Are Land Rover dealers struggling?

[So]

It has always been a mixed bag dealing with our local LR dealership, but over the past few months it has become even worse.

They have been quibbling over things like providing a taxi drop-off, even when they haven't got a loan car to offer for weeks. The courtesy car lead-time seems to have become silly. I think it's out at 7-8 weeks now.

They now want to charge for courtesy cars, when they used not to, and I've just had a long conversation with them about them charging for diagnostics on a fault that is almost certainly covered by warranty, "just in case it isn't covered".

It all smacks of a car dealership struggling to make ends meet. has anyone else noticed similar with their Land Rover dealership?

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Phooey said:

I think they are struggling in the sense of being able to fix the product. Seems very dealer dependent though - Nottingham are *apparently* st, and I think it's also got to the point whereas they no longer give a st. Derby wasn't very inviting when I visited them earlier this month. I've heard better feedback about Melton LR. It must be costing them huge amounts of money and time (time is money) keeping these cars on the road / providing loaners etc. Someone's got to pay for it..

Yes, I've heard better things about Melton.Though I haven't used them.

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Sheepshanks said:

So said:

....our local LR dealership,

Which dealer group are they owned by? Some are more focussed on screwing money out of customers maximing revenue than others.

ttstone.

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isv said:

Well as someone who arranged a test drive for a new Disco HSE recently and got to the dealer only to find they weren't expecting me I'd say they were st. Not only that they act like they are doing you a favour...plus piss poor discounts, expensive PCP deals... Perhaps they have so much business they can afford to be choosy!

Anyway, I am on my way to pick up my new Q7 this afternoon. 20% discount and a cracking finance deal.

I might be wrong about them struggling. But if they are, I think they will behave like dinosaurs and not change their ways until they are virtually extinct.

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eliot said:

Look at the Iphone over the last few years - they keep putting the price up and people still keep buying it.

There is no parallel between iPhone and Land Rover. None at all.

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PrancingHorses said:

You forgot to say IMHO...as for me the Range Rover Sport is the best in it's class...they Cayenne maybe a sportier drive but as an all rounder it would be hard to beat a RRS AB at that price range,

FFRR or RRS, the marque is tainted with very poor reliability and astoundingly bad customer service.

I am aching for a new Range Rover Vogue, and ours was due for replacement 4 years ago, but I simply cannot countenance spending more money with Land Rover at the moment. I just cannot do it.

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Barga said:

So said:

FFRR or RRS, the marque is tainted with very poor reliability and astoundingly bad customer service.

I am aching for a new Range Rover Vogue, and ours was due for replacement 4 years ago, but I simply cannot countenance spending more money with Land Rover at the moment. I just cannot do it.

You must be pretty smitten with RR or you would have bought something else in the 4 years of terrible reliability and customer service?

P.S. I think LR dealers are feeling the pinch and was offered £3.5k discount on a Velar without any prompting but even with discount a decent spec Velar with a V6 is way to expensive for what it is! IMO .

Edited by Barga on Wednesday 7th November 11:34

The reliability issues are usually in the first 6-9 months. It's that period of ownership I don't want to revisit.

Land Rover has been leasing Velars to staff for £199 per month.

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swisstoni said:

I think LR are a basically good brand who are let down by some of their dealers.

In the ones I have dealt with there seems to be an abundance of suits and not enough overalls.

You have got to be kidding. Land Rover themselves are in my experience the most disingenuous and disorganised shysters I have ever had the misfortune to deal with. And I've dealt with them at head office level many times.

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Barga said:

So said:

You have got to be kidding. Land Rover themselves are in my experience the most disingenuous and disorganised shysters I have ever had the misfortune to deal with. And I've dealt with them at head office level many times.

But you're still "aching" to buy another one?
Plenty other cars out there if their cars and everything about the company is so bad!

Read what I actually said.

And to be honest, when they are working there is nothing to touch a Vogue for my requirements.

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Barga said:

So said:

Read what I actually said.

And to be honest, when they are working there is nothing to touch a Vogue for my requirements.

It wasn't a pop at you,I just find it hard to understand why you just don't buy another car or just get a year old one?

I probably will buy something else. But our current L322 has 20k miles of being able to have LR warranty on it, it owes us nothing. I am hoping that another marque brings out something I like within 2 years (10k miles pa).

I wouldn't touch a 1 year old RR Vogue from Land Rover, there's too big a risk that it's a lemon or ex LR Experience Centre car. 3 years with 30k miles and one owner possibly, otherwise no way.

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Triple7 said:

Is the clue who is bowing out? L**k**s?

Edited by Triple7 on Monday 12th November 20:17

Funnily enough I've been looking at a 3-year old Vogue that the Looky Looky men have. It seems well priced. Perhaps that's why.

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Brooking10 said:

JLR have mandated that all dealers need to move towards a brand standard identity and that means upscale dual brand J and LR showrooms. If you want to keep selling the brands then you need to invest and fall into line. There is, I believe, some support being provided from JLR with this transition but it is nonetheless a very sizeable investment on behalf of the dealer groups.

The group pulling out is indeed Stratstone/Pendragon hitherto the largest dealer group in the network but ben gradually unwinding and exiting individual sites over recent years.

Over approx 12 years we have had a Disco 3, three D4s and two FFRS and only one has had serious issues (the very first D3) the others have behaved very well.

The most difficult dealer to deal with has been Stratstone. The most enjoyable Grange.

JLR in general are finding the market tough. Discounts on Jaguars are huge (+30% available on some models). LR is faring better but the smaller stuff up to Velar can be discounted beyond 10% in some cases. The big stuff, Disco, RRS and FFRR you'll be lucky to get 4%.

Interesting stuff. Stratstone are indeed very difficult to deal with on any level. It will mean though that the nearest place to get service (if it can be called that) will be some way away.

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audidoody said:

easy-on-the-eye receptionist, .

Our local Stratstone has had a few who believed they were easy on the eye, when in fact they looked like third-rate pole dancers.

As is often the case with girls who take these jobs, they ate rather too many of the complementary biscuits and ballooned, but didn't want to invest in bigger dresses because the originals were lyrca anyway. So they waddled about like massive turkeys in six-inch stilettos, with outfits so tight they almost became transparent..

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Sixpackpert said:

Have moved away from JLR cars now so have no idea how Heritage compare to S.

To what?

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Sixpackpert said:

So said:

Sixpackpert said:

Have moved away from JLR cars now so have no idea how Heritage compare to S.

To what?

Heritage have taken over the local Stratstone dealership.

I thought you meant you've moved from JLR.

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Sixpackpert said:

So said:

Sixpackpert said:

So said:

Sixpackpert said:

Have moved away from JLR cars now so have no idea how Heritage compare to S.

To what?

Heritage have taken over the local Stratstone dealership.

I thought you meant you've moved from JLR.

Ah, sorry, I have had an XF, and 2 Disco 4's. I have now moved away from the brand is what I meant. Now have a BMW.

Why the move and are you happy?

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wilwak said:

Clearly, from the reviews, JLR products can have issues but I wonder if it’s a minority rather than a majority?

In my (fairly extensive) experience not. The default is for a car to have a lot of niggling issues in the first six months. After the second snagging list is sorted you’ve usually got an ok car.

An aside: Before I first started buying Range Rovers there seemed to be a secret code amongst owners that they didn’t talk about faults. They all gave the impression that their cars were perfect and many would flatly deny an issues if asked directly. Once I was an owner however, other owners were more open about the endless problems.

I also think it’s quite amusing that LR offers a “conditional 30 day exchange” on their used cars, just in case your first one is a lemon. As far as I am aware they are now legally bound to have the car back anyway within 30 days.

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Barga said:

My wife’s DS has covered 40k miles in just over 3 years and has had zero faults and is still on the original tyres and with the free service pack that was included and the 39.9 mpg average it has been the cheapest and most reliable car we have ever had!

Not even any recalls?

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unrepentant said:

In my experience of having owned 6 and having sold thousands it is absolutely the minority. The problem is that forums exist for people to moan on and satisfied customers rarely bother to post.

I cannot find this quote in the thread, but if you really said it it’s bullst. Sorry.

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swisstoni said:

So said:

unrepentant said:

In my experience of having owned 6 and having sold thousands it is absolutely the minority. The problem is that forums exist for people to moan on and satisfied customers rarely bother to post.

I cannot find this quote in the thread, but if you really said it it’s bullst. Sorry.

Someone’s personal experience is not bullst even if I’d doesn’t fit your preferred direction for this thread.

It is if they are a Land Rover dealer and claiming the exact opposite of vehicle reliability statistics. They are not a credible witness.

My own experience, and that of peers with Land Rover products, is very much in line with the published data.

So, yes, I am calling bullst.