NO check engine light! I also told them a high perf car like this with no temp or oil pressure gauge is ludicrous. Gave them kudos where deserved like styling, comfort etc

 

I was only getting 12 mpgs with very consv driving... I think my poor mpgs is due to the engine problem. Glad your car is doing well.

 

Those functions should display via NAV screen like GTR would be awesome. I too would like to see more gauges. I loved having a ton gauges in my GTV6 Alfa, reminded me of plane or race car.

 

Yes for sure. I believe xk8's have a nice display of oil, water, battery etc, don't know why they would have removed them other than to cut more costs.

 

RJC:

Never Mind....didn't realize this went on for so many pages....

For your now future reference:

Florida Lemon Law Consumer Guide

Use it.

Have your lawyer call them, works like a charm but from what you describe I doubt this car is ever going to get squared away and you need to get your money back and move on.

I made the mistake once of letting my Mercedes Dealer off the hook on a car that was clearly a lemon that was never right and regretted it ever after.

good luck and enjoy the new toy.

jj

 

RJC,

Didn't they fix everything promptly, with the stumbing issue originally not thought to be a defect?

I don't recall you describing anything that would even remotely meet the Lemon Law criteria of..."If the vehicle has been back to the service agent for repair of the same recurring problem at least three times, the consumer gives written notification by certified, registered or express mail, to the manufacturer (not the dealer) to afford a final opportunity to repair the vehicle."

Bruce

 

Bruce if the car is out of service for a total of 30 days or more then it meets lemon law criteria in FL; my car as of today and including other visits has been out of service for 22 days and by the time they figure out the problem will be another 7 days plus getting the engine/parts and installation will be another week to 10 days. Jaguar knows the car would have been out of service for at least 39 days meeting the lemon law criteria easily.