XKR Engine Problem / poor warranty

XKR Engine Problem / poor warranty

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jcumpsty

Original Poster:

36 posts

245 months

Thursday 1st April 2004
quotequote all
My jag died a horible death last night.

I bought my pride and joy, two weeks ago. It is a 2000 W Reg XKR, presently with 68,500 miles on the clock.

Yesterday I was driving on the motorway, at about 95mph. I put my foot on the accelerator and it shuddered...I took it off and tried again...same thing...I let the car slow down, shut the engine off and coasted into the hard shoulder.

Jag Roadside assistance is great. They where out within the hour and drove me home. This morning the car was delivered to the dealership in Chester.

I got a call from them this afternoon. It is not good news. The engine ran dry and the cranks have been damaged. It is likely to need a new engine. My assumption that this was covered under the warranty was met with "not since you let the car run dry".

The problem is that no warning was given. No lights came on, no buzzers sounded...Nothing happened until the engine stalled. I even checked the engine oil on Sunday, 4 days earlier and it was full.

It has been serviced every 10,000 miles at a Jaguar dealership in accordance with the warranty. I was about to call and book the next service for a few weeks time.

I have also checked everywhere for oil puddles. THere is nothing on my driveway, parking space at work, the petrol station where I filled up 10 miles earlier, or the hard shoulder where it stalled.

THere was however a small amount of oil deposit on one of the hoses in the engine compartment when it stalled. Jag are saying they can not find any leak. Where the hell did the oil go then.

Where do I stand. Surely a car of this calibre should warn you if the oil pressure is low? Should the engine cut out automatically in this case?

I dont think I should be expected to pay £6000+ for a new supercharged engine when it is under warranty until October. What good is the Jag warranty?

Any advice, or suggestions would be appreciated.

Regards
Jeff Cumpsty
jeff@cumpsty.co.uk

Peter

33 posts

289 months

Friday 2nd April 2004
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Never been in this situation before but (IMHO) I reckon you've got a pretty good case for getting this sorted under warranty. If you shout loud enough Jaguar will oblige. Might be worthwhile getting an independent inspection on the vehicle to find out the cause and whether it was something that wasn't picked up by the dealership.

RUSSELLM

6,000 posts

252 months

Friday 2nd April 2004
quotequote all
Is there any chance that the head gasket has gone & the oil has dissapeared in to the water, also it's o.k. for them to say there's no oil in there but surely they can tell you where it's gone, has it suddenly burnt a load of oil, it all sounds like nonsence

They're trying to have you over....

schueymcfee

1,574 posts

270 months

Friday 2nd April 2004
quotequote all
RUSSELLM said:
Is there any chance that the head gasket has gone & the oil has dissapeared in to the water, also it's o.k. for them to say there's no oil in there but surely they can tell you where it's gone, has it suddenly burnt a load of oil, it all sounds like nonsence

They're trying to have you over....



Yep, agreed. You don't just lose 5 litres of oil unless the sump plug has dropped out!

Other than that all I can suggest is that if the worst comes to the worst and they try and sell you a new engine you can pick up low mileage second hand supercharged engines for about £2000. Just make sure its a post 2000 engine to avoid nickasil and tensioner problems.

>> Edited by schueymcfee on Friday 2nd April 17:27

jcumpsty

Original Poster:

36 posts

245 months

Saturday 3rd April 2004
quotequote all
Jaguar have confirmed that no warnings where logged in the ECU.

However, they are still stripping the engine down to determine if the fault was mechanical. THey are not commiting to covering it under the warranty.

As an added measure I have drafted a letter to Customer Services. I have faxed a copy to the dealership and coventry. I am also posting copies to them and also to the MD and 2 CEO's.

I think it is rediculous for a "prestige" car maker to accuse a customer of willfully damaging the engine.

rpad

21 posts

245 months

Wednesday 14th April 2004
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Sounds like the same issue my old man had with his, (XJR on a N plate 90K miles) it was something to do with the solenoid when changing gear. His was stuck in 1st gear - will find out the propper details for you never know might help.

jcumpsty

Original Poster:

36 posts

245 months

Wednesday 14th April 2004
quotequote all
Thanks.

I still dont know why the problem occured, or exactly what happened. I should pick my car up this Saturday...shiny new engine and all.

The engine is being replaced under warranty. Apparently a cam rod melted and bent.

I can't wait to get my car back although I am a bit aprehensive until they explain what happened (and how I know it wont happen again)

The Admiral

74 posts

250 months

Tuesday 27th April 2004
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The way they have treated you is shocking - as well as a new engine, I think they owe you an apology too.

The amount of money you pay for servicing and the warranty, and the fact that you have followed the owner's manual advice of checking the oil level periodically and stopped as soon as the fault is noticed means that whatever goes wrong, you're covered - END OF STORY.

To put you through the worry of having to pay for it all yourself defeats the whole purpose of warranty insurance. I know how stressful it is when your new baby breaks down - my 1 week old '92 XJS suddenly produced a dramatic steam cloud on the M9 and I though F*ck - cylinder head gasket - phoned up garage (specialist independant) I got it from and they calmed me down, saying whatever it was, they'd fix it - turned out just to be an exploding coolant hose, but their attitude was really reassuring. And they fixed it within 2 hours the next morning. And that is on a car I paid £4.5k for, not £20k!

Maybe mention to your dealer how good a warranty service BMW provide and how tempting a 5 year old M5 is? On my M Roadster, they even fixed wiring eaten by a mouse without charge LOL!!

Glad all is working again, though. I guess your problem is the local dealer, rather than the car - maybe take your business elsewhere? Most of all enjoy your new car