Jag main dealer service pricing shenanigans

[ukpolak]

Hopefully you can help me. My dad has a 7 y/o Jag XF on 70k miles and has had main dealer servicing throughout the car’s life (bought when it was 1 y/o as AUC).

Anyway he lives on south coast so called Hendy Southampton and harwoods Basingstoke for front brake pads and discs service. Harwoods quoted £247 and Hendy Soton £389 so he booked Basingstoke.

Anyway, 1 day before service, Basingstoke called to say price was actually closer to £400 (way above agreed price) so he cancelled and went to proceed with Southampton again at £389.

Anyway and yet again, 2 days before service, this time Southampton Hendy called and said regrettably they’d Mis-priced and it’d be significantly more. He declined.

He’s understandably miffed by all this. On two separate occasions within one week, after agreeing a price for servicing, he received calls to up the price once the job is booked, arranged time off work and transport etc. He has used main dealer servicing all the time in the past so has some loyalty etc but clearly doesn’t count for anything.

Any suggestions on what to do? Basically we have job worksheets noting the original agreed prices but clearly these are worthless when the inevitable call comes in a day before to inform they are Mis-prices.

Ps when speaking to both service departments, both would say that he could book “for tomorrow” ie no real indication that they’re maxed out. Is a complaint to HO worth it, if this is some common practice? I’ve never had same on other marques so equally surprised by this practice.

Thanks all in advance.

[Truckosaurus]

It would be quite the coincidence that 2 dealers both either make the same mistake or decide to pad the invoice, so perhaps there has been a recent price increase on the factory branded parts.

For a simple brake change it is probably worth just using a trusted local garage, perhaps using OEM quality parts from Brembo or Pagid rather than ones in a Jaguar box.

[Monkeylegend]

Main Dealers love jobs like that, a licence to print money.

Any decent local garage can do brake pads and discs at probably half those costs quoted, if not less.

[Evercross]

It is a pity that many people are still hooked on the idea that significantly overpaying on franchised dealer servicing and repairs once a car is out of warranty is money well spent either on quality of workmanship, parts, or resale value.

If the car is traded in in future it will not make a jot of a difference (certainly not the thousands of pounds cumulative cost difference anyway). For a private buyer with any savvy they are just as likely to be satisfied with a receipt from a reputable independent.

FWIW I purchased a complete set of OEM front discs and pads for my XF 3.0s (the larger 355mm size) for less than £120 the set.

[Deep Thought]

Monkeylegend said:

Main Dealers love jobs like that, a licence to print money.

Any decent local garage can do brake pads and discs at probably half those costs quoted, if not less.

+1

Even if i were looking to maintain the full Main Dealer service history of a car, by that age i'd by going to an indy for the maintenance.

[Deerfoot]

ukpolak said:

Any suggestions on what to do?

Find a decent local Indy and never take it to the franchised places again would be my plan of action.

[ukpolak]

Thanks All yes fully agree on that she makes little difference and particularly annoyed that any kind of goodwill or memory on the part of having had pre ious services done at the same dealerships has clearly counted for nothing.

Now to find a decent jag Indy on the south coast - any recommendations welcome!!

[Monkeylegend]

ukpolak said:

Thanks All yes fully agree on that she makes little difference and particularly annoyed that any kind of goodwill or memory on the part of having had pre ious services done at the same dealerships has clearly counted for nothing.

Now to find a decent jag Indy on the south coast - any recommendations welcome!!

It doesn't even need to be a Jag Indy, any reputable local garage can do the bread and butter stuff.

[reddiesel]

Echoing whats already been stated your father has absolutely no need to be anywhere near a Jaguar Main Dealership . I recommend he instead builds a relationship with a good Jaguar Independent or even a competent local Garage for these bread and butter items . Forget about complaining anywhere because they simply dont care . Instead get yourself onto a few Forums and expose these chisellers for what they are . IanD is the Moderator over on Jaguar Forum and is based near you in Gosport , a good Jaguar Man he will be keen to provide a few local recommendations should you need any .

Edited by reddiesel on Sunday 6th February 16:04

[Trevor555]

ukpolak said:

Any suggestions on what to do?

Leave both Jag main dealerships a little google review.

[LesXRN]

It's also worth noting that a good Jag indy can update the online service history in the same way a main stealer can.

[ukpolak]

Cheers everyone - really much appreciated. I thought they’d have been more competitive if not much work or indeed if such an easy job but yes will source a good reputable indy and go from there. Thanks again!

[Grenadier_45]

Not had a Jag in some time, so no recent experience, but Jagcare just off J12 of the M27 might be worth a call - my past dealings with them were very good.