I am not having good luck getting my new 2004 XJR (with nav.) repaired. I was worried about having it worked on at the local dealership, and now my fears have been realized.

On my first visit they replaced all brake pads and rotors. This repair seemed to be okay. They also repaired the compressor for the air shock absorbers. The car handled terribly (as outlined in another thread) after I picked it up, and I had to take it back.

When I took the car back the sales rep test drove it and said it could be a leaking front left shock absorber. They replaced this and also fixed my parking sensor which was not operating at all. It would not beep or make any sound when I approached an object.

When I picked the car up on Friday, I immediately noticed that there were marks on the rear bumper that had not been there before. The sales rep almost fully removed them with a glaze and a cloth. I also later discovered two gouge marks on the dashboard. One is on the black surface of the center counsel near the top left button. I believe this is the “audio” button. The other mark is on the wood veneer to the left of the LCD screen.

There is oil smudging on the leather wrapping the center console border (just to the left of the LCD screen). This leads me to believe that the “mechanic” had to get into the center console in order to fix the parking sensor control button or warning beeper. (He left behind smudges in the interior after the last repair, too.) Apparently, when he removed or put back on the pieces, he scratched the surface twice.

Also, when he put back on the brake system for the left front wheel I do not think he did it correctly. Now when I slowly lift my foot from the brake, this one brake – but not the other three brakes – makes a bellowing sound. It is hard to describe but it sounds like brakes on an 18-wheeler or a fog horn on a ship. It also sounds like the brake pad surface is abnormal. (Imagine a hardened, smooth rubber against the rotor.)

Lastly, the engine now makes a strange sound that is not engine noise but something clicking rhythmically. I am not sure how to describe this. He probably did not reattach something all the way and it is vibrating.

Several questions I have are:

Can one repair gouges to the wood veneer and the black plastic surface on the dashboard using glaze or polishing compound as you would with exterior paint?

Is it logical that the mechanic would have gone into the dashboard to fix the parking sensor? (It might have been a disconnected “relay” that caused it if I recall correctly the description.)

Are rebuilt shock absorbers okay to use on these cars?

Any easy explanations for the new clicking sounds if the only repair to the chassis was replacing the front left suspension? Did he have to move anything in the engine bay

Finally, anyone know a good Jaguar mechanic not too far from West Los Angeles? I cannot use this dealership again. I have a feeling they are putting their worst mechanic on my car since his older and my warranty company does not pay them full freight.

I know this is lots of questions. Thank you.

 

Giving myself a bump. Can anyone help with any piece of my rant?

 

Can't help, but which Helhay dealer did you take it to.

 

The only question I can answer with any degree of confidence is that the rebuilt Arnott Industries shock units are OK to use. They are an OEM unit with the air bladder replaced, as that is the part that fails. Arnott may replace some other things, but that is definitely done.

 

I don't want to mention names but the dealer is in the L.A. proper area west of the 405.

I believe that the remaining suspension issue is the rear shock not operating properly. They replaced the front left and the compressor, but my original suspicion was the rear left because the car sags in the rear left when it sits.

When making hard right turns, I can now feel the rear left wheel struggle against the body roll. Before the front left was replaced, the car just entirely lost composure when making a hard right. It collapsed to the left. It's better in the front left where the new shock is but not in the back left. (When I make a hard left, in contrast, the car keep its cool and the right-side shocks -- front and back -- hold the car up.)

I will post the outcome. I'm getting an early lesson in these cars, but I still can't get over the performance of the XJR. The plush ride of the XJ8 is missed, though, but it's just a beast of a car.

 

I diagnosed the rattle myself that sounded like a part was vibrating. The idiot that worked on my car did not properly fasten down the piece that covers the supercharger. It has rubber mounting points.

The piece was just sitting on top of the supercharger so that it could vibrate and make noise. How pathetic. It took my about 30 seconds to fix this. This is Santa Monica Hornburg Jaguar by the way.