2008 JAG NQ Newsletters
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2008 September trip to Atherton
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Mystery Musings from an NQ Jaganaut
Dealers Vs Mug Mechanics Vs Jaguar Enthusiasts
Greetings Jag Lovers…it is I, the Feral Fingered Phantom, mightiest one fingered typist in the North, scourge and nemesis of all that is dodgy in the world of JagDom. You may remember from some of my past scribbles, that I bring to your riveted attention, the evil derring-do of numerous “dodgy brother” auto “specialists”. Be afraid my pets, be afraid, for my work is not yet done. I have flushed out more examples of their cruel, unethical and greedy predation.
Some very reliable informants of mine, who both rate A! on the Admiralty Scale for intelligence analysis, have approached me with tales of woe, supported by incontrovertible written documentation.
Current intelligence holdings indicate that a certain North Queensland Jaguar dealer is still at it. This is the same dealer, you may remember, whose Spare Parts Section did not know of the existence of Jaguar V12 engines and is the same dealer, whose Service Manager told me to my face, “We don’t have the equipment or the expertise to work on Jaguar V12s. We send them to mechanics in town. ”
Well my pets, they also don’t have the expertise to work on 2002 3 litre S-Types or 2008 XKRs either. Informant “A” reveals that he recently purchased a local 2002 S-Type, with a complete service history from Old Mate the Dealer. Old Mates’ Service Tax Invoice indicates that at 54,655 kms, all rear suspension and both upper and lower front ball joint boots were removed and replaced due to splitting and un-serviceability, were tested and deemed OK. For this piece of work, the previous owner was charged a goodly sum.
At the next service, 64260 kms, the car was serviced by another auto specialist with a highly regarded local reputation. This specialist reported that all the said boots were split and unserviceable and that there was no indication that they had ever been replaced. This was promptly reported to Old Mate, accompanied by corroborative documentation. There ensued much gnashing of teeth, pulling of hair, wails of denial and blaming of
suppliers. A rather rudimentary investigation soon revealed that Old Mate had bought the said replacement boots, non-genuine, from a local very reputable supplier for $88.00. Old
Mate then charged the owner $122.70 plus labour but didn’t bother to fit the said boots. The matter was eventually resolved to the owners’ satisfaction but only due to the
embarrassed (??) intervention of Senior Management. The Service Centre staff had been adamant that it wasn’t their responsibility and the owner had to pay full tote odds… again.
Consequently, Old Mate is never going to set eyes or spanners on a certain 2002 S-Type again, or any of the S-Types’ mates. But wait my pets…. there’s more. Another very reliable informant, informant “B”, recently took his brand new 2008 XKR to Old Mate, as required, for it’s first service. This magnificent Jaguar, my pets, is worth $230,000.00. Informant “B” is so disgusted with the
service he received, he has vowed that by hook or by crook or by Black Beards’ pubes, he is never going back to Old Mate again. He is now faced by the quandary of trying to find someone competent to look after the love of his life. This is tragic, my pets. What can I say, except to yet again extol the virtues and sensibility of belonging to the North Queensland Jaguar Club. Being a member gives you unfettered access to advice, products and services available to the world of JagDom. Save a fortune on repairs and
maintenance, get top quality work done by committed specialists, avoid “dodgy brothers inc.” and have great social adventures at the same time.
