S-Type Bonnet Problems

[Antste]

Hello All

 

First time poster so please be gentle.

 

I own a Gorgeous S-type 2002 3.0 Automatic and last week decided to take it to an approved Jaguar service centre to have them look at something that has been niggling me for a while. The Speed/sport button was only working intermittently, not a big problem but very annoying.

 

Dropped the car off in the morning and went shopping with my wife, 2 hours later I get a call to say that there had been an "accident" with the car and could I come back as soon as possible.

 

On getting to dealership I could see that the bonnet was badly damaged, the windscreen was smashed and the roof was covered in dents. The explanation I have had is that the bonnet flew up whilst the driver was doing a test run. The service manager then waggled the bonnet safety catch on the mangled bonnet and said it had seized up.

 

Very annoyed but quite philosophical, no one hurt etc., I left the car in their hands and tootled off in the Nissan Micra they gave me. This morning I have heard from the garage and they are basically wiping their hands of this matter and are accepting no liability whatsoever. I have now had to instruct my insurance company and am looking at a write off. My beloved family car, that had just passed its MOT a few days before will now be deemed dead and after my excess charge I will be left with around £600.00 after taking a perfectly good car in for some diagnostic work. 

 

My question to the forum is this .The garage are saying the car was faulty when I took it in, I have never had an issue with the bonnet in my ownership, how is it possible for the bonnet to open whilst driving, has anyone any stories of the bonnet opening unexpectedly ?. Anyone any ideas on how to deal with the garage ? do I have a course of action I can take ?

 

Many thanks

 

Steve

[Guest]

Hi Steve, sorry to hear about your problem. However, there is no way that I would let this Jaguar approved garage get away with damaging my car to this extent and then wash their hands of it, basically blaming me. They were the people who were responsible for the car at the time of the accident and in my opinion should "carry the can" and get it repaired for you at their expense. The bonnet must have been opened by them to do any necessary checks etc. unless they are claiming they did the test run before checking under the bonnet, but this would not make much sense to me as they knew what the fault was ie. the sport button working only intermittently. The fact that the bonnet safety catch was seized (and I can accept this as I have to keep mine lubricated with WD40 because it does tend to stiffen up) is neither here nor there, they obviously had not fastened the bonnet down properly in the first place on completion of whatever they had done. If I were you I would seek some legal advice on this, or at the very least ask the Citizen's Advice Bureau what they think, probably the better option initially because they won't charge. Good luck with it mate and don't take it lying down, fight them all the way to get them to repair the damage, for what in my opinion is the least they should do. Best wishes Geoff. 

[Antste]

Geoff

 

Thanks for the support. They will not budge on this, they say the car must of been faulty when it came in to them, they didnt open the bonnet so it isnt their responsibility. I am in contact with a solicitor and am thinking of trying to give them some bad press with local papers and social media etc . My insurance company have also said as there is no evidence that they opened the bonnet from the drivers statement, they will not pursue them for liability and its all down to me

 

Im livid but the fight goes on. Just needed to see if there was any other instances of this issue to help fight the cause

 

Steve

[Mike_eng]

Hi Steve,

 

Whatever the legal status, this is appalling customer service, I say "name and shame them".

 

I'd start on this forum.

 

Good luck and I hope it works out for the best.

 

Mike

[Guest]

Hi Steve, there is no way the bonnet could have come unlatched itself under normal circumstances, it has two latching points plus the safety latch, given that the safety latch was seized and inoperable does not alter the fact that the other two main latches if correctly engaged would not come undone. My guess is that they just lowered the bonnet back into place instead of bringing it down to about a foot above the closed position and letting it drop as you are instructed to do in the drivers manual, therefore not engaging the main latches. However if they are denying that they ever opened the bonnet I see the problem of proving that they did. Are you in the AA or RAC? I have legal representation available to me through my RAC membership although I think that this is only if someone makes a claim against me and not for me pursuing a claim, if you have membership of either organisation it might be worthwhile getting in touch with them to see if they could help. In the meantime I wholeheartedly agree with Mike and suggest that you "name and shame" them and as he says start with this forum you may save another Jaguar owner in your area receiving the same shoddy treatment. Write a letter to your local newspaper if you have one, we get enough of them in ours criticising treatment they have received from this organisation and that, really make it unpleasant for them they deserve no better for the way you have been treated. Good luck with it mate and keep up the fight. Best wishes Geoff.

[Antste]

Once again, thanks for your support.

 

The Garage in question is Gordon Lamb's , based in Chesterfield and I think I will start another thread on the forum naming and shaming for the general populous.

 

I have been to a solicitor who has suggested in the first instance to write the directors a letter to try and appeal to their better nature before I start to threaten them with press and publicity etc.

 

This I have done today so I will keep you informed of the outcome.

 

Best wishes to All

 

Steve

[Mike_eng]

Why choose Gordon Lamb Jaguar?

Gordon Lamb were first established in 1953 and are a family owned business. With over 35,000 customers, we are one of the biggest automotive service providers in the region and have an excellent reputation for quality service.

Gordon Lamb Jaguar are audited by Jaguar UK and have to adhere to stringent operational procedures, undergo Jaguar technical training and meet Jaguar quality standards in order to remain an official, franchised Jaguar Service Centre.

The Jaguar brand is synonymous with quality and excellence and as an approved centre Gordon Lamb only use genuine Jaguar parts, Jaguar diagnostic equipment and with direct access to Jaguar UK’s technical team we have an invaluable resource in the event of a difficult problem with your car.

 

 

Oh really???

[Guest]

Hi Steve, I think that is sound advice you have received from your solicitor. In view of their promotional "spiel" as supplied by Mike the directors may have a different take on the situation and be more inclined to put things right to preserve what they believe is a peerless reputation, lets hope so. If no satisfaction is gained from them it may be a good idea to get in touch with Jaguar Land Rover and tell them of the shoddy treatment you have received from Gordon Lamb in their name, they must have a department that deals with complaints and it should not be too difficult to find an address or email address for them. Good luck with your quest and keep us informed of developments, best wishes Geoff.

[Antste]

Well chaps

 

Some really interesting twists and turns yesterday. I received a letter from a director at Gordon Lamb responding to my last plea for help. It was a very patronising piece of prose but the general jist was it was all my fault that I had such a badly maintained vehicle, a vehicle that passed its MOT first time on the 4th August 2013, 10 days before the incident, and I should be grateful that I didn't injure myself or the general public, again absolving themselves of any blame what so ever.

 

Spoke to my solicitor, who is now going away for a week and he has written to them advising they have 14 days to reconsider or we will start legal action, also mentioned that we will in the meantime be talking to press and social media outlets.

 

I have also had a call from a jaguar customer relationship advisor, as I sent head office an email, to state categorically that there has never been a reported instance of a bonnet releasing on its own. If there was they would of acted on it as it is a very serious safety concern. All goes to help my case it think.  

 

With this info I decided it was going to take a long time to get anything sorted so I have gone out and bought another S Type, newer than mine and if im honest a bit nicer.:) on the strength of Lambs saying it was going to basically be write off

 

This morning I got a phone call fro Just Car Clinic, the garage my insurance company sent the car to, to say they have done the estimate and the work will be carried out next week, so not a write off lol.

 

Upshot is im going to have an S-Type for sale very soon if any one is interested  but rest assured the fight will go on. I want them to pay

 

Steve

[Guest]

Hi Steve, great news, keep up the fight I think you have a decent chance of getting Gordon Lamb to pay up, particularly in the light of what Jaguar had to say regarding the bonnet catch reliability. Well done mate, keep us informed, all the best Geoff.

[Budgie]

This was a really interesting read of which the outcome could be of use to most enthusiastic Jag owners - so did this issue get resolved with Gordon Lamb and if so what was the outcome.

Bit of a "cliffhanger" would love to hear the ending - a happy one I hope.