Just wanted to follow-up on the points above:

The key point I was trying to make was less about the car and address the subject of the brand experience. My prior Lotus experience is that I get someone on the end of the phone that cares and solves customers issues quickly and delivers true accountability. I did not experience that with JLR and based on most other people's comments, nor have they.

Regarding prior Lotus experiences mentioned above; the Elise, Exige, 211, 311 etc are a very different kind of product to the F-Type. Firstly, they weigh 40% less for a start and are weekend toys. I've owned two and loved them. The camaraderie of Lotus ownership is truly unique.

The Evora 400 is designed to offer a few more luxuries and day-to-day usage benefits and is slightly more comparable, but even then a Cayman GT4 is probably closest in spirit.

Yes, it does come with an Alpine head unit which offers considerably greater capabilities that JLRs infotainment system. Both are touchscreen and the Alpine offers superior integration with mobile devices. Sound is comparable to the 360W system and IMOP better installed in the car. Advanced Navi Station - Alpine - INE-W990BT

 

Today I went back to my local San Jose, CA dealer for the 4th attempt at fixing the speaker rattle (alongside various interior creaks/squeaks/ticks). This is on a 16 F-Type R.

I specifically wanted to test out the audio in new 17 MY that's now arrived, particularly with some reports suggesting audio may have been fixed.
All the cars on the dealer main lot were 16, but we drove off to a lot further out where they had the 17 stashed. I took my USB stick with a few test songs, and behold, it sounds same, still crappy and still rattles.

 

Pistol,

I am very sorry to hear that. It is testimony such as this that has given me pause about ordering a 2017 SVR. Have you also spoken with the JLR Customer Relationship Center at 1.800.452.4827? If you have, please let me know what they told you. If not, give it a shot. I am trying to get this addressed at higher levels in the JLR organization and your feedback and follow through will be very helpful...

Thank you,
Steve

 

Steve,

I've been battling the audio issue, and other quirks, for about 3 months now, multiple visits to the dealer, phone calls, emails, service appointments. I will hopefully write a more detailed report after this hell is over or I just give up.

I did not expect such crappy quality control for an otherwise fantastic car. I also did not expect such terrible customer service for a car that's 110K, both from the dealership and from JNA.

After a couple service attempts where my dealer told me they can't do anything about it, they concluded that since the issue manifests on other 16 MY on the lot, then it must behave as intended and it's normal. Absolutely maddening. Even though the same songs play perfectly in their XE, XF or LandRover Discover SUV. They also blamed my songs initially. One time they told me they can't reproduce the issue. Another time the technician had to use a stethoscope (!!!) to try and hear it. It was ridiculous, the issue is jarringly obvious to the point that friends point it out the moment they hear the audio without even being told of the issue.
The dealer and service would unofficially note and recognize the jarring audio issue, but officially on all reports it would not be acknowledged.

The dealer has been very slow and sloppy to work with. I would make appointments during work days and then would take me 1-2 hours after I get there until I can drop off the car and discuss with the advisor. I would specifically ask for a loaner ahead and when I would get there they would tell me they don't have one anymore. This happened at least twice already. Today being one of those, and after complaining they "went in the back" to double check and came back with a SUV loaner...
One time they asked me to come pick up the car and they were going to wash it before. I picked it up and it was covered in a thick layer of dust like you wouldn't believe. They had forgotten to wash it, and it was too late in the day to do it then. The service advisor was supposed to be there to cover what was done, but he was not. Sloppy all around.
Other times I would be asked to go to Hertz and get a rental paid by Jaguar. Ironically the audio in the rental was much better than the F-Type. I also tried working with different service advisors, and also escalated to the GM at the dealership. I would frequently have to poke the dealer for updates while my car sat there for days or a week at a time, and I was driving a much cheaper rental car.

Paying for a Jaguar F-Type though, and driving a basic rental or a loaner, that doesn't have the audio issues was quite the kick. You would also think they'd offer you another F-Type loaner, but nope.

I've also opened a case number with JLR CRC (Carolyn) and tried to work with them for a whole month. However CRC has been most unhelpful and painfully slow. All they did was send me back to the same unhelpful dealer, and all the information they collect is exactly what the dealer provides back, which for me was no new info. She told me she's not technically competent to grasp the audio issue I am describing. I asked if I could be contacted by some engineer from Jaguar, but she told me that's not possible. There was no additional Jaguar engineer being looped in. There was no additional new info and progress, just a waste of time. They took the dealership info over any of my feedback and settled with it.

I was given no way to file a complaint with Jaguar on the local dealership experience, other than taking it up with the dealership directly. I was never provided a feedback form or feedback call for either the dealership or CRC.

After a month of back and forth with CRC, Carolyn informed me that per Dealer information and technical assist, the vehicle is working as intended so she's going to close the case, even though the issue has not been resolved per my liking. I insisted not to close the case but she did it anyway. She's only spoken to the service advisor, and not to the GM that I referred her to. She can't provide me a written record of the case notes. I tried to escalate, but she insisted she's the Case Manager and there's no manager or supervisor of hers that I can talk to.
She previously told me she was going to email me updates but turns out she doesn't have my email even though she asked for it multiple times before. Instead she mentioned that they can't directly send emails to customers like me. She also has never called the GM, and she asked me for his contact info, again previously provided to her. Sloppy.
I asked Carolyn for her last name, and she declined to provide it. She told me that if I want a second opinion, I should go to another dealer, even though that's 1h one-way for me. I insisted on talking to her manager, which she initially declined but apparently the only way was for her to leave a note and turns out a supervisor can later follow up. I did that and a couple days later I was called by Stacey the supervisor, who has been much nicer to talk to and work with, although it's been over 2 weeks there's not much progress, but at least she's trying to discuss internally with engineers and had me email her a list of the songs I can use to reproduce. That's slight progress I guess.

This audio issue was there from the start, and has worsened since. It's alongside other issues like that surfaced after a few hundred miles (currently @ 3400 miles):
Multiple Body Squeaks/Creaks/Ticks
- Center/Right dashboard area creaks over bumps or ramps.
- Both left and right seatbelt tick near shoulder strap/window area, typically over small road bumps.
- Back console area between repetitive tick when the ignition is on, about two times a second, as if there's a mechanical clock in there.

Laggy Acceleration
- Most of the time, either in Drive or Dynamic Mode or Sport, fully pressing down on the accelerator no longer provides immediate acceleration typical to a supercharger.

Idle Vibration
- Large cabin vibration when engine is idle, park mode. Vibration mostly felt through seat.

Parking Sensor False Alert
- The front side parking sensor frequently provides false alerts (red) even with no obstacles in sight.

It's a shame really, it's a fantastic looking car inside and out, and I do enjoy other aspects of it. But these issues above have significantly killed a lot of the experience for me, and they nag me every single day (audio + creaks). I still think of the M4 I test drove before settling on the Jag and the better craftsmanship of the interior (creak free) and audio system.
I personally don't see myself getting another Jaguar after this one.
If I had a SVR in my case, I am skeptical I would get any better treatment or quality regarding these areas. I suspect same interior issues, same JaguarNA CRC, same dealership service.

 

Pistol, sorry to hear about your dealer experience. Not sure where you live, but there was earlier discussion about lemon law approach. I am in New York where we have Lemon Law. I haven't been back to my dealer since they replaced the amp as I don't think they know what to fix next. This issue aggravates me daily as well and am waiting to see if Ferals approach helps, but at some point I may push this through the required number of attempts to see if the car can be lemon lawed. I don't know enough about the law or process to know if it applies. My dealer, however treats me well, so I can't complain there. Given the way the structure of the ftype is constructed, I would think these creaks not related to stereo come from interior parts not totally secured. RaawR on another thread mentioned his stereo rattle was fixed as there was a loose child seat restraint some behind passenger seat deck. Iam totally baffled by Jaguars approach to this. Meridian needs to get in the mix. Who can afford the damage to brand reputation these days? Don't get it.

 

Yeap - totally sums up the JLR CRC. Whoever runs that department should be ashamed and embarrassed. Whoever provides leadership for that group will singlehandedly ensure the future decline of the company. They may win some conquest business for XE, XF and F-Pace, but those buyers won't stay with them beyond a single purchase. As a Brit I feel sad about it really. Its frustrating to see another Californian company do it so well and a company in the UK get it so wrong.

 

Been driving a loaner XF for the second day now, it's got the "cheaper" Meridian system, sounds great, even my wife noticed the difference

 

LOL . . . maybe that's it. I have what was the std. U.S. system (Meridian 380w) in 14-15. It really does sound great, not just OK.

Of course, the 770w system became std. on all models in 2016.

 

Guys, I'm sorry but these complaints are falling g on deaf ears at Land RoverJaguar headquarters . it's unbelievable. My 2017 R coupe is sitting at dealership waiting for me to pick her up and I'm actually depressed that I will knowingly accept a defective audio system installed into my car. Maybe I need to have my head examiner if a choose a $110000 dollar car with a defective stereo system.

 

It's none of my business but you're about to pick up a stunning car and you're depressed? That's just wrong. Firstly, you might be surprised how good if not great your system sounds - not everyone is complaining. Secondly, while you should expect a great sounding system in your $100,000+ car (of even half that) a car is definitely far from ideal for audiophile quality sound. I could be wrong but few of us here picked the F-Type for sound; other than, of course, the sounds coming from the exhausts. My take-away is don't rely on any of us here - including me - and see for yourself. Assuming you don't like what you hear, you can always throw $'s at a solution.

Good luck and Happy Motoring.
RJ52

P.S. Needless to say I'm not suggesting in the slightest that many are not having serious problems of one sort of another with their system and, yes, J/LR will suffer the slings and arrows, appropriately, of not addressing it..which they seem to be doing with stellar regularity.

 

I am driving a LandRover Discover loaner now, and it also sounds better than my F-Type that's at the dealer. When I tried the audio on an XF, I had the same experience, it's better. There are no rattles in the speakers.

 

To be honest, if otherwise a great car had no sound system at all, I would still pick f-type. You turn the sound high and stream good quality Mp3's and you're good to go, there's nothing wrong with the system, it's only when you're listening volume way down low, so I've learned to turn the system off altogether when not feeling like a boom box. Ubad2, just go and take the car for a drive, and drive it like no tomorrow, blast the stereo system, and you'll see what I mean. I swear they put the power switch where it's at on purpose, so easy to use

 

My 770 systems sounds good.. regardless, I mentioned earlier that the service department at my dealer said they are not touching any F's with a rattle complaint (they said they only had a couple) as Jaguar has told them to hold fire until a proper fix comes out from corporate, which could be a month or two.
Lawrence.

 

OK, all...here is my update on the stereo (reminder, mine is the 380w system, but seems to be the exact same issues many are describing: rattling speakers. mine is a '15 R).

This was my second time in at my dealership for the repair (first time, was over a week and resulted in no improvement).

This time, they had the car for three weeks (20 days, to be exact).

They replaced the tweeters (although, in hindsight, they don't think this was contributing to the problem...but, they left the new ones in), added even more padding/felt in the doors (the tsb has now been performed twice), and replaced the amp. all of this was at the direction of JLR guiding the dealership.

I picked up the car, very excited to report a resolution to this group...well, sorry. the rattles are pretty much the same. maybe a 5% improvement overall. the worst offenders, which seems to sound like it comes from the front tweeters, is the same.

So overall, they have had my car for over a month of shop time and there has not been any significant improvement.

I'm perplexed why some seem to have no issues, while many, like me, have the problem. I get that audio can be subjective, so that could account for some of it, but not all of it.

My hypothesis, if i could reasonably conduct this test, is that i would get the same result from all of the F-types if i could test them side by side w/same settings & same music source. i think this is fundamentally a design flaw of the vehicle.

I've had and XF and, most recently an XJ as loaner cars and both sounded great. The F-Type they loaned me, sounded horrible (even worse than mine: it was a convertible, so not sure if that contributed more to it).

Nothing else explains the fact that, with so much time, they cannot get our cars corrected and this is most often under the guidance of JLR directly.

So where do i stand after all of this?

As i have said before, i absolutely LOVE my '15 R! It is a thrill to drive each time i get behind the wheel. The engine noise, as many have stated, is maybe the only sound you should need in a car like this (not literally, but you get it...).

It is with very mixed emotion that i have even devoted as much time to this issue as i have. On one hand, i do feel it is a relatively minor/moderate thing in the grand scheme of things with this car (the noise/performance is such a hoot), but on the other, when you spend $110k+ on a car, it is not unreasonable to expect to get a good sounding stereo.

we have 6 vehicles and only one has a worse sounding stereo and that is my '06 GMC pickup. (sad)

I think i'm done investing/devoting time to this problem, unless i were to see a definitive solution/resolution posted here in the forums at some point, that the dealership can implement with confidence. it is clear to me that, at this point, the dealerships are just taking stabs in the dark with a resolution. i really don't need my car dismantled any more to gain no improvement.

Am i any less happy with my purchase? not really. does it significantly take away from my driving experience? not really. Do i tend to fixate a little on it, since i have spent so much time on it? yeah, probably. Would i recommend my car to a potential buyer? yes, with the disclaimer about the stereo (it is then up to the buyer to decide).

What is my current view on Jaguar service? quite poor for a luxury brand. i have spent a great part of my career in the high-tech service areas and have seen the importance and evolution of truly great customer service. Jaguar is a old brand that just yet, does not get how to embrace service in today's age. maybe it is the age of the demographic that they are used to (i am certainly younger than their average customer), but i believe this is exactly what they are trying to do with the brand. The F-Type is a prime example, as is the refreshes of what they are doing with the other models and introduction of the F-Pace. I love the design direction they are taking, but outstanding service needs to be in lock-step with this type of transformation. They just don't get it yet...my guess, is that they still have the same execs in charge of the service part of the equation and they are way past their prime in understanding today's buyers and the importance of social media (this forum being a prime example).

The social channels are where you keep your finger on the pulse of your product/brand these days. it's not focus groups, it's not antiquated surveys...it's tapping into the social threads that are now everywhere. this forum is an excellent example. this forum is full of people enthusiastic about their cars (for the most part), and are speaking the truth about their experiences. this information is GOLD for a company/brand/product. it all depends on what you do with it...

Jaguar, in my opinion, is still trapped in the 80's/90's as it relates to its service approach and philosophy. It is too bad, as i feel they are doing so many things right...which is really great to see.

Would I buy another Jag? uncertain.

that's the update everyone, wish i had a stereo 'fix' for all of you. until that exists, go out and hit the road with this beautiful car and enjoy the many things that are awesome about it!!

 

FtypeRRR, thanks for your update. Not to insult our British friends, but I initially was wondering if this service attitude is a vestige of a British attitude, but as I considered what you said I see this in my own business dealings. Sometimes you have to really stop and consider what your approach to business is and what your customer is saying. Responsiveness to customers needs drives successful business today more so than ever because of the Information Age. To think otherwise is to believe that you know better than your customer. After awhile you won't need to worry about it because you won't have any (customers).

 

Folks, forget British/American/ or martian. Poor customer service isn't a strategy but a tactical recipe for either disaster (poor side of the ledger) or a pickup in market share if the quality is there (good side of the ledger). I must admit that the lack of "gidde up" in these folks addressing the issue, which is far from perceived is mind boggling to me, so much so that I have re-contacted my dealer for a thorough end to end check on the unit prior to my closing the deal with delivery. If this isn't done, and done right, i.e. with base, treble and sub settings at peak like I like it, then the deal is off..."WITHOUT QUESTION"!

Also the units in the XJL sound awesome at half the power. So I agree with others that this is the case. However, in the 2015 F-Type base unit that I am trading (was previously fixed), this is the one that had to be major overhauled for me by Jaguar Land Rover NA. So the power difference amplifies (pun intended) the situation, but by no means is the difference as implied above. Anything short of a "FIX" is equal to putting lipstick on a pig, period end of story....once again a global thing, not a regional thing.

 

I should just go on record with a revision of my earlier comments that my 2017 sounds great.

After spending 6 weeks with the car, the most frustrating part is how much variability there is in the sound quality between different albums. I can get the settings dialed in such that the thing really performs well for one album, but as soon as the music changes genres, it has the potential to go to pot. Takes me another few minutes of fiddling to make it sound good again.

The subs are easily overwhelmed by most rap albums.

 

Thus why I say this is a gross abnormality, and although adjustments between songs are normal, that is not the case to be "grossly so"!

 

Jaguny, I don't you think have to worry about insulting out British friends, as Jaguar has been owned by Tata since 2008. I know that Jags are still built in England, but management is conducted by Tata.

 

I've driven a couple of loaner XF's and Evoque's, which I believe both had the base systems, and in my experience the rattling/vibrations were in these vehicles as well. And the speakers produce this horrible sound when someone is talking on a radio show.

I know that most people on this post keep talking about how it's just the sound system that's the flaw in this car, but I have driven this car with the system off, and I hear creaks, vibrations, and rattles. The car has a great chassis and exterior design, but the interior is poorly put together.

On a separate note, all this talk about poor customer service has reminded me of something that happened last year. My dad has been aware of all the crap that I've been dealing with in regards to the speakers, as well as dealership-suggested body shop that took 3 months to repair my car after an accident (this a separate, long story). Anyway, one day, with a sarcastic smirk on his face, he throws a car magazine in front of me with a commercial that says: Jaguar - Top rated in customer satisfaction. Not sure who's satisfied, but it's def not the F-Type folks. If JLR doesn't address our issues, wouldn't it be interesting if the folks on this forum submitted their true experiences to JD Power? Just a thought