1064 messages,
Last post on May 08, 2012 at 6:26 PM
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Jaguar S-Type Forum.
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Jaguar S-Type, Sedan
#824 of 1064 Re: Stuck on Park [wcollins]
by gshocksv
Jul 27, 2005 (7:13 pm)
Wow that's really too bad, I wonder why you had kept the car all this time.
I got a used 2002 Jag S-Type, with 28,000 miles, and now it's got 35,000 miles, the light bulbs went out twice, and you do have to pull the gearshift a bit harder (but not really that bad) on hills, everything else seems fine and I love the car so much. Engine is very smooth, the tread on the tires seem good, and I still have a lot of brake pads left.
According to German Automobile Association, Jaguar's reliability is far superior than Mercedes (well, everyone is, Mercedes was the 2nd to the last). If you go to the Mercedes forum here, you will for sure see a lot of people complaining about its reliability as well. I think it's important to note, most people that suffer the most problems are also more vocal, I am a very satisfied owner, and I love my S-Type a lot, but even then, I only reply once in a while to give my testimony.
Just my opinion.
#826 of 1064 Re: iPod into '05 S-Type R? [jephjeph]
by deadstype
Aug 01, 2005 (5:36 pm)
A tape adapter, thats what I use for my iPod in my 2001 s-type
Aug 02, 2005 (12:08 pm)
I own a 2001 Jaguar S-type 4.0. I am 21 years old, and this is my DREAM CAR. I am a huge Jaguar fan, friends make fun of me because I wear Jaguar T-shirts several times a week. I am a college student and support myself after my father's death. I work hard to own my dream car. Recently my jaguar died on me in an intersection. My jaguar has 29,000 miles on it and I kept it in perfect condition. Until recently I thought I would be a Jag owner for life. My car went out of warranty 3 months ago. I towed it to a Jaguar dealership and they told me I needed a new engine, and it would be $13,000. I am a college student who doesn't have $13,000 and now I don't have my dream car or a car at all. The mechanics could not even tell me what is really wrong or what caused it. I contacted the Jaguar Customer Line and talked to them to try and get them to repair it under warranty since it was such a fluke problem and obviously a defect. After a week they told me I was out of luck since the warranty was up. I took such great care of my car, had every service and have records to prove it. The worst part is I was just months away from buying a new '06. But now I have to dig myself out of this hole and am skeptical about buying another Jaguar. I though I was buying one of the most quality vehicles, and it turned out to be the most expensive mistake I ever made, and probably the worst automobile I could have bought, I don't think any manufacturer has a reputation of their cars dying before they hit 30,000 miles. I know people with other brands of cars pushing 200k miles and still running, but my car, what I thought was the best in the world is dead. I do not know where to turn, so am writing to fellow Jaguar owners for advice, or to know of anyone who has had similar problems. I'd love to drive my Jaguar again and be a driver for life, but who knows now. I am unable to pay to fix my car, and feel that Jaguar should fix this car under warranty, so I can get rid of it and into a new 2006. It is horrible that 3 months after warranty a car would die, not just have a small problem, but die. It is obviously a fluke that this happened and from what Jaguar says they have never seen this before, but still told me I was out of luck. I love Jaguar but I am going to go to every extent to make sure nobody else suffers this problem from such a high end car. If I have to go to every consumer report and news station I will, I'd even picket outside my local dealership. I have nothing else I can do. Please help if you know anything, or anyone that can help. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Or if anyone knows the CEO of Jaguar let him know i'd like to talk. Thank you fellow-jaguar fans.
#829 of 1064 Re: Dead S-type [deadstype]
by rayainsw
Aug 02, 2005 (1:08 pm)
Deadstype:
I find your situation a bit difficult to fully comprehend.
Several points:
I can certainly believe that a blown engine at 29,000 miles is frustrating. In any car.
And yet, the 2001 Jag warrantee was for 4 years (as I recall, or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first). Not 5 years. Or 6. Or 7. I believe that there are extended warrantees available, if the added insurance / peace of mind is worth it.
Are you suggesting that this 4 year limit on a Jag warrantee is merely a suggestion? And if a major issue surfaces beyond that limit, Jaguar should just fix it for you, when they have no legal requirement to do so?
You do not have $13,000 to spend on fixing the 2001 Jag, yet you were a few months away from buying a new 2006 Jag? (Setting aside the fact that when I was 21 & in college, I could barely afford an 8 year old VW, let alone anything even approaching my “Dream Car”.) How exactly can that be? Trading in a 2001 on a 2006 would likely have required a good sized bunch of cash?
I mean no disrespect and I do not mean to be condescending here, but if you cannot afford a major repair on the 2001 S-Type, how could you afford to purchase a 2006?
I am a Jaguar Fan, and nearly purchased an S-Type R 6 months ago. I have rented 4 or 5 S-Types and XJs over the years. And I could likely “afford” one, by making a few Lifestyle Changes. But I certainly cannot afford the risk of having such a complex & expensive (to buy & to repair) car as these Jags without a warrantee. With the labor rates charged for diagnosis as well as parts and labor to repair or replace problems, it seems the possible out-of-pocket expense would certainly hit my budget very hard, indeed. (I did own both a 2000 and a 2003 Lincoln LS - brother under the skin to the S-Type Jag – and traded each before the warrantee expired.)
I wish I could offer real assistance, but I see no recourse for you. If they were refusing repair on a vehicle still covered under warrantee, perhaps there would be legal recourse available to you. Here, ‘out of warrantee’ means that I don’t see where Jaguar or your dealer could be under any obligation to do anything.
The dealer, if you have a long standing sales and service relationship – and if they value you as a current and potential future customer, might lobby on your behalf to Jaguar USA. But again, I see no other reason for them to take any action. Certainly no reason for them to offer to perform thousands of dollars worth of work that Jaguar is not obligated to reimburse the dealer for.
Perhaps I am missing something here . .
Good luck!
- Ray
Still hoping to buy my Dream Car – someday . .
#830 of 1064 Re: Dead S-type [rayainsw]
by deadstype
Aug 02, 2005 (6:53 pm)
Well I see what you are saying and here are my grounds for my complaint. Things go wrong with cars, its just understood. And it is also understood that a car's engine blowing at 29,000 miles is ubsurd. I have had every scheduled maintenance through Jaguar and then some. And you are right the warranty is up, I will not dispute that. And I am not coming to Jaguar much later, or even a year later just months, not even a 1,000 miles after my warranty was up, and I am still way under the mileage allowed for the warranty, but I'll agree the time came first before the miles, and my warranty is expired. Now put the warranty aside, under law, and it's a stretch anybody that is a licensed business and sells products owes reasonable care to their customers. Warranty or not, this is a very unreasonable repair, on top of that Jaguar can't diagnos it or its cause. Therefore it is obviously a defect in the automobile. And if you do some research like I have since this has happened, I am not the first with this problem. The law protects consumers from unreasonable manufacturer defects, which this is. I am not asking them to fix my A/C that broke after warranty, or a 300 dollar stereo, or the tilt on my steering wheel, the car died, the ultimate thing that can go wrong with a car. That being said most cars now way outlast 100,000 miles some almost hit 200,000. So a consumer can expect that with the care needed to maintain a car it should last (I'd say reasonably 100,000, but) certainly far beyond 29,000. And on that basis I think Jaguar should step up to the plate realizing this is a unusual problem and obviously not my fault. First off it is customer service. Since researching I have met hundreds of people who have given me great advice and support, your the first to be negative, but thats fine, maybe I wasn't clear to you or you just haven't been in this boat and hopefully will never be. But according to other owners with similar problems, other manufacturers as people have told me has happened to them have stepped up to correct problems. Someone I met in a forum owned a Lexus that was a little over 1 year out of warranty when the engine blew at less than 50,000 miles. Lexus replaced it no problem, they admitted they owed their customers the quality and reliability they paid for, and this was an excessive repair. That is customer service, and I think that is what is seperating other manufacturers from Jaguar if you do your research. So hopefully they will realize they want a level of customer satisfaction and they will not stand for the reputation of producing cars that leave their customers in trouble after 29,000 miles. Maybe not, but at least I will make some people think twice and do some research before spending that kind of money on a high caliber car.
Now as for buying a new 2006, I don't see where you don't realize why I won't and can't pay 13,000 for a new engine but would buy a new '06. Well it doesn't take a finance major, but lets figure this out. First off, I don't have 13,000 cash, that would take me using tuition money. But I purchased my Jaguar S-type 4.0 at say "x" dollars and when I bought it I put very little down, so lets say my monthly payment was "y." And a new Jaguar S-type is still "x" just like a new one was when I bought mine, and on top of that interest rates are lower now, so right off the bat I am at the same car payment or even lower. On top off that assuming when my Jaguar still ran, I have say $15,000 in equity in it. So subtract $15,000 from lets say a new '06 is $50,000 thats $35,000. So regardless of financing $50,000 in 2001 or financing $50,000 in 2005 payments are the same, But now with my trade in and $15,000 in equity I am only financing say $35,000. So I will not have to pay a lump sum or put down more cash, and in fact my payments will be 20-30% less than what I am paying now since I will be financing for an additional 48 months and will have a car with equity to put down. If you need any other financial tips I am happy to help you out. Maybe you could afford that dream car, pay a car off, gain equity, and then you can move up a class in vehicles. It's the american way.
#831 of 1064 Re: Dead S-type [deadstype]
by deadstype
Aug 02, 2005 (6:59 pm)
And also. Are you a bar licensed Lawyer. I am not either, I am just still in law school though, and at least in my state they actually do have a legal obligation to correct defects, and since they sell in my state they need to meet are statutory requirements. The law protects and strongly favors consumers over corporations. The law protects consumers from unreasonable repairs needed because of defect. My situation fits. Especially just after warranty expiration and such low mileage. Under the law, I have a right to expect if I take car of it, a car will last a reasonable amount of time, now each cae would define reasonable, but certainly a lot longer than 29,000 miles. And a new engine is not a reasonably forseeable repair at that mileage.
#832 of 1064 Re: Dead S-type [deadstype]
by cdnpinhead
Aug 02, 2005 (7:13 pm)
If you have a good relationship with the dealer, there are such things as "after warranty adjustments," which can help in cases like this. Ray made reference to just such a thing.
I keep cars forever, but was able to get an AWA on my hydraulic cooling fan (on a Lincoln LS, not a Jag, but they're very similar) which failed shortly after the warranty ran out. The dealer made it quite clear that he wasn't interested in submitting the thing unless there was follow-on business to make it worthwhile. I discussed it with him carefully, and got more than half of it paid for. What kind of relationship do you have with your dealer? Have you discussed splitting it, or do you want/demand the whole enchilada?
If you want to blow off the dealer (which I tend toward on a regular basis), you've got to accept the downside. If you run to him every time the ashtray needs to be emptied & pay accordingly, he'll pony up the paperwork hassle involved in replacing an engine. If you're like me and only show up when major things are broken. . .
That said, I'm still intrigued by the numbers involved in paying for the '06 S type. You use X's & Y's freely, as do most of us in the math world (I'm an engineer), but it might make sense to put in real numbers. I'm thinking it wouldn't take too many of those payments for the new car to pay off the repair on the old one -- then you go for the '07 (or '08), plus which your trade-in has a new engine. Plus which, the value of a used S type, even with an engine that works, isn't anything to write home about.
Maybe I'm missing something.
#833 of 1064 Re: Dead S-type [cdnpinhead]
by deadstype
Aug 03, 2005 (7:37 am)
Well I have a great relationship with the dealer, I would have planned to by Jags from them for the rest of my life. And I have never asked them for a thing and wouldn't do it if its something less or something that reasonably went wrong. But the fact is it is very very unreasonable for an engine to die at 29,000 miles and its not just a small repair of a couple hundred or a couple thousand, the entire engine needs to be replaced and it will be 13,000. I still don't understand why you don't get the math, go to a dealership they might be able to explain it to you. You are right a couple months, well actually several months, in excess of a year it would take those payments to add up to $13,000, and then I could fix it, but then I have no car for over a year, and when it is fixed it is a year older and worth even less. But the bottom line is a new s-type is still 50 grand like an '01 s-type was so my payments will be the same, but assuming before my car died, I could have traded it in for 15 grand, I had already spoken to them about it when I looked at new ones, or I could sell it privatly for close to 20 grand. My car is paid for, and I can afford the monthly payments of a new one, but not 13,000 at once, so what do I drive till then? I don't understand why this is a hard concept. Forget if I was to even trade in my car, payments on a new S-type today are the same as they wer in '01. So I don't see why you are saying I can afford to buy a new Jag. But can't afford 13,000 cash to put into a car that will then make it worth only 15,000 to me so I really only net 2,000. I can afford several hundred dollars a month car payment, but do not have 13,000 laying around for a unreasonable repair. 13,000 is well over a years worth of car payments, so you want me to save that money each month, walk for the next 14 to 15 months and then repiar my car which is then 5 years old and worth even less. This doesn't make sense to me, maybe I am missing something. But in any event I will not be buying a new Jaguar right now, first off would I want or anybody else to buy a car that might die at 28,000 miles, or would you want to work with a company that doesn't take care of people in a rare case like this. They are the ones who are getting a reputation of faulty vehicles. I am not asking them to fix a little thing. The car died. Put yourself in my situation, I don't even see what anew '06 has to do with this. You buy an expensive car, you take care of it and have every service done through Jaguar, you keep low miles on the car and just 3 months after warranty, you don't have just a little problem, but your car is useless and needs pretty much the biggest repair a car could ever face, a new engine, that is pretty much the entire car. Jaguar should repair this because it is obviously a defect in the car, they cannot even say what caused it. And other manufacturers have a reputation of helping out customers when it was their vehicle that was defective regardless of warranty. I met a gentlemen since I have been researching this who had my same situation with a lexus, Lexus didn't even hesitate to fix it, it was obvious that this was an odd and excesive problem and wasn't the drivers fault, they repaired it outside of warranty over a year. I am not asking for the repair of a minor problem, My car is totally dead. Would you be fine with it if you bought one of the highest quality cars, and it died at 29,000 miles. The fact is this is a ridiculous problem, and from the research I have done Jaguar's reputation isn't as good as I thought it was, lots of other people have had problems like mine or different within weeks or months of a warranty expiring. Picture this you have new home built, builders typically give a 1 year warranty, everything is right with the house and a day after 1 year it crumbles to the ground, not a small repair,. but not liveable anymore. Would you not feel as if the home builder owed you the quality you payed hundreds of thousands of dollars for. Forget about home insurance, car insurance unfortunately doesn't cover repairs. The bottom line is a manufacturer of anything, a car, a house, etc. owes its customers a certain level of quality, by law also, but just by common customer service. If it was a small repair I'd see where they'd say you know we can't do anything about, fine i'll dish out the couple hundred bucks, But nobody can tell me they expect their car or could even believe that a perfectly maintained car of that caliber will die at 29,000 miles.