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Review
Let me start by saying that this is probably one of a handful of reviews I have ever posted anywhere on the Internet.
Previous cars and trade in. Reasons why.
So I have two Jaguar cars. Both 2016 models, one is a XF 35T, and another is an F Type S with automatic transmission and RWD. The cars are stunning on the outside when you compare them with just about anything on the road, south of $150K. As far as interiors go, the F Type I have is fully loaded with their sport seats and extended leather package. It smells great inside, like a leather factory, and the seats and sitting position is spot on for my 6.0’ height. The XF on the other hand has a very plain and unremarkable interior, and I have the version with the vinyl seats, which are horrible and feel like you are sitting on bubble wrap.
The infotainment systems on both cars are really crappy when comparing with all major competitors, and even with Jeep or Nissan systems.
For the XF we traded in a twelve year old E Class. That car had a more buttoned up interior and nicer overall trim but it was time for a change. BTW it had zero major issues outside of maintenance, some front end ball joints, a fuel tank sender and a brake module (this last one was an expensive repair).
As far as the F Type, a 2013 5 Series was traded at 29K miles. That car was completely trouble free.
Previous dealer experience
When serviced at BMW of Darien in CT, everything was covered, brake pads, tires, wiper blades. The infotainment in the BMW is LEAGUES ABOVE the Jaguar unit, although it was three years older.
Mercedes Benz always provided a loaner on the spot, even when they were repairing a ten-year-old car. They really are on point, the dealer always followed up, and the in / out time when bringing in for service can be counted in minutes.
Local Jaguar Dealer
This local dealer has to be one of their worst dealers although that would be tough to flesh out. When they serviced the XF they left the engine cover just loosely thrown on top of the engine, not pinned down. When the tires got bubbles on the side walls at 12K miles, the dealer said it’s not covered, and the Jaguar Land Rover North America call center pretty much said the same thing, and said you’re on your own. Luckily Good Year the tire manufacturer that Jaguar chose as a supplier, gave us a small credit towards the purchase of three new tires. Now we have a car with one older tire, and the same brand and model installed that previously failed because of supposed pot holes. The same roads and pot holes were driven through by me in my previous Porsche 911 with 305 cross section Pirelli tires that never had a side wall issue.
When I brought the f Type for service they said the free included oil change would not be covered this time. They wanted $190 for oil and filter (7 quarts synthetic and a filter). They said I went over 30 days past the two year mark of the cars’ in service date of June 1st 2016. So, they did the oil change last year (Jaguar Land Rover Freeport) so they knew when the year was up. The car’s computer warned me two weeks ago, and the app on my phone (Jaguar In Control) did the same. We never received any emails or calls from either the dealer or Jaguar Land Rover that the service was due. I proceeded to make the call for service and was told to come in the following week on a Tuesday morning. They also said that no loaners were available but I can wait for 1.5 hours and they would service and wash the car. When I found out about the oil change fee, I refused that service, but mentioned some trim fitting problem in the interior. After waiting in their waiting room for 1.5 hours, they said that a seat would need to come out and they will schedule me to come back a different time. But to sit tight and the service advisor would return with a date and time. Thirty minutes later he returned with a receipt for $0 that also mentioned some 27 point courtesy inspection. No mention of what that entails, and the Jaguar Call Center could not verify either. So I waited two hours there and nothing was done. Not even the follow up appointment. The SERVICE advisor said call next week to get a date to come back, and pointed to my car and said –“ exit is that way”. When I got home I noticed that one of the wipers had broken pieces of rubber hanging out of it. Apparently the 27 point inspection does not include looking at the wiper blades.
Selling at a loss
I am so angry that all financial rationale is out the window at this point. All major losses on a new car happen the first year or two, and the F Type has 11K mikes on it now. I was planning on keeping it until the warranty expires, but no way I am doing that now. Found a six month old Porsche 911 dealer demo with Certified Pre Owned. Much better dealer network and cars. They will probably kill me on this trade in, but in all honesty I can’t really blame them. A crap shoot when it comes to the quality or reliability of hat they are taking in when it comes to Jaguar