Before setting off on a 2000 mile roadtrip around the Great American Southwest in a loaner Jaguar XF, my co-driver and I commented, "We are taking a brand new, unproven, Jaguar, across barren deserts and across mountain passes, through blowing dust and drifting snow, and the nearest Jaguar dealership lies over 300 miles away. How much water did we bring?" The Jag proved faultless no matter what we threw at it– until now. Arriving back in Oklahoma City, in true Labor Party fashion, the headlights went on strike. The local Jag dealership proved very useful in not only taking immediate care of me, but also gave me coffee and a loaner Toyota Camry– which while not as much fun, will probably have working headlights. Due to a parts shortage on the new XF, the Jag rep had the dealership cannibalize a new XF to provide the parts. Stay tuned for a full second take on the Jaguar XF.
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I’d hate to be the person who buys the cannibalized XF. I doubt the fact that it’s had parts replaced will be disclosed to the purchaser.
You know another time when Ford did that? The Edsel. I see Tata is keeping the tradition alive.
Buick61: Ya, the parts were cannibalized under direct instructions from the management team at Tata.
*sigh*
If it was “parts” it must have been either the switch, a relay, or a fancy-pants “electronic controller” if it has auto lights. Or some sort of transformer if it has HID. Either way, the cannibalized car will get brand new parts, so what’s the difference?
If I was the one sitting there with mine in the shop and the dealer wouldn’t take parts off the other car I’d raise hell. For that matter I’ve actually seen dealers do this, even Honda and Toyota dealers, especially with wheels.
That is not Lord Lucas. It is Prince Lucas, as in: “Lucas, Prince of Darkness”.
Robert Schwartz :
That is not Lord Lucas. It is Prince Lucas, as in: “Lucas, Prince of Darkness”.
I was thinking of Lord Lucan, strangely enough. Text amended.
Buick61, there was a story here not too long ago about GM dealers cannibalizing entire differentials from trucks during the strike.
Praxis:
Entire differentials? I’m glad you added the adjective, or I would have been wondering if partial differentials were being taken.
That’s a different circumstance altogether, but still not the ideal course of action.
Good lord! somebody who’s even more of a Grammar Nazi that I am. I mean than am I…or do I? Me?
just finished a 2k mile road trip in a 1988 BMW 528 E. The hood was only up briefly to take some slack out of the throttle cable. I had a series III XJ 6 for a brief span. I last saw it being winched onto a flatbed.
The Jaguar XF is one of my top priorities at TrueDelta right now. I’m wondering how reliable these will prove to be. So far 22 owners are signed up. I’m aiming for an initial result in August.
http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php
The faulty part turned out to be the power supply to the Xenon HID headlamps. The “parts” Jag now sits on the back lot looking really sad with no headlamps to fill out the front end. Looks like a Zombie Jag….
Headlights out aint so bad. could have been worse. The taking of parts may horrify some but is common sense. The customer always come first(driving the car now) against a future customer of a car in stock. Of all the problems a new Jaguar could have, a headlight or electrical problem would most recall the ghosts of Leyland past.
Prince Lucas must have a Japanese cousin. For the second time in a year my Mazda 6 just died. It restarted promptly, as before, but I’m concerned. It’s been about six months between “events” but… I’m thinking computer glitches (maybe Microsoft built my car’s OS).
We all pray is an isolated incidence.
To be far Prnz of darkness never really entered the computer age, wonder if Lucas brand is still around anymore.
I read the XF has been selling like hot cakes in Canada during last mth.
I hope is not the case of a new restaurant in town that everyone wanted to try at least once.
In the old days folks worked with Leyland talked about only so many new parts are avail, they have to make a decision whether the new parts goes to assembly line or the dealer, ofcourse the new parts end up to the ass. line. So any folks with the car sitting at the dealer will have to vait, since u’re already sucked into the system.
Another story is a lot of the folks work in the Leyland fact grab a bunch of nuts & bolts going home everynight. One guy grab a brand new battery every night.
Triumph was more favoured than MG or other brand, where all the research money gets poured into Triumph.
Hate to rain on your parade, but Lucas were categorically not responsible for this. As bi-xenons they are highly unlikely to be anything other than Hella lamps. Hella being a German company of course. For their part Lucas generally made quite good stuff, and actually made fantastic headlamps, the whole Prince of Darkness thing is a complete myth. I buy and sell Lucas parts at swap meets as a hobby and in my experience perhaps one part in twenty is stuffed beyond repair. With a minimum age of 30 years, that ain’t a bad ratio.
No comment about electrics, but it always amazes me that a dealer would give a lesser Loaner car, in this case a Camry for a Jaguar owner. The customer could say, “Wow, this car runs, starts at is a great value. Maybe I should buy a Lexus.” THey should give them a better car to move them upscale?
Oh, come on, Nicodemus! Out of 100 parts now 30 years old, 5 of them failing is one thing. But how many parts were made 30 years ago? 10,000?
I lived in the UK during the 1970’s and also 1980’s and early 1990’s, and even the British gave up buying British cars.
Lucas headlights have three positions.
Flicker
Dim
and
Short (circuit)
I can distinctly recall wet mornings (i.e. virtually all of them) when others would be grinding their starters until their batteries took a dump (because they did not open the “bonnet”, take off the distributor cap, wipe down the minute amount of condensation, re-attach, genuflex, pray, and say the appropriate swear words) while I jumped into my craptastic Volkswagen 411, which would start up every time, right away.
Until the craptastic German automatic transmission exploded (literally), that is.
British electrics, German automatic transmissions, communist Italian steel, an American four cylinder engine, Chinese crash standards and Russian assembly would be the complete “nightmare car”.
I never thought “higher-end” dealerships did such a thing, but my dad and I learned the hardway with the 2002 E430 4matic. Always wondered why the Bose stereo (Already sub-par) didn’t have any subwoofers…after it was too late. Dealer must have borrowed them for another vehicle.
That car is turning into a POS now, AC compressor just went out. It was the last of the good ones…which doesn’t say much then.
European cars are no longer better than Japanese or American. And I really hate admitting that…
Always wondered why the Bose stereo (Already sub-par) didn’t have any subwoofers
Boses’ claim to fame was the 901 which has 9 small speakers , 8 facing backward.
Merc’s A/C can be expensive to fix, my bro’s 98 E320 had sank total of 5 grand in it. Last heard is still blowing cold air, will it stay cool till Labour day wknd? We need Pope Benny to say a prayer for the car. Pope Benny is German perhaps it would work.