Well i never have issue with someone coming out to see what im talking about, the only insurance regs are that you wear safty glasses while your in the shop and no hi heels, unless you have nice legs
j/k
as far as watching me work i useally charge extra for that since ill tend to talk too much and a 1/2hr job turns into an hour. And yes i get ya on the car wash, we do have customers like you that say "no wash". Like whats been mentioned, if you build relationships really no matter the business youde be surprised and what you can get....

 

I have had good and bad experiences at independent shops and dealers. As Brutal so aptly notes it's about developing a good relationship with the people wherever you take your car.
On a recent business trip I stopped in without an appointment to the Jaguar Dealership in Fort Myers, Florida and asked if they could work my XKR in for an oil change and general look over. I also asked the service manager to please be sure there was nothing that needed to be tended to on the car. They worked me right into the schedule, did the requested work and treated me like they really wanted my business and they did not try to sell me a single unnecessary item. I live 120 miles from this dealer but I will remember them the next time I get ready to buy another Jaguar and definitely stop in for needed service the next time I'm in town. So, to all you dealers and techs out there that do care about your customers, keep up the good work and...Thank You!

 

On a side note, dealer related but Audi not Jaguar........I've just had some of the most excellent and outstanding service you can imagine......almost unbelievable and yet there are those out there that complain about those dealers too??

I've long since came to the conclusion its about people.....either the people that own the cars, the people that own / work at the dealerships or just a bad combination all round, with personalities and attitudes!

 

Thanks Steve,I agree with you on this one.Some people "have trouble everywhere you go".
Maybe the forum can offer a anger management class

 

You know, this forum seems to have a lot more technical help going on than over at the "XJ8/XJ6/XJR 2004 and Newer" forum. We just have such great guys with such great insight and super willingness to help.

Having said that (and hoping that's a sufficient amount of sucking up) if xjrguy and/or brutal have a minute, I'd appreciate your taking a look at a thread I started over there. Here's the link:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/j...ication-52744/

Maybe you have seen something like it, maybe not, but I'd appreciate any thoughts. Please respond over there as I don't want to hijack this thread.

Thanks.

 

Those XJ guys aren't as enterprising as us XK guys.

 

Many thanks, eaglexkr! I hate showing my a** like that, but as I told someone else, sometimes the spew just makes me pop a cork.

'Nuf said...... thanks again.

Cheers,

 

My main gripe about my local jag dealer is that I can't talk to the mechanic. When I bring it in, I talk to the service manager who then tells the mechanic what she thinks I told her, or what she thinks the problem is. A lot can get lost in translation. I know enough about vehicles and diagnosing problems that I have a pretty thorough list of who, what, where, when, why to tell the experienced mechanic to help him make a diagnosis. But the service manager usually shuts me up after the first symptom and says "we'll take it from there". More often than not, if they would have let me explain the problem fully, I wouldn't get it back half fixed.

I like indy shops because I can talk to the owner, I can go in the garage and see what's being worked on, etc.

Obviously, not all shops are the same. When I took the jag to NC on a road trip because my dealer in Buffalo wouldn't do warranty work, they were happy to talk and listen and do the warranty work in NC.

I was reading a jag article the other day that said total sales volume was down about 50% from 2001 to 2007. I don't know what the new models have done and if that's helped, but that would certainly point to why many dealerships are trying to milk every last dime - especially in struggling markets. Its not right, but its an explanation.

 

I think jaguarforums.com can take credit for that. The members have done such a good job of helping fellow Jag owners identify and fix problems, the cars are lasting longer and fewer are being sold new.

 

Maybe, but the main reason that they are not selling the "New" (2007 and up) cars is because they are UGLY, especially the Front end. Of course the power from the new 5 liter XKR is wonderful.

 

I don't think they are ugly, they just look like a Buick. potential buyers are thinking "why should I spend that much for a Jag when my neighbors will just think I'm driving a Buick?"

 

The reason for the "Flat" front end is that it meets the new European Pedestrian Impact requirements.

The thing is, the Aston Martins have similar Front Designs, but they are good looking IMHO.

 

I'll throw my two cents worth in, I think one of the reasons their sales have dropped is because of Jaguars and Ford's top management failing to address their mechanical issues on the earlier models. Cam tensioners, water pump, hydraulic lines, etc.. When word gets out about a high end luxury car having these issues and Jaguar ignoring their customers, their sales will definitely plummet. Sales started going down well before the new model was released.
Doug
2001 XKR Silverstone

 

Took my car into the dealer for some routine service the other day. When I picked it up, I thought the hours charged were way too high. I went and talked to the service manager and told him what I thought. He said he'd look into it and get back to me. Got a call yesterday saying that he agreed and that they were going to credit my Am Ex account. Point being: if you are pissed off, say something about it. They can't fix it if they don't know about it!

 

UGLY?!?! I won't argue about the newer XK8's, but the new sedans are beautiful! I flew into San Antonio to pick up the used XK8 that I bought for my wife. The dealer picked us up at the airport in a new XJL. I thought we were royalty! Tremendous rear legroom, outstanding interior appointments and a wonderful smooth ride. The new model style has instantly obsoleted the older XJ models (which I thought were cramped and lacked interior headroom). Maybe a good deal on a used one will pass my way some time in the future. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

evidently you never owned a 93 or older jaguar
all those issues you mentioned were addressed and fixed in later models and engines. Also i can tell you that after working on jagas for 14+years that todays jags are light years ahead in quality and fewer issues than even 8-10 years ago.
I used to fix 4 cars a weeks for squeeks and rattles. Today i am blessed with maybe 1 a month.
And for those that think jaguar doesnt care about customers and what theyre putting out ive seen totally the opposite at my end as a tech. The 2011 xj release was an excercise in a designed pushed primarily from customers likes and dislikes and what they wanted in a car. Also every single problem that we came up had jaguar engineering and corp wanting every single part, failure, fix etc documented and srcutinized. Changes were made on the assembly line, wether it was a fitment issue or a part problem. Ive never ever seen so much concern over what they were doing and wanting to make the customers happy and fix issues as fast as they could.......period
as this comes from someone that can be totally pissed about what they do/done and how it impacts me on the repairing end

 

I agree completely. I was referring to the XK series.

 

Dead on Brutal!! I'll back up your every word! I ended being so involved in the launch/early days of the 2011 XJ introduction, that I ended up with direct contact, phone numbers and email exchanges with more technical, product investigation and engineering people than I can shake a stick at. They wanted to know everything about any problem that cropped up. I had to send pictures, descriptions, collect data, run engineering tests and return results ad nauseam. And if I thought I had something to contribute......they listened! What a concept! Now I'm just a technician, this experience was unprecedented. Folks can say these cars don't suit them, that's OK, but it is not that they did not try!

I know that it was a comment about the XK that started this, but it just kept flowin'.

Cheers,

 

The local Indy has changed hands 3 times in 7 years. I don't speak their languages. In fact they weren't even available in my high school 50+ years ago. When I googled the latest owner a number of bad comments showed up. The dealer is the place for me if I can't do the work myself. Both service writers used to be Techs. Your complaints or requests are written down and read back so there is no mistakes. I know going in their hour rates and I'm willing to pay the premium for work done correctly the first time. In the NJ area try Ray Catina in Monmouth Co. They even have a free clinic each Spring where they will go over your car and let you know what service or repairs you need. No obligation to have them do the work. Brought my XK8 and my X-type and had Breakfast and Lunch on them. Jack

 

I know I'm bumping an ancient thread here, but remember that XK8 that had been sitting on the used car lot for over a year? Well it's still there! They've had it for at least 18 months now! They are asking $16K for a 2000 XK8 with a broken air conditioner!

2000 Jaguar XK8