My 2001 XKR has had a rough couple of weeks.

Two weeks ago I brought it to a body shop (that I had been happy with in the past, BTW) for a simple rear bumper repaint to repair some minor scratches and get a better color match (the shade of white was slightly off from a repair by the previous owner). It should have been a simple 2-3 day job.

When I got the car home, the first thing I realized is that I should have checked it more carefully upon pickup: The bumper color was the same as before (they copied the old bumper color instead of the car color!), there was 1/4 inch gap between the frame and bumper on the right side, and the backup sensors no longer worked.

I was not happy, and brought the car back the next day. They promised to make it right in another 2-3 days.

I was out of town, and heard nothing for a week. Called them last Friday for an update. After a pause i heard 'Ummm, I have some bad news for you. One of their employees bottomed the car out on our driveway ramp. The front oil cooler was damaged. Parts are on order from England. We'll take care of it for you'.

Hmmm, why was the car going off their property in the first place?

Anyway this morning I went to have look at the damage. A trail of oil lead to my car in the back lot. She was looking sad, up on stands with no rear bumper. A big sign was pasted on the windshield 'Do not move this car'. I opened the hood and checked the oil...it was completely dry. I asked how long the car was running with the oil leaking. The answer was 'not long, we just drove it (a few hundred feet) to this spot'. I guess we'll see....

So here I am today...hoping for another life for this cat.

 

That is one sad story....................
Brian

 

I don't know what to say. That shop really screwed up.

 

I suggest you mention which shop it was, so that other Jag owners can avoid them.
They sound like a right bunch of cowboys.

I'm probably needlessly paranoid but I do worry about how my XKR gets treated when its in the shop. Especially if its in for more than a day, if its somewhere I don't know well, or they employ younger men that paid an unusual amount of attention when I drove in, or they don't specialize in Jags.

I know of at least one shop owner (where I come from in England) who basically never drove his own car. Also gas in England is so expensive that it can be worth them chancing that you will overlook a gallon or two difference in your gas tank level after a shop visit.

One idea is to make a point of letting them see you write down the mileage when you drop it off.

Depending on the work being done, I guess you can't really say much if you find its been out for a drive (unless its more than say 50 miles) because they can just say they were road testing the fix, but at least you'll know and have a solid reason to go somewhere else next time.

 

And take lots of pictures as documentation...trail of oil, dry dipstick. If it has problems when you pick it up, your lawyer will want the evidence.

 

I agree with Matt that you need to document the whole thing. If possible, you should get them to write down what happened and what they are doing about it to confirm their responsibility. If they are totally above board, they will not have a problem in documenting the whole incident.

 

At this point, althought the shop has clearly screwed up repeatedly, they have pledged to make it right. When I told them that they could be liable for an engine replacement, they acknowledged it. There is no evidence that they have been trying to cover up anything.

They have a good local reputation, and are a busy shop, A+ rated by the BBB. My previous dealings with them have been all more than satisfactory. So as long as I have my car entrusted to them, and they are being helpful and cooperative I will not post a negative review.

 

I would suggest to them that this may not be the last time you will be in contact with them. I would voice your concerns and put it in writing and that you will hold them responsible for any additional costs related to this situation and take photos with a film camera, Polaroid or raw format digital for proof of the damage.

 

I am very sorry to hear what you have gone through. As everyone has stated, you will be best served to get the photo's, etc. to document what you can now. Also, I would get it in writing that the shop is going to cover the cost of repair, and be sure they have the mechanicals performed by a shop of your choosing. If the oil cooler was damaged, what about the bottom of the front bumper and the splash pan, etc?

As to how this happens... I worked at a body shop in the late '70's and I took a few cars for joy rides. I am pretty ashamed of myself at this point, but when I was 16 and 17, it sure seemed like the risk reward was in my favor. Fortunately, I never damaged anything! The lure of an XKR could have been more than someone could resist. So far the shop seems to be doing the right thing and making the proper attempts to make it right.

Good luck!

 

That sucks, I feel for your car . So far they seem to tackle a good manner but still taking some shots would be worth as our friends mentioned here .
I trust they stick to their pledge and fulfill their duty that's what is expected from them and they have to do that

 

I too am sorry to hear of this.

It seems that that shops allowing employees to drive these cars for non-legitimate purposes is not isolated.

There is a repair shop that I will no longer use for that very reason (although they have done a good job in the past). On one occasion I found straw wrappers on the floor and an 80 mile odometer difference. I didn't write down the mileage when I dropped her off, just working on memory of what the mileage was as I was driving her to the shop, so I didn't feel I could really say anything.

However, the next time I was there, they gave me a "loaner" car which was actually another client's car that was there for some long term work, because they couldn't give me a ride to work that morning. Although the distance from the shop to my work was 4 1/2 miles or so, it almost didn't make it back and once the car was shut off, upon return, they couldn't get it started again. The point is, I don't want my car being a "loaner" for anyone else and getting a "loaner" that could have left me stranded doesn't give me the warm fuzzies either.

Once this is taken care of, you may want to reconsider using them in the future.

I hope it all works out in the end!

 

Thank you all for the advice, sentiments and well wishes !

We are still waiting for a replacement oil cooler to arrive. If the car is running and has no obvious symptoms once the oil cooler is replaced, I plan to at least do the following to rule out latent damage:
-Open the oil filter to check for particles
-Have an oil analysis done after a few miles
-Possibly check the oil pan for debris.

And of course document all of the above.

I'll keep you all posted.

 

I picked up the car on Friday. It is running fine. The shop replaced the oil cooler, refilled the crankcase, repainted the rear bumper in the correct shade, installed it level, and repaired the rear parking sensors.

Today I opened up the oil filter and it was clean, with no visible evidence of any metal debris. I still have an oil sample to send for analysis, but at this point I am optimistic.

The shop remained forthright and polite during this ordeal...I consider them respectable folks.

One thing I did over the weekend, which was mentioned in another thread, was flip the oil cooler mounting brackets 180 degees. This raises the cooler about an inch or so, reducing the chances of bottoming out....I think it would have a minimal effect on cooling efficiency.