The reason LandRover isnt building in this market

[digger]

After attending at the servicing dealer for my Defer (MY12) a few times I believe I know why people aren't rushing out to buy them even when theyre winning Australian 4wd of the year..

Its not the brand...

Its not the equipment or the accessories...

Its not a reputation thing...

Its the service from the dealer...or lack thereof!!

So this mob sell and service Landys, maserattis, bentleys, morgans, jaguar, VW, skoda, volvo, and aston martin etc...

I have to travel 225k for service... for the 25K service they requested I have it there at 8.30am and said it would be ready about 1pm. Fair enough..
They gave me a loan car until 1pm when it was needed back anyway.


I drop it off with a list of other things that I have both emailed and spoken to them about over the telephone 2 weeks prior.. This included the rear passenger side door seal, it came loose and was jamming the door, I rpreviously ang and asked what I should use to secure it before it was damaged or damaged anything...I was told point blank that if I secure it in any way I void any warranty on the seals

*- So, for a few weeks we try to push the seal back before closing the door but it continued happening and gradually bent/twisted the seal, causing the door to jam and the door card (or whatever its called) started pulling away from the door. So for 4 weeks my kids have entered and left the car through the passenger side rear door...It doesnt impress me much!!

I sent an email with photos etc and they agreed theyd replace the seals..they decided to door all 4 doors so the seals were consistant...thats good I thought...

Also had a problem where the reverse light blows a fuse whenever I tow...
Its fitted by the dealer so I added it to the list... knotchy 4th gear (I have mastered this but theres a recall so they can fix it by adding a washer apparently.)

The radio has started playing up..intermittantly... listening to radio (happens both am and fm) and it stops, no noise no readout etc...pushed the mode button Cd springs to life all OK, back to radio nil, nada zip.... but then...radio comes back in and work perfectly (well, for a landy radio) this has happened about 3 times so far... mysterious...
Obviously I cannot replicate this for the dealer..

Seat handles came off (again! already lost 1 they replaced- but they cant be glued as it will void the warranty!!) and a few other minor things..

So they take it in at 8.30am....Im back and waiting in the service area at 12.30.......and at 6.15pm they closed the workshop and handed me my car.. the service people parked it and left work before Id even got to it.. I wonder why!?!?

The bloke at the counter was very apologetic -- then he pointed out the fact they hadn't replaced the seals, in fact they hadnt even ordered them as "we had to see it first in person"... I pointed out the contact via email and photos sent and that Id been told it would be done...I was unimpressed!.

He swears they have already now ordered them and that theyd contact me asap to arrange install (another 450k round trip for me.. )

I notice its not washed either, but noted the jag and the aston martin and the disco collected whilst I was waiting had been... mongrels..

I get in, hearing the doors lock on the service place as I do... I turn the key
and the "OIL SERVICE" light comes on.... not deactivated???

The reverse light is working... well at least that was done!
other bits and pieces done... OK!

check the service book, open first service page both pages blank..
Did they service the bastard or not??

Turn over the page there it is... so this so called top grade service centre
couldn't enter the service on the pages in order.... MMM impressed???

everything checked off including "wipers checked and OK" This is interesting as the wiper blades glued themselves to the screen a few days before and pulled some small bits out so they dont clean the screen correctly. Yep still with the gaps...

I look at the items they've listed on a piece of paper that they were apparently keeping track with, theyd left it in the car... lists "change fuse for reverse light" I had explained in detail that the fuse blows obviously because of a problem and happens with any trailer at all..they obviously didnt bother looking...

OK I contact them after I get home via email (as its now nearly 10pm due to the traffic on the way out of town and a prang on the way -Not me but just in front of me.) --Since this date still cannot use the drivers side rear door, this is annoying, embarrasing and technically unsafe and therefore defectable.

I follow that up with more contacts, per phone and email.. Nothing..

So I then sent copies of the emails to their executives email address...
next day contacted by phone!! Coincidence???

They are ordering the seals in immediately there was 'some sort of mixup"
I couldnt get there for 3 weeks and told them that. Arrangements made and last Thursday I headed into Adelaide and again for an 8am start (means a 5.30 departure to be sure ) but at least this will only take "about two hours."

No loan car there has been a mix up..OK, I went for a walk... rang back at 12 (to be sure) still working on it had some problems can you come back later in the afternoon?

Off I go....back at 3.30pm....nup.. still waiting... 4pm, now Im jammed into rush hour as they present Bear back with "We replaced the fuse in the reverse light"
God help me I now understand how people can punch others!

Sorry we replaced all the seals except one that they ordered wrongly.... which one??? Yep the rear drivers side door!!!

Solution ? "can you come back in tomorrow?"

No, I cant I have to go to work to pay for the fuel I just wasted coming down today and seeing you sons of motherless dogs!! (I actually said, "No Im working and cant spare 5 hours driving and 20 hours waiting like today!")

The guy at the counter was actually very embarrased and said theyd tried to find a new or demo one they could nick the seal from but they couldnt as they were GLUED IN!! (remember how all this couldve been avoided!?!)

God help me I now understand how people can murder others!

So they have chopped the seal off at seat level. I live on a dirt road and planned to go up to visit a station in the next week or so but that would fill Bear with more crap than even I thought was reasonable.

They still haven't painted the painted the area about 2" long on the floor where the seal took paint off as the door closed...

So Im waiting for a call... Im at 30,000k and due another service...

I think Ill have to consider the trip to Mac's down south... It has a great reputation and maybe including the 5 or so hour trip each way will still take less time to get done!

Anyway, as I said, I think what is killing Land Rover nowdays is the embarrasing apathy shown by so many who should be doing everything to encourage people to get them as they should be filled with confidence in the after sales and service ... dont their jobs rely on people going there for service and work??

The only series I noticed at the service place was the long and varied series of stuff ups theyve done.

PS:-
To cheer myself up and to avoid some of the rush hour I visited PCB landys at North Plympton, I tapped his brain with questions about Bear (puma), and different bits about s1 (80", and 109"), s2 (ute and wagon and 4 and 6)
and had a look at his 50 project and his 101 project (the 101 is impressive the work on it is top class!) He was very generous with his info and his time.
(I have never met him until that unannounced visit!)
Thanks!!

[carlosbeldia]

cheers man, exactly same stealers here, but i think they are even worse in my country. I went to quote a new front bumper in a colision and they told me the car had to stay in their workshop for the night so they can check if everything else was OK. IT was kind of strange for me so call a friend who works in there and told me to take my car out of there ASAP. THey had another TD5 (really rare here in Colombia) and needed some parts from a "donor"... do you believe it?

[newhue]

Digger, I can relate to your frustration, but I have always had a loaner and usually did what I was intending to do in my car but with the loaner, so it never was that big a problem. I also only live an hour away as well.

Have to agree, more than poor for prestige servicing. Perhaps send your post to the CEO of the dealership and LRA, maybe Solihull. Ask them if it was their car, or their wife's car, would they be happy with the service received. You might hit a chord somewhere that changes things for you. Maybe a free tank of fuel next service at least.

I took to taking photo's which usually was enough to pre order the part. But if the service agent, or parts manager is a nong what do you do. Perhaps deal with the Service Manager from now on, forget his subordinates.

[jsp]

Sounds about the same as the mob they took over from a few years ago as the land rover agent......

[voltron]

Wow that is atrocious. Can't say I have had one bad experience with the dealership in my area, tbh I think they have been great. But you should not have to put up with that sort of treatment. Hope it gets sorted.

[mike_beecham]

Hi All,
This is one reason l have kept my TD5 for now. My local dealer is nothing but useless when it comes to Defenders. As l have mentioned on here before, the Service Advisor insisted l needed to have the timing belt done on the Defender as it was 'due'. Seriously...........

I was very tempted to go with it, book it in to see what would happen....but l was scared of what they might do to the car!

I have mine looked after by a Defender specialist. As with every Defender l have had, it has never let me down, and l don't have to deal with the Dealers. (And he is a far far far more knowledgeable and very reasonably priced).

Michael

[debruiser]

I have to say that i have experienced 2 different dealers, they are worlds apart. When booking my D90 for something at Dealer A - "Hi, I'm here to book my defender in". "O, sorry sir what sort of car is that? Is that a Ford?" it only gets worse from there in..... i.e. the last experience was a 3 day episode to change 1 turbo hose.

When booking at Dealer B - my CHOICE of nice new loan car, was running low on fuel in that car half way through the day, so they filled it up for me. Then had to keep my car overnight and half the next day to complete work so I got to keep the loan car and drive it a couple of hours each way to where I stay when I'm away.

Dealer B is a 4 hour drive from my place, that's each way, so 800kms for me to get a service.

[Homestar]

Yikes - that's not good, but if it makes you feel any better, the Holden dealership I take my company car to is almost as bad.

Won't give you a blow by blow description, but in general, they never fix any of the things I ask them to - they write them down, then when I pick the car up they say they didn't have time to do it - even though I left it there all day - just for that reason. 'Can you pop back in the morning - we can do it then' - do they think I can sit around for 2 days off the road? If my comany have deemed it nessesary to have a company car, you can bet I need to use it more that 3 days a week....

The best one is the transmission - it has played up since day one - sometimes after hard acceleration, it won't change out of 2nd - for ages - like 30KM or so... Drove it home once in second - doing 6,000RPM - cruise control sitting at 100... Using 35LPH.....

Anyway, I report this fault every time I get it serviced. They come back with - 'Nothing wrong with it - no fault codes' I've asked them if they realise that it doesnt have to have a fault code to be stuffed....

Anyway at the last service, I pick the car up and they say "your transmission is making some funny noises - yoy may want to get that looked at' My jaw hit the floor - I pointed out that I have been asking them to do that for 2 years. I also reminded them that it is a fleet vehicle and they could have done that without my permission. So, I say - yes, please look at it. 'We can't do that for a week or so - can you come back another time'

I told them to leave it until the next service - hopefully i dies in the meantime and ends up on a tilt tray - I'll stick a note to the steering wheel that says 'I told you so....'

Bloody dealers....

[dero]

Seems to me that there are enthusiasts in overalls and ******* in suits in the Landrover service game. Choose carefully who you deal with .

[digger]

Cheers guys,

I must apologise though as in my stinking mood last night I went a bit too far in my description of the said company and as was pointed out made it a tad too obvious who I was reffering to..

In letting off steam I obscured my own clear vision>.....

Sorry about that to admin and mods - I usually get clear headed enough to avoid this by re reading a few times but I dropped the ball last night --again sorry, poor form on my part.

I shall persevere to get things done that need doing.. hoping to have it all fixed so I can return happy to MELROSE... time shall tell...

cheers