Hello all,
This is about a month overdue but I'm finally in a position to report on my latest buying experience at Madison Jaguar here in NJ. Now keep in mind, I absolutely love the Jag and looking back at the experience, I'd buy it again.

About a month ago I purchased a 2010 Jaguar XKR with 29K on the clock, pictures to follow. This was a one owner car, purchased from Madison Jaguar (was Morris County Jaguar at the time of purchase) and serviced its whole life there.

Throughout the entire purchase process, trying to get ahold of a sales rep, finance, service department has been extremely poor. Communication is not a strong suit of this dealership. Now I know I'm not purchasing a $90K car but still nearly $40K is nothing to shake a stick at. The first salesmen I spoke with was in person when I first went in to check out the car. He seemed almost put off that I wanted 10 minutes of his time to check out the vehicle. We went on a test drive which ended up being less than a half a mile over very bumpy roads and at the end of it, I felt very rushed. I asked this sales rep to research my trade and give me a fair price and we can move forward quickly. He comes back to me that evening and absolutely throws a insulting offer my way and said due to the condition of my vehicle and some auction mambo jumbo that that's all my trade was worth (2012 fully loaded Sahara in absolute pristine condition). I said no thanks I'll try to sell privately.

Fast forward a day or two, I reached back out to a different salesmen to try my luck. My better half and I drove in so she could have a look at the car, test drive, etc. This salesman was better than the first, tossed us the keys and said have fun, which we liked. We spent a lot of time looking over the car and decided to go for it. We went home and hopped online and went to KBB where we did the Instant Cash offer for our trade (Madison Jag was a participating dealer) I 100% represented my trade correctly, got my instant cash offer, called the second salesmen and he said if the vehicle is represented as I entered online, that they will honor that number and to come on in. We drove in that afternoon, settled on a selling price for the Jag, now here comes the BS, he says he will give me $1,500 less than the instant cash offer that he said he would honor. He pulled out the black book, showed me a lesser model and the value, said my model was not in there (lie #1) and they needed to replace my tires, which I then called him out and told him "no need, it got brand new tires 2500 miles ago." At the end of the day, they didn't honor their instant cash price and we settled on a lesser # and signed some papers. Bad taste in my mouth at this point.

When doing the paper work, we made note that the rear bumper was to be resprayed, a little nickel sized tear in the driver seat was to be fixed, 165 point inspection performed to fix anything, and the car to be fully detailed prior to delivery 3 days later. 3 days came (Monday), he texted it wasn't ready, and to come in Friday and everything would be finished. Skip forward to Friday, I take the day off, drive up, the car is parked in the back of the lot, not detailed but ran through the wash next door, rear bumper not buffed after the recent job, tear still in the seat, interior dirty etc etc. I took the car for a PPI, where the Indy stated that there were numerous faults due to the battery being ORIGINAL and completely dead. Wouldn't they catch and fix this during the dealer inspection??? He said the computer had been reset recently which would probably cover up any previous faults. At the end of the day, we did the deal, got a note promising the dealer would fix the seat and buff the bumper.

Here's where I am at today:
- Cars adaptive headlights had early on fault after replacing the battery and having the computer reset to accnoledge the battery replacement. I think the headlight fault is one thing the dealer was possibly covering by resetting all the faults prior to me coming in but I cannot confirm this.
- After doing some highway time, had noticible vibrations, took the car in to a tire shop and they showed me all 4 wheels bent. Nice catch, dealer, on the inspection.
- Dog whistle behind the dash at low rpms, with the air con on.
- Rough idle at start up in the morning, some slight backfiring it sounds like.
- TPMS sensors always throwing a warning even though the pressures all around are correct.
- went to check the oil readout yesterday and it had a fault and could not read.

There are a couple other minor issues that come up but they are escaping me at the moment. Will update when they come to mind. Either way, all of the issues should have been caught if the dealer truly did do a 165 point inspection. Now I'm not sure if that was ever performed or if the engine oil was ever changed prior to delivery!!! Again, the car was pretty filthy when arriving on delivery day.

The whole experience has been terrible and I'm not to sure if there is anything I can do about the issues above now at this point. Any recourse that you all suggest?

I do love the car but feel like I was lied to during the whole process. It was extremely dissatifying for my better half as well. We're both 29 and this was supposed to be exciting and rewarding for all of our hard work. I've owned two other Jags and even told them that we will probably be purchasing a XE diesel when it comes out for her.

I'll update as more things come to mind but figured I'd vent while on my flight this morning.

Any suggestions on my next step? Do I contact corporate and give them my feedback?

Thanks everyone and pictures to follow!

 

Sorry to hear about this. The 1st thing I would do is make an appointment with the dealership GM to discuss the issues you have described. Bring any documents you have . Don't come on as disgruntles customer but as a concerned consumer. You may also contact your better business bureau and check into any lemon laws. Discuss the issues with the GM and request they resolve them . Other then that there is not to much to do unless you discuss with an attorney. Good luck.

 

From my perspective only.

You had a bad feeling from dealing with the dealership before you even took the car to the independent shop. The Independent shop verified problems and you decided to make the deal anyway and move forward.

You caved in on a lower price on your trade, after your own research and after the verbal trade price from the salesman. Sounds like this may have been an impulse purchase as you liked what you saw, but never fully understood what the real problems with the car had been.

When you saw the Jaguar dirty, sitting in the back of the lot, seat still torn, rear bumper not buffed, and other problems, that was the second bad experience and should have told you something. Gut instinct is a powerful tool to use when you feel something is wrong and then proceed forward over that instinct you know something isn't right.

The independent shop informed you of various problems and you still move forward.

Now, you have multiple problems, don't trust the dealer, and may have created bad blood, and you need someone to resolve the issues. The frustration will most likely grow each day you drive the car, and need to make numerous repairs with the Jaguar out of warranty. Repair costs will escalate the underlying price of the Jaguar.

I don't believe you have any recourse at this point as you have already owned the Jaguar for more than 30 days +.

What did you do to fix the bent wheels? Are you still driving it?

Whether you have worked hard or not to buy the car, the Jaguar dealer could care less. That is a personal feeling only and doesn't have anything to do with the deal you made on the car. We all feel this way and it is natural to experience these emotions.

I would make a list of the problems and confront the ownership of the Madison Jaguar dealership to see if they will resolve the issues. Going to Jaguar NA will probably not get you anywhere, as the car was used, and you agreed to make the purchase. The problems fall squarely on your shoulders to resolve the issues and spend the funds to make the repairs. It is always "Buyer Beware" on used cars.

Sounds like you have multiple problems that will take some time, and money to resolve. I think your best to consult another Jaguar dealer whom you feel comfortable with, trust and have them evaluate the Jaguar you purchased.

The car looks great from the outside and most of the time, buying a car is an impulse purchase, and the looks, feel and the brand overwhelm our own thoughts and people end up making the purchase only to have "buyers remorse" down the road.

Sounds like you financed the vehicle. You are immediately upside down on the deal financially and should find resolve immediately to cut any losses and determine the cost to repair the Jaguar to correct vehicle standards.

I understand the frustration, but now you need to move forward to find a correct resolve and move on. The frustration will only continue and not make driving the car, very fun.

Let us know how you make out and I am sure others will chime in here. Take our comments in a positive fashion.

 

This is why I call these guys crooks. BUT in some fairness to them, if we all took care of our cars and they only had good cars turned in, they would not have to resort to shuffling turds.

Alright- rant over; let me help.

Jag wheels bend easy, they dont have American Potholes in Europe. So even if you had new wheels, in NJ you are bound to bend them. Thus all 4 bent. You can fix them cheap. But you should buy better wheels anyways.

The backfire issue is HUGE- if I were you, or you were me, hang one of these guys by their *********, either the clown that did the inspection or the dealer. This is a deal breaker.

This car is supposed to be pristine at this price and mileage and age.

 

I just saw that you said you were 29.

Take the car back. Be prepared to return it. Unless they throw in one of their extended warranties to cover the nightmare that could arise.

The warranty cost them 25% of what they sell it for. so, a $4k warranty only cost them a grand.

 

I don't think you can just take the car back unless they gave you more than a 30 day warrantee. Even then, it depends on what is covered and what they promised.


What is not clear to me at this point is the status of your various issues. Obviously the wheels need to be repaired/straightened. Many of the issues mentioned seem related to the battery. Have they cleared? I have read a number of discussions here about TPMS problems like yours that were electrical in nature and needed some sort of "reset".


Before you go to the dealer, you need a game plan. You need to know what is wrong and what needs to be done to fix it. That will give you the perspective necessary to negotiate with the dealer. Good luck.

 

Rich pretty much spelled it out well..

Let's break this down -
#1 - you didn't like the salesperson to begin with... rarely are sales people good, no surprise there but glad the second one was better. You're not stuck with one, if one gives you a bad feeling move to another as you did and resolve that issue as you did

#2 - trade-in shock - welcome to trading in a car not represented at that dealership. They will always low ball you to see where you stand there... if you get an offer that is not a low-ball then they are simply wrapping that profit on the trade-in into the purchase price in the new car by means of not negotiating as low as they could or perhaps in the financing but trust me that money is there somehow. They are not there to lose money on trade-ins and the reasons they gave you are irrelevant all that mattered is what the "out the door" price is between the two cars and you're getting caught up on one side of the equation. You had the power to stand your ground. ALWAYS only negotiate the out the door prices of cars never let them talk about anything else that is the most common tactic they use because it works on most people

#3 - you took delivery of the car prior to promised detail and promised bumper repair. You accepted it then now you are complaining about that decision, not sure why you are somehow holding the dealership at fault there. You also had the car checked out but didn't say anything other than "dead battery and fault codes possibly erased" what did they find? - again you had the opportunity to inquire about that and resolve that matter but went ahead anyway. Sounds like you should have waited until the detail issue was resolved to your satisfaction or had them agree to lower the price sufficiently to compensate you for that PRIOR to purchase. The detailing and bumper are hardly a big issue here as you well know or you would have handled that differently. With regard to the fault codes and dead battery - you knew about this, accepted it, now regret making that decision... why do you feel they are at fault there? You had choices and noq regret making the one you did.

Most people feel purchasing a car at a dealership somehow gets them a better car at a better price - this has never been my experience thus precisely why I always chose private party for my used car purchases. You wanted to believe that you'd be taken care of but they are there to maximize profits.

You came to this site asking for advice on what you should do prior to this purchase and most of us were adamant about having this car checked out thoroughly but a qualified indi or competitive dealership, some thought that was "unethical" I was the one who called bull on that mindset... you got the car checked out, they threw a red flag about the battery and codes being erased but you didn't not mention anything more regarding them finding any of the other issues you now claim so either that was conventionally left out in this posting OR your issues should be directed at them not the selling dealership.

Get this car fixed to where it is right otherwise you'll continue to be disappointed having a $30K problem versus one that maybe $2-3K could remedy. Check the laws in your state on used car purchases but most are "buyers beware: and all rights are gone once you've signed the contract and taken possession of the car. Your age, financial state, marital status, etc mean nothing here either legally or to this dealership. You made a number of errors in decision making here and are trying to hold the dealership responsible...

What to do going forward - put a new battery in and then you get figure out what is actually wrong here, until that is done you cannot that also may well resolve many of your issues right off. Get a detailed list of all the REAL issues that exist then sit with the GM to discuss with him why those were not caught without getting emotional... they hold the cards here and realize again that you made the decisions to move forward despite either directly knowing they existed OR that you should have known so you will be relying purely on their good faith to resolve any of this. More than likely you have zero legal recourse here but again check your states laws.

Sadly your decision-making here reflects on the pride of Jaguar ownership that we all would like to see you/everyone have. It's not the car, it's not the manufacturer either. This is an education for you and hopefully others who may read this... in the end it will probably costs you a couple grand to resolve these issues then you can wind up with a great toy for the summer weather coming up! Good luck keep us/others posted on what happens

 

Rob the only thing that worries me is the backfire/rough start. Thats a big deal on this motor.

That could be timing chain, phasers, carbon buildup.

You are right that sourcing the earth may not be the best first strategy. May be he needs to befriend the service manager at that dealership and ask him to go through the engine to see why that is happening.

If there is no recourse whatsoever, I would run 2 bottles of thecron through the engine and see if its fuel injector related. Change the oil after you do that. You must use Jaguar oil, there is no exception.

 

I agree with all said here, there were plenty of signs that this car should be a pass. I don't always agree that dealer's are crooks, there are usually issues with a car that won't show up until you have it in frequent use. I am hearing one side of the story so reserve judgement on the dealer.

With that said, you have protections in NJ, your car should be covered by a 60 day, 2000 mile warranty. It is outlined in the document below. I would put the car in for repair under the warranty on the engine at least, looks like the rims would not be covered.

http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/New...f-Brochure.pdf

As stated in the PDF, your covered items are...

The written warranty requires the dealer to repair a covered item upon failure or malfunction. Covered items are limited to:

Engine - All internal lubricated parts, timing chains, gears and cover, timing belt, pulleys and cover, oil pump and gears, water pump, valve covers, oil pan, manifolds, flywheel, harmonic balancer, engine mounts, seals and gaskets, and turbo-charger housing. (Housing, engine block and cylinder heads are covered items only if they are damaged by the failure of an internal lubricated part.)

Transmission Automatic/Transfer Case - All internal lubricated parts, torque converter, vacuum modulator, transmission mounts, seals and gaskets.

Transmission Manual/Transfer Case - All internal lubricated parts, transmission mounts, seals and gaskets, excluding a manual clutch, pressure plate, throw-out bearings, clutch master or slave cylinders.

Front-Wheel Drive - All internal lubricated parts, axle shafts, constant velocity joints, front hub bearings, seals and gaskets. Rear-Wheel Drive - All internal lubricated parts, propeller shafts, supports and U-joints, axle shafts and bearings, seals and gaskets.

 

You kind of dug yourself into this one. That being said, sugar will go further than salt in making a deal happen. All they can suffer at this point is loss of reputation and a maybe some money. They are holding the cards. I would expect more from a Jaguar dealer, but I have to say my dealings have been from poor to amazing depending where I went.

I don't think any dealership does a real 100+ inspection and fixes every failing item. They do a 5 cent inspection on the lift at best; the same as any indy would if the car was up on the lift.

Throttle body could use cleaning.

Sharp looking car.

 

He categorically did everything right. Stepped up to the plate as a young man, differed judgement to those qualified, came here and purchased from a marquee dealer. And now bringing up issues immediately during the honeymoon! Jaguar should not be a privilege exclusive to those who have been on the planet long enough to to know all the ins and outs.

The alternative to his decision is the one every lame kid makes which is to go with a honda or toyota.

 

Q & C;


I'm wondering if he thinks the pops and growls of the exhaust are "backfires". I would have thought his PPI person would have addressed a "backfire" problem. Of course that inspection did not identify bent wheels.


This is why I suggest he get a clear and specific understanding of exactly what is wrong before marching on the dealership. It makes a negotiation go better when you know just what you need and don't seem to be making ridiculous claims.

 

You have a very good point. Two actually. He needs to ask his PPI guy what that is.

One thing about the timing chain is that it has a hydraulic tensioner, which with enough oil pressure and well lubricated chain will show no symptoms of chain slack. It will only do so when the engine is cold and majority of lubrication off the chain and out of the cam phasers.

 

He categorically did everything right. Again this is where you and I differ completely in opinion. You are stating that despite the codes supposedly being erased and who knows what else he was told from the PPI done that he did the right thing and committed to the purchase now he is justifiably point fingers at the dealership huh? He should not bear the burden of his decision rather the dealership has a legal. moral, and ethical obligation to take care of all the issues he now claims? From what little we've been told, and completely one-sided story thus far, he had this car checked out and is now trying to make claims things are not right and the selling dealership ought to bear responsibility... you think that is "categorically right" huh?

Stepped up to the plate as a young man, differed judgement to those qualified, came here Yeah and we told him to think logically, not emotionally and proceed with a PPI then an educated decision can be made. He was fore-warned in the PPI but he CHOSE to go ahead... again does that fall squarely into your "did everything right? Just checking

and purchased from a marquee dealer. A "marquee dealer", and what is their motivation here? How does that make any difference? This dealer did what the majority will do the only areas I see fault with them is perhaps the initial salesperson falling short on the buyers expectation (subjective) and that they did not have the car properly readied. This concept of buying from a dealership is a complete myth propagated by dealers and sales people for the sole purpose of inflating profits no different than casinos teaching patrons how to play blackjack... so many people do it it becomes accepted. Dealerships are there for maximizing profits... you state "marquee" just like a woman who insists on only Tiffany diamonds - you get the same quality at a FAR lesser price elsewhere but the mentality of spending more somehow makes the item better I guess. He was given a set of facts along with many unknowns, he chose to act emotionally not based upon the facts given now he has buyers remorse... once again you and I differ.

And now bringing up issues immediately during the honeymoon! no clue what you are trying to say here aside from this should be the time of enjoyment but again he made his bed here based on his decision-making now has buyers remorse

Jaguar should not be a privilege exclusive to those who have been on the planet long enough to to know all the ins and outs. as per most here they LOVE the exclusivity so you are going to counter to what you and others seem to say. You want to have something rare and special but everyone should have one huh? You sound just like a woman saying "I want to be different, just like everyone else"

The alternative to his decision is the one every lame kid makes which is to go with a honda or toyota. you say that as though purchasing brands that are well known to be exceptional in quality and resale is somehow "bad". Based on what is written here we know nothing about this kids financial situation so who knows if a $30K car makes any sense but I'd be hard-pressed to see how buying one is "better" than a car that is far less expensive and probably far more reliable (I now own and have always kept a Honda in my stable as my daily driver)

So again you think he did everything categorically correct? He asked a few pre-purchased questions which we offered advice. He chose to ignore things which did not support his emotional decision now is faced with the results and you say that he did everything right... we differ here. I sincerely hope he gets it all ironed out and winds up with a solid car, probably will find that a lot of his issues are simply the bad battery and exhaust system popping so in the end it'll be a very cheap lesson versus an expensive one either way there is a lot to learn here and most all could have been easily avoided.

 

Leeper, we usually dont disagree on principal.

Honeymoon is laconic for- a brief period of time when one turn a blind eye. 90% of the world's problems can be solved if people only wake up during this return period. He did.

He did have an inspection. He did not buy from a 'buy here pay here lot. He did not buy something safe and mundane with his $40k.

(Jaguar should not be a privilege exclusive to those who have been on the planet long enough to to know all the ins and outs. as per most here they LOVE the exclusivity so you are going to counter to what you and others seem to say. You want to have something rare and special but everyone should have one huh? You sound just like a woman saying "I want to be different, just like everyone else")

Dont act like you dont understand what I am saying. Something rare and exclusive, need not be rare and exclusive only to those who have buying smarts- thats how you end up with old farts cars. A Jaguar is exclusive to those who have taste and not exclusive to those who have mechanical/dealership skills. That's coming from someone who has both.

 

I go to Madison Jaguar and I do like their service. Sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience. I suggest that you go back and see what it will take to get the car fixed. It is a great car and maybe it won't take that much to get it sorted out. Also put in a bottle of Techron fuel cleaner along with a fresh tank of premium fuel and drive it on the highway. See if that clears up the morning rough start. You might have a some stale gasoline in the tank.

 

most problems can be foreseen and eliminated "before" the honeymoon. Cars, like marriage, once you've hit the honeymoon it's too late. And again comparing marriage to car purchases both are often done out of emotion versus fact-finding sadly both can have disastrous results. Honeymoon should be the time where both parties delight in both making great decisions not the time that you find out you made a mistake especially if your friends or family have warned you otherwise (such seems the case here and definitely the case with both my best friends weddings)

Old farts should have Oldsmobiles and Buicks and for God's sake stay the hell out of the fast lane!!!! Older people who are not farts have earned their right to have and do whatever they want, if its a Jag more power to them remember you can't take it with you!

He did buy from a "buy here pay here lot", as does everyone buying a used car at a dealership that was my point. It is purely a myth that somehow buying a used car from a new car lot comes with anything other than a higher price and perhaps a slightly better detail job. It looks nicer in their showroom, the sales people have nicer suits, the marble floor looks very nice, and all of that is paid for by the customers. That's all smoke and mirrors for a good reason. Funny you call it "Marquee", I bet that's what Tiffany's says when they fleece their customers and they eat that stuff right up! There is no implied or expressed additional warranty so how do you justify paying a higher price for the same product simply because it came from XXX dealership? The sales people there almost never know anything about the history of the car, they will tell you what you want to hear but cannot speak with any sort of knowledge so anything they say is completely worthless nor do I believe that the OP sought the history as he was probably emotionally attached. If that's what makes you happy go for it but I prefer to meet the owners, understand their motivation for selling, ask a LOT of pertinent questions, see the cars history, then negotiate a lesser price versus walking into a dealership and doing battle with someone who know nothing about the particular car who's motivation is solely his and the dealerships profit. (I negotiate for a living so I win those battles but feel there is no reason to do so). Purchasing a new or used car is usually done so in a archaic process significantly slanted in the dealerships direction... in looking at used cars there is very little, if any, benefits from buying at a dealer but most often it comes with a higher price paid. Sales people are not stupid, they are well trained (years ago I was trained in the Ed Lemko car sales tactics),. Most people are taking a knife to a gun fight then leave thinking they won and gloat about it. Again, my ex-wife has worked for Beverly Hills Mercedes (now part of Keyes motors owning many different lines) for over 25 years... I know how dealerships work and though they may be perhaps the epitome of "Marquee" I still believe and know there is no intrinsic value in buying from them or others.

The OP got a used car, there is no warranty. He had the chance to walk then made his choices. He complained that the car wasn't prepared properly but accepted it anyway then complained. He was warned that codes were erased but went ahead with the purchase now is complaining and the extent of the issues are unknown but he is unhappy about that too... all were foreseen. I feel for him but he also needs to see what he did and take responsibility for it rather than blaming others (man up here). Once he has all the facts then he can/should meet with the GM to address the facts but he needs to do so with a demeanor showing no emotion, admitting his own faults, and lastly with a clear and concise outline of what he hopes to achieve so that the dealer can resolve this to his satisfaction. Unless he is reasonable he will get nowhere as the dealer likely has no legal or ethical duty to do anything.

I hope he gets the new battery and finds that the issues are all resolved which it sounds like will happen. The wheels are something he should have seen himself and certainly should have been found by the PPI check so his issue should be with them not the selling dealer. Pops probably the exhaust the engine.

 

He bought from a Jaguar dealership, a car that had been sold and serviced there all its life. In other words, he could not have bought it from any place better- technically.

He is absolutely right that an XK is a gent's car, at least will help you become one. And every gent should expect the best service when he shops at the right place. Any place that has Jaguar on the door is such a place.

 

I would take it to the Jaguar dealer service department and have them provide you with a written estimate to bring the car to spec, then take it to the sales manager or GM and see what they say...

 

NJ actually requires dealer to provide limited coverage warranty. He is partially covered...

I am with you though, buying a used car has its inherent risks, you have to buy smart.