
Talia of New York, NY on Sept. 21, 2010
In the one year in which I have owned this Jaguar FX 2010, I have visited the service dealer in Southampton NY as many times I had in the eight years I had owned a Cadillac and much more than during the five years I had owned a Buick. Not only I have encountered a series of mechanical and technical problems, but the service has been less than stellar.
When the engine alert light went on and I took the car to the dealer, they found nothing wrong. At a later visit, they said it was the pump, which they must be ordered. Weeks went by, and I called a couple of times to ask whether the pump had arrived. They did not call me to give me an update and was told it had not. Then when visiting the dealership for another problem that has popped up (there is always something wrong with my car), I was told that the pump had arrived over a month before. No one had called me.
The key broke. The front passenger window now needs a new part. The fuel gauge needs to be replaced. Three times the shift gear got stuck and would not move while I was driving or making a U-turn, leaving me at risk in the middle of traffic. I learned to just shut off the engine and restart. Twice the car would not start at all. Once, in our driveway, we just deserted the Jag and took the old Toyota Avalon. The second time, in Manhattan, we could not move the car when the street sweeper arrived. Luckily, the traffic police had just left or we would have paid a $150 fine. Recently, the engine alarm went off again.
As I was about to leave on a road trip, I made an appointment to bring the car on Thursday at 9:00. When I arrived, they told me to come back at 3:00 PM because it would take at least an hour to diagnose. (Did not they know it when they gave me an appointment? ) After I came back again, wasting a working day in the process, I waited for over an hour after which I was told the alarm was only an indicator that it was time to update the software. That's it? It was not urgent after all. Could not Jaguar design its software to distinguish between engine problems and merely periodic maintenance needs that do not require immediate attention?
Last Fall, I noticed tree sap on the left back door. When I brought the car to the New York City dealer for yet another engine light alert, I pointed the sap to the service manager in the shop and asked him to have it removed since the car wash had been unable to do so. The salesman at the front desk told me it would cost $32. I agreed. But when I came to pick up my car, the sap was still there as before. The salesman had already left so I called him the next morning. He told me that sap had been removed from the front windshield.
I told him I had never noticed any such sap on the front windshield and wanted a refund of my $32.00 . He first refused, saying they did what I had asked, but after I argued, he agreed. Nevertheless, when the charge was not reversed on my credit card, I called him again, leaving a voice mail. A couple of weeks later, when he still did nothing, I left a message on the voice mail of the station manager. No call back. No refund of my $32. The sap stains is my reminder to me to place as many reviews as possible about the poor service.
If it weren't for the cars many problems, Jaguar has certainly lost its next car buyer just for this alone. And then there is the matter of the loaner car. At Cadillac, whenever I came for service, (nothing ever broke in eight years,) the loaner car was ready, along with the paperwork for me to sign. At Jaguar, there is only a limited number of loaner cars contracted from a rental company. Therefore, I had to wait over a week for my appointment if I needed a loaner car. And once I deposited my car at the dealership, they must drive me to the car rental place where the process of filling up papers just begins.
At Enterprise, where I picked up the loaner car last week, the rental agent told me that other dealership in the areas have the cars brought to them. Not so Jaguar. Of course. Furthermore, the Enterprise dealer had me sign for insurance. I told him that I already had car insurance, but he insisted, or I could not get this loaner. Stranded miles away from Jaguar dealership, I had no choice. Now Jaguar dealer not only will not absorb the cost, he insists that we deal with the car rental company. Just a lemon of a car--and bad service to boot.