Car off road for months. Should/can I reject.
Discussion
I has been suggested by a friend that I reject my six month old car. It isn’t something I really want to do as I really like it.
However, I have been told by the dealer I will be without it for “Weeks, maybe months” because of a parts supply issue. It’s a problem with the AdBlue system.
I have had the car for six months. Bought new and although not expensive by PH standards, it’s pretty expensive to me, £65k.
The dealer has had the car for a week so far. They had it for about a month back in the summer. Again it was a parts issue - I wasn’t happy with the fit of some of the panels so stuff had to be ordered.
There was also a fault with the active noise cancelling system, which they fixed but which went wrong again. They tell me they’ve managed to fix this again, but because of the parts shortage on the other issue, I am still without the car.
The dealer is very good. Great communication, they keep promises and really do their best. I travel past several dealers to use them for sales and service. The short term loan car wasn’t the equivalent but that’s now been sorted. The replacement car which I guess I can keep for as long as I need it, will more than do the job.
I am however paying several hundred pounds a month for something that is laid up in a compound. I am also mindful that I’m going to be driving round in something that isn’t mine. I don’t intend to mistreat it. I don’t mistreat my own car, but I don’t think twice about chucking mucky wet dogs in it and if I damage my own car, scuff a wheel or whatever well it’s my property.
My pal reckons I should cut my losses and reject my car.
As I said, it’s an expensive purchase, and a bit of a dream car for me. A bit of a luxury for me I guess and something I work hard to be able to afford. I really do like it, but if it’s going to be away months, I am paying for something I’m not enjoying which is disappointing.
The car is a JLR product. I’ve owned about 5 JLR cars from new over the last decade. I know they have reliability issues but I’ve never had one off the road (In the garage not a green lane) for so long.
Any thoughts appreciated.
However, I have been told by the dealer I will be without it for “Weeks, maybe months” because of a parts supply issue. It’s a problem with the AdBlue system.
I have had the car for six months. Bought new and although not expensive by PH standards, it’s pretty expensive to me, £65k.
The dealer has had the car for a week so far. They had it for about a month back in the summer. Again it was a parts issue - I wasn’t happy with the fit of some of the panels so stuff had to be ordered.
There was also a fault with the active noise cancelling system, which they fixed but which went wrong again. They tell me they’ve managed to fix this again, but because of the parts shortage on the other issue, I am still without the car.
The dealer is very good. Great communication, they keep promises and really do their best. I travel past several dealers to use them for sales and service. The short term loan car wasn’t the equivalent but that’s now been sorted. The replacement car which I guess I can keep for as long as I need it, will more than do the job.
I am however paying several hundred pounds a month for something that is laid up in a compound. I am also mindful that I’m going to be driving round in something that isn’t mine. I don’t intend to mistreat it. I don’t mistreat my own car, but I don’t think twice about chucking mucky wet dogs in it and if I damage my own car, scuff a wheel or whatever well it’s my property.
My pal reckons I should cut my losses and reject my car.
As I said, it’s an expensive purchase, and a bit of a dream car for me. A bit of a luxury for me I guess and something I work hard to be able to afford. I really do like it, but if it’s going to be away months, I am paying for something I’m not enjoying which is disappointing.
The car is a JLR product. I’ve owned about 5 JLR cars from new over the last decade. I know they have reliability issues but I’ve never had one off the road (In the garage not a green lane) for so long.
Any thoughts appreciated.
Hmm.
If they've given you a car to use while yours is off the road, and it's one you're happy with, I'd say you're OK to give them the time to fix it, as from what you've described, they're being as helpful as circumstances allow, and you do want to keep your own car long term.
I wouldn't worry about things like carrying your dogs in the loaner, as long as it's all "normal car use" stuff, but I would want to check there's no gotchas with the insurance for it, very high excesses and the like.
If they've given you a car to use while yours is off the road, and it's one you're happy with, I'd say you're OK to give them the time to fix it, as from what you've described, they're being as helpful as circumstances allow, and you do want to keep your own car long term.
I wouldn't worry about things like carrying your dogs in the loaner, as long as it's all "normal car use" stuff, but I would want to check there's no gotchas with the insurance for it, very high excesses and the like.
You are paying out cash yes, but you are in an equivalent car by the sounds of it, its not like youre paying out for nothing?.....bonus really as yours isn't accumulating mileage.
As long as they can fix yours then carry on. If you aren't happy with the repairs when the dealer hands it back to you then you can think about rejecting then in my view
As long as they can fix yours then carry on. If you aren't happy with the repairs when the dealer hands it back to you then you can think about rejecting then in my view
What The Deuces said:
You are paying out cash yes, but you are in an equivalent car by the sounds of it, its not like youre paying out for nothing?.....bonus really as yours isn't accumulating mileage.
As long as they can fix yours then carry on. If you aren't happy with the repairs when the dealer hands it back to you then you can think about rejecting then in my view
Yes the mileage and wear and tear occurred to me. We don’t do silly high miles 10-12 thousand a year so I guess that’s a bonus As long as they can fix yours then carry on. If you aren't happy with the repairs when the dealer hands it back to you then you can think about rejecting then in my view
Apologies if this is heading towards a thread drift, but I really do wish JLR could be held more accountable for this sort of stuff. Your experience mirrors mine from a Range Rover owned over 10 years ago, but a recent discussion with a dealer highlighted that if I were to buy a new one, most/all of the same issues I experienced (and which drove me nuts as a high-mileage user) would likely be exactly the same. As the dealer admitted "yes, we still have cars coming back for those exact same issues, but the difference now is it takes us even longer to fix them".
I absolutely love the cars, but really this shouldn't be accepted by anyone. Somehow, and I really don't know how, they keep getting away with it, despite languishing at the bottom of virtually all reliability surveys.
I went and bought a Cayenne, (but the Rangie was still a nicer thing to sit in and wait for the recovery truck).
I absolutely love the cars, but really this shouldn't be accepted by anyone. Somehow, and I really don't know how, they keep getting away with it, despite languishing at the bottom of virtually all reliability surveys.
I went and bought a Cayenne, (but the Rangie was still a nicer thing to sit in and wait for the recovery truck).
FlyingPanda said:
Apologies if this is heading towards a thread drift, but I really do wish JLR could be held more accountable for this sort of stuff. Your experience mirrors mine from a Range Rover owned over 10 years ago, but a recent discussion with a dealer highlighted that if I were to buy a new one, most/all of the same issues I experienced (and which drove me nuts as a high-mileage user) would likely be exactly the same. As the dealer admitted "yes, we still have cars coming back for those exact same issues, but the difference now is it takes us even longer to fix them".
I absolutely love the cars, but really this shouldn't be accepted by anyone. Somehow, and I really don't know how, they keep getting away with it, despite languishing at the bottom of virtually all reliability surveys.
I went and bought a Cayenne, (but the Rangie was still a nicer thing to sit in and wait for the recovery truck).
I describe them as 4x4 Alfas. I’ve a friend who is slavishly loyal to Alfa and he regularly has problems with them, yet he’s always going to buy the next one.I absolutely love the cars, but really this shouldn't be accepted by anyone. Somehow, and I really don't know how, they keep getting away with it, despite languishing at the bottom of virtually all reliability surveys.
I went and bought a Cayenne, (but the Rangie was still a nicer thing to sit in and wait for the recovery truck).
I’m the same with Land Rovers. The previous one to this was we concluded, possessed by the spirit of a disgruntled car maker. It just did very odd things. The radio coming on with no driver input, randomly refusing to move for a second or two.
We looked at Volvo. My wife didn’t like the V90 Cross Country or the XC90. I did. She loved the XC60, I was lukewarm. She wanted the XC40, but it was too small.
There was nothing in the BMW range we liked that we could afford.
Apart from the M2 Comp which was fantastic but impractical.
We considered a Mercedes E-Class Estate and came close to getting one.
Sitting back in a Land Rover and it just felt right.
I do think the present dealer has done a lot to keep us with the brand. They are in an out of town corporate glass palace, but the attitude is very much like an old school family firm.
You can’t run a car company based on just loyalty and the build quality issues are really not what’s expected of any car brand, be it basic, mid range or premium.
My friend who sparked this thread is a Jaguar fan. We were talking about the level of luck and exposure JLR gets yet for many the products fall well short of the mark. For example, the Queen’s death and the shuffling of residents at Number 10 have been massive JLR fests. Jags, Range Rovers, Discoveries for days across hours of media coverage. The Queen’s last trip in the bespoke Jaguar hearse was a huge “endorsement” for JLR. Talk about product placement.
Yet past the shine, there is the rattle in the headlining, the poorly fitting boot lid, the temperamental infotainment, etc etc.
FlyingPanda said:
. . . .I really do wish JLR could be held more accountable for this sort of stuff. Your experience mirrors mine from a Range Rover owned over 10 years ago, but a recent discussion with a dealer highlighted that if I were to buy a new one, most/all of the same issues I experienced (and which drove me nuts as a high-mileage user) would likely be exactly the same.
Also strong irony that you suffered issues as a high-mileage user and the issues that I suffered were supposedly because I wasn't driving a Disco Sport far enough. You can't win!
I’ll give you a different angle on this.
I recently bought a 330i. Within weeks, it was chucking oil smoke out of the exhaust from cold. BMW replaced the PCV system. This was followed weeks later by a replacement turbo. A couple months after that, it shat all of its coolant when the “oil filter housing” cracked (this is an oil / water heat exchanger). It’s thrown the EML at me twice - BMW say “No fault found, we don’t know why it’s doing it.”
I should have rejected after the PCV replacement didn’t fix the smoking issue - but now too late, I have a warranty, but I don’t have a car I can trust. For important journeys I’m inclined to use my ancient 987S, as I trust that far more.
If the car’s a dud, I’d be inclined to reject while you’re able to, otherwise you’ll find yourself living with a problem car.
I recently bought a 330i. Within weeks, it was chucking oil smoke out of the exhaust from cold. BMW replaced the PCV system. This was followed weeks later by a replacement turbo. A couple months after that, it shat all of its coolant when the “oil filter housing” cracked (this is an oil / water heat exchanger). It’s thrown the EML at me twice - BMW say “No fault found, we don’t know why it’s doing it.”
I should have rejected after the PCV replacement didn’t fix the smoking issue - but now too late, I have a warranty, but I don’t have a car I can trust. For important journeys I’m inclined to use my ancient 987S, as I trust that far more.
If the car’s a dud, I’d be inclined to reject while you’re able to, otherwise you’ll find yourself living with a problem car.
PistonBroker said:
Also strong irony that you suffered issues as a high-mileage user and the issues that I suffered were supposedly because I wasn't driving a Disco Sport far enough.
You can't win!
Funny enough I remember the dealer saying that they don't like to do lots of short journeys, but they don't really suit high mileage either. Thing is, I was only doing around 40k per year, so not exactly lorry-driver high, but it left me stranded at various times ranging between 10,000 miles and 100,000 miles, so I did wonder exactly what sort of mileage they're supposed to be OK for.You can't win!
I got shot of it after three years with just under 120k on it, and then went on to put the exact same mileage on a Cayenne V8 Diesel with not a single fault. Not one, Nothing. And it cost just about the same (I actually traded in the RR whilst it was broken down and waiting to be fixed at Land Rover in Warwickshire. I remember turning up to view the Cayenne in a Freelander loan car, much to Silverstone Porsche's amusement
)Had the same with a Merc E class, was in the garage more than on my drive. Once you start mentioning rejecting it they don’t want to know, Merc wouldn’t even buy it back at trade. Chances are you’d end up in the 6 month plus useless ombudsman queue. Cut my losses and flogged it to a certain car buyer.
Just to update this.
The Velar came back. The part needed arrived way earlier than they had feared. All issues sorted (For now, it is a JLR after all)
It felt tiny and narrow after a few days in a Disco 5, but it’s great to have it back.
Really fantastic dealer service.
I shan’t be rejecting it.
The Velar came back. The part needed arrived way earlier than they had feared. All issues sorted (For now, it is a JLR after all)
It felt tiny and narrow after a few days in a Disco 5, but it’s great to have it back.
Really fantastic dealer service.
I shan’t be rejecting it.
Wildcat45 said:
Just to update this.
The Velar came back. The part needed arrived way earlier than they had feared. All issues sorted (For now, it is a JLR after all)
It felt tiny and narrow after a few days in a Disco 5, but it’s great to have it back.
Really fantastic dealer service.
I shan’t be rejecting it.
Good new you have it back, they are lovely things.The Velar came back. The part needed arrived way earlier than they had feared. All issues sorted (For now, it is a JLR after all)
It felt tiny and narrow after a few days in a Disco 5, but it’s great to have it back.
Really fantastic dealer service.
I shan’t be rejecting it.
Just in case you have further problems, the time periods mentioned extend by all time your car was at the garage for repair.
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