Although it is an expensive and headache-inducing part of car ownership, taking your car to the dealership for repairs is often touted as the best solution by the manufacturer, that is, if you can trust them with your pride and joy.
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British automaker Jaguar Land Rover, which produces popular luxury vehicles like the six-figure Range Rover, is the subject of massive scrutiny after an owner accused a dealer of fixing her car with used parts.
U.K.-based auto publication Autocar has reported that due to a bottleneck at Jaguar Land Rover's parts facility at Mercia Park in England's midlands, more than 10,000 customers are currently awaiting repairs to their cars in the U.K., with 5,000 cars sitting on dealer lots unrepaired.
An employee at one dealership told the publication that the manufacturer instructed dealers to get crafty and use whatever parts they can to speed up the backlog.
"JLR has told retailers to source non-genuine parts to get cars fixed and out of their workshops for the last six months," he told Autocar. "One JLR senior manager even suggested we use second-hand parts if necessary, although this was ridiculed by retailers."
Laura Brannock, an owner of a four-year-old model of JLR's Range Rover Evoque, reported that her car was repaired with a "refurbished engine and turbochargers" after she initially complained about the lengthy repairs.
Brannock, who lives in remote Castle Douglas in Scotland, told Autocar that her car first broke down in April and was taken into the dealers for repairs in June. Service representatives told her that because of the delays, new replacement parts for her car would not be available until early December.
Because she relies on the car to take her son to regular hospital appointments, she contacted Reject My Car, a U.K.-based consumer advocacy service who helps consumers get rid of faulty products.
After the service got involved, parts to repair the car became available within a few days and were fitted onto the car, only for Reject My Car's engineers to report that the car has used parts, very little oil and was displaying 23 fault codes.
In response to this claim, a Jaguar Land Rover spokesperson said that only genuine Land Rover parts were used for this specific repair.
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Additionally, they explained the reasoning behind the use of refurbished and secondhand parts in their dealers.
“It is JLR’s top priority to resolve the temporary parts delays some of our retailers are experiencing and minimize the impact to our clients.
“The use of parts locally sourced by our retailers for replacement and repair is a long-established practice in exceptional circumstances, provided those parts are fit for purpose and meet JLR specifications. This is clearly stated as part of any warranty agreement."
TheStreet has reached out to Jaguar Land Rover's North American offices for comment.
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