Hi,

Just wanted to see what everyone’s opinion is on this…

We dropped the SVR off at the dealer to get a brake booster and associated parts replaced under warranty. Originally the service manager said it would take a day to do the work. However due to complications fitting it to the SVR it’s taken almost a week instead.

The service manager phoned me Monday and said the car should be ready latest by Wednesday. I get the call from him today to say the work has been done however the senior technician would like to perform some more checks to make sure there are no issues.

I thought nothing of it and said ok that’s fine. Anyway I was putting the kids to bed and a nagging feeling was telling me to check the Land Rover remote app. I load it up and surprise surprise it’s no longer at the dealer.

Instead it says the technician has done 2 trips after work totalling nearly 35 miles presumably driving it home. That means when he finally drops it back tomorrow the car would have done a 70 mile round trip with the majority of it being up the A1 where hardly braking will be taking place.

Now I’ve got 2 issues with this. Firstly the service manager never mentioned that the employee would be driving it home and keeping it at their house overnight, nor did he ask permission whether this was ok to do. Secondly the car will end up doing a 70 mile round trip for something that could have been tested driving around for a few miles near the dealership. I might sound like a tight arse but why should he get a free ride home and to work using my SVR’s petrol especially when he doesn’t live close to the dealership and why has he taken a detour before driving home as well?

I have a good relationship with the service manager who has helped me out loads with other warranty issues with the car as well as price matching it’s service to another garage that was a lot cheaper than them. It feels like he’s betrayed my trust here by not being up front and honest about how the technician would be checking the car.

Am I right to be annoyed or do you think I’m over reacting? Input appreciated.

Cheers



B

It's common from what I've seen but I'd have a quiet word with the service manager and air your concerns.... * Current: 2024 D350 Defender 90 on coils!
* Current: 1974 Lightweight 2.25L petrol. Old skool
* GONE: 2012 RR Sport HSE SDV6 Orkney Grey. Now being piloted by RRSTDV8
* GONE: 2011 4.4 TDV8 Full Fat. Amazing piece of kit.
* 1949 80" in family since 1975
I use www.glenrands.co.uk Great independent specialist!

Frankly, I would say that's taking the proverbial. I would inspect the car with a fine tooth comb when you go to pick it up as who knows where its been kept (on a driveway with kids kicking a ball about?) and I would require an explanation as to the necessity for a "test drive" to involve other than going from the dealer premises and back. I would also ask about the insurance status should something have happened when it was used for commuting/shopping by the employee.
Had they sought your permission before it's use, what would you have said? That's the approach I would take and would expect some consideration from the dealer, not least a refuel.
It may be a common occurrence, but the owner should be made aware of their intentions beforehand so the above concerns can be considered.

Not much of an issue, quite often cars need “real world” testing and not just diagnostic machines plugged in.

I’d be over the moon if my dealership could do this kind of testing. Only my local independents do it.

Lets be honest here, if it were a Nissan Micra, would he have taken it home, I think not.

The only reason he did, was that he wanted to show off/see what it could do/etc., etc,.

If it was a problem starting in the mornings or whilst warming up, maybe a different story, but would only be acceptable after discussing it with you, as has happened to me in the past.

My lads C63 has just been given a recall notice, the garage offered to collect it and deliver it back, leaving a loan car with him. Very good service we all agree, but he doesn't want some car cleaning youth thrashing his pride and joy, especially as it can swop ends at a drop of a hat if you're not aware of its potential.

So he's going to drop it off and collect it himself, taking note of the mileage, as a new passenger air bag does not need a road test.

Garages would appear to 'lie' to us on a constant basis, thinking we are stupid and gullible, I'd insist on a tank full of fuel and a free service.

As a thought, your insurance company asks where the vehicle is parked overnight, possibly being parked on the road in a less than sociable area might have invalidated this, then what?

Dave 2010 3.6 TDV8 HSE (Gone)
2011 Discovery 4 Commercial SDV6 (Gone)
1980 OBLIC 4.0ltr Range Rover (went a long time ago)

You say you have a good relationship with the service manager so you need to speak with him and get an explanation.

Maybe (at best) they've not told you everything they need to do to test it before handing it back to you. At the other end of the scale, and above and beyond the possible insurance issues, is the possibility of the car being taken without consent.

You say the service manager may have betrayed your trust... do you actually know if the service manager is aware of where the car has been!? If the technician has used it without the consent of the service manager then quite simply the technician has taken the car unlawfully. Unless the law has changed it would be the garage who report it to the police as the car was "theirs" at the time. Technical but that's the law as I remember.

Have a conversation with the manager, and, depending on what he says, take it from there. As another person has said, it may well be to your advantage that the car was taken on this journey but that should have been communicated.

As for whether he would have been as "thorough" with a Nissan Micra....

Speak with them. Barrie.
2017-Jan 2024: 2005 RRS 2.7TDV6. Best car I ever had - until now!
Current: 2018 Ford Ranger Wildtrak 3.2

Last edited by BJH1959 on Thu Aug 04 2022 11:26am. Edited 2 times in total

its all very wrong..

i'd be fuming....

So just an update.

I phoned up the service manager to see if the car is ready and he says yeah. Then I say oh by the way why was the car driven to hitchin last night and driven back today?

His voice changes and he says oh because there’s only one technician that can do extended testing on the car and that is where all cars get driven to and driven back. So basically some crap excuse.

I say really? A 70 mile round trip seems excessive. You never mentioned on the phone it would be driven that far and left somewhere else overnight. Also are you going fill it back up then as it was full when I dropped it off to you? I can see on the app the bloke has used at least £40 worth of fuel and whenever I get a curtesy car from you I have to sign a document saying to give it back as is with the same amount of fuel in it. He says let me speak to my manager and I’ll get back to you.

He then phoned me back saying because it’s taken longer than normal to fix the car etc we will give you a goodwill payment of £150.

If that isn’t an admission of guilt then I don’t know what is.

Wonder if he knew head office wouldn’t look to kindly on what had happened…

Should have reported it stolen and tolled the old bill where it was. They would have woken him in in the night with a loud knock on his door....bet he wouldn't fo it again clearly all bull from the dealer.

Should have reported it stolen and tolled the old bill where it was. They would have woken him in in the night with a loud knock on his door ....bet he wouldn't fo it again clearly all bull from the dealer.

That would be a sight to see. Range Rover Sport (gone): Mercedes S63 AMG Coupe: 992 Porsche Carrera 4S: Range Rover Fifty P400e

Lrstaylor wrote:

Should have reported it stolen and tolled the old bill where it was. They would have woken him in in the night with a loud knock on his door....bet he wouldn't fo it again clearly all bull from the dealer.

I consider a complete p*** take.

£150 is not a good will gesture its a bribe to not report to JLR. The road test needed to be a few miles.

Simple consideration is if you were asked if the service tech could take it home, leave it overnight and bring it back the next day would you have agreed?

I would not. In doing so they abused your trust and hoped you would not notice, shocking.

I would want considerably more and an admission of their error in allowing this to take place.

RRSTDV8 wrote:

Lrstaylor wrote:

Should have reported it stolen and tolled the old bill where it was. They would have woken him in in the night with a loud knock on his door....bet he wouldn't fo it again clearly all bull from the dealer.

And then the car is recorded as a stolen and recovered. Would that impact the resale value?

Nick900 wrote:

I consider a complete p*** take.

£150 is not a good will gesture its a bribe to not report to JLR. The road test needed to be a few miles.

Simple consideration is if you were asked if the service tech could take it home, leave it overnight and bring it back the next day would you have agreed?

I would not. In doing so they abused your trust and hoped you would not notice, shocking.

I would want considerably more and an admission of their error in allowing this to take place.

Same thing happened to a friend of mine with his SVR and he complained and then escalated to LR customer service, the same day the dealer principal phoned him to apologise and offered him a free service and filled the car up with fuel.

He said that was the best he could get out of them.