. I had a broken Seat Back Tilt Switch plastic link in the passenger side. Left Side would not return forward already, thought there were 2 problems. Fixed passenger side switch link. Lo and behold, both sides would not return upright. Research brought me here to find I needed to reprogram both seat control units. This is where it gets interesting. Called Local Jag Dealer (Jaguar of Little Rock, AR) and was informed that they did not provide any service on vehicles over 10 years old. I have a 2010 XKR.. Big shock. I was informed of a local independent that did work on older cars. Went to the independent and they reprogrammed both seats and fixed the problem. Took about 45 minutes from the time they pulled my car into the bay until it was brought to the delivery area. 45 minutes actual time, 2 hours book time. $160 per hour, so $320 for an actual 45 minute repair. This is probably $40-50 below the dealer labor rate, but this is a discussion for another time.. I'm sorry for the long answer, but this brings up a real problem for those of us that have older cars. The mechanical work on the car.is not a problem. I have had most Jags back to XK120 and forward so I understand Jag mechanics and I have a fully equipped repair shop. On all of the other cars I work on, I have access to the software via readily available tools. Our normal projects are centered around LS type engines into various platforms'. The killer problem for me is the total lack of any reasonable access to Jaguar software tools. Since the dealers no longer support the vehicles, we, as a community of Jaguar owners are being backed into a corner which can make our vehicles totally worthless. If I have the tools, I can fix the cars, but imagine having to work on your classic car without any socket wrenches. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

I guess buying the 3~4k auto logic might be a consideration if one was planning on working on and keeping their jag for the long haul.
wj

 

@BobinHSV

The seat issue is super common as you'll find on these forums, Most US main dealers won't work on cars older than 5 years, some will go as far as 10 years or exclude certain models from service, even recent ones - they no longer have experienced technicians who've been trained to work on any more than a handful of current model vehicles.

Which makes these forums invaluable for any JLR owner. As mentioned there's plenty of diagnostics tools available as well as the genuine JLR diganostics which'll keep our vehicles serviceable at least for 10-20 years past their in service dates so don't fret, you're in good company.

 

I would imagine a lot of independent shops have Auto logic, can it do most of what SDD can?

 

My Autel AP200 dongle, with the JLR download, cost about $60 and among many other things, will reset/reprogram the seat stops. Seriously, cheapest and best X150 tool there is. Plan B after the AP200, is my SDD release.

Summary video, accompanied by the grating voice narration that shouts at you for awhile...sounds like the "I'm from Brooklyn" guy in a WW2 movie.

.

 

A 2010 xkr… 14 years old. And you expect a dealer supported software solution??
In my business (enterprise security software), we tell you you’re at risk if you are 5 years behind…. And no, there is no support whatsoever for 14 year old software.

Coincidentally, a friend of mine with a 16 year old MB was recently disappointed about the fact that his car could not be dealt with at the dealer…

 

@guy it’s quite disconcerting really if you think about it. The manufacturers are essentially saying after just a few years your $100k+ (in some cases nearly $200k) car’s meant to be sent off to the recyclers and you’re being forced to buy new. Most of the 30+ vehicles I’ve had were leased and I reckon that also applies to many others so in that way obsolescence doesn’t matter really but in some instances you’d like to have the option to either purchase outright and keep for longer than 5 years or even purchase secondhand and that just might soon no longer be an option for some…

 

@jahummer , but we are not just talking 5 years here. Enter the age of electronic managed solutions where historically we had mechanical managed solutions.
And yank and replace vs disassemble, fix, and rebuild.

We will have to agree to disagree. Try running your Windows95 applications on the newest OS and tell me how well it works out for you… Or your early MacOS applications. Or closer to the conversation of our vehicles, your adobe flash enabled applications.

The lack of aftermarket solutions exemplifies that there is just no money it. Thus the cost of longer term maintenance would be extreme… If we roll that into the purchase price, are you willing to spend 3X, 4X more for the very vehicle??

Even one of my classic Rolexes will not be serviced by Rolex…. The examples go on and on.

 

Better than an iCarsoft i930?

 

I've been in engineering and tech for 30-years nearly and so I wasn't disagreeing. I've been in long enough to experience massive changes in hardware and software and it's at the point where the "magic" range of 3-5 years necessitates hardware and software replacements. But this's the corporate cost of doing business. And a Rolex's a luxury item, not a necessity and it doesn't require software to service it.

My point was cars, for many, are a necessity especially in areas where public transport's severely lacking, and the fact some manufacturers appear to turn their back on their clients just doesn't feel right even for mechanical, non-software, service.

 

I do agree that turning their back on service is just not right...
(except a bubble back rolex is just a necessary time keeping device)

There are now 2 dealerships in my town. The newer one is shiny, pretty and lures the younger suv crowd. The other, for people like us.
In the original, I’m always invited into the shop and we discuss mods, handling, etc.
The newer one, not invited in and they are freaked out by anything other than what’s in the manual.

The local Inde shop is excellent; dealing with just JLR products, from the 60s, to new… and the place to go when dealing with a “discontinued” part as they understand the need for a suitable workaround. And they have a machine shop.

But I don’t “blame” the shops for this predicament. Like you perhaps, the current direction from ”on high” I think is short sighted.
And with turnover in the shop, many new techs just don’t have the experience. Nor the guidance.

Thanks for raising the discussion!

 

A business chooses what to sell... if you ask for a banana in a bank, they might call the police. The business you went to chooses to sell maintenance on Jaguars under 10 years old which, I'm sure you'll find, will be your the legal minimum period that a manufacturer is required to support a vehicle after sale in your area. Jaguar or the dealership aren't to blame because there's no blame to place, this is just how the industry works and it has done for yonks... if placing blame makes you feel better then I guess you can blame the legislation, and that's what you should focus on if you want to make a meaningful change. For your car though you could try to find another dealer as policies can vary, or find an independent mechanic which could be a Jag guy or just a good shop that'll work on Euros.. Yes you might have to drive three hours to get to them, but that's on you bro! Toyotas are boring but super easy, Jags are awesome and a PITA 😂

It might be a long time ago, but there absolutely was a time where a socket set was too expensive for the average Joe to buy just to use once or twice a month and only people who used them for work could justify the cost... newer tech just means the barrier to entry is higher, and you can't justify the cost at the moment. If you're in the car scene my advice is to make friends with a fellow tech who has the gear you need and pay them in beer (or something else, I'm not your supervisor) to help you learn to do it yourself... after a few cracks you might buy the tools and add Jags to the list of things you can service, you become the local Jag guy, boom tools have paid for themselves

 

Yes. There is a pedigree that perhaps lures the new owners. This history keeps us historic about.

Having marketing materials that revisit the history, but not following through at the shop is nothing but short sightedness.

(I do hope someone at JLR, in the UK reads this) ;-)

Cheers all!

 

What follow through are you looking for? Should Ford still be making and stocking a complete catalogue of Model T parts? All businesses stop supporting their products at some stage... for vehicles it's about ten years and, if you own a vehicle older than that, parts and service become more difficult to obtain. Try getting a battery for a ten year old mobile phone or laptop, you might get an aftermarket one if it's an extremely popular model but I'd almost bet money you won't find one from the manufacturer 😂😂

This isn't a Jaguar issue and nobody at JLR is going (or is able) to do anything about it, this is just how life works 🤷

 

Just got a call from the JLR dealership regarding my 100K service - they still want to service older than 10 year vehicles - head management (TATA) is the let down.

 

@dangoesfast , This is precisely my point. Cost of maintaining the parts catalogue is far too expensive. But at least take in the car and report on what is needed and providing options for maintenance and repair would be welcomed.

Related, have a walk through at the Dearborn MI Ford museum, and it’s machine shop. 1 word: Wow.
Equally, the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, in the New Forest.
Thank goodness jaguarlandroverclassic.com exists. Unfortunately the offerings are not integrated into the service departments processes.

Cheers!

 

@McJag222 , be sure to support that dealer! Sometimes, if I’m driving by, I stop in to see the folks at the sales debt, service desk and the parts counter just to have a chat and a coffee. It pays back in dividends.