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Car Forum / Jaguar Cars / April 200598 xj8L tensioner and "catastrophic engine failure"
Hi Group - glad to find this group - as the subject states, the defective tensioners in my 98 XJ8L failed and caused "catastrophic engine failure". The remedy - a new engine. Has any one had success dealing with the factory? I can't go to the dealer because I bought it from a private party about two years ago. At upwards of 10K to replace, I am thinking of disposing of the vehicle since I think I could get max $12K if it was running. What does a clean (sans engine of course!) parts 98 command? Would it be more advantageous for me to try to part it out? (Ebay or otherwise?) I've heard values from $500-$2500, but I know I can get more than that in parts, but then there is the towing cost (I am moving 800 miles away tomorrow and would have to drag it up there!) and the final disposal, which will probably cost as well. Any thoughts or suggestions are most appreciated! regards, Jay Call some salvage yards to find the cost of a used engine from a wrecked car. Since you're departing the area perhaps a consignment / commission deal can be negotiated with an independent shop. They obtain and install a used engine for a fixed labor charge and are then paid a commission to sell the car when it's roadworthy. I take issue with your statement that you can't take it to a Jaguar dealer. Why not? It's a Jaguar and your money is good. It's not a Yugo or some other car they don't know. A dealer won't be the best value for money but shouldn't be excluded. The car isn't infectious. TG - thanks for the response - the reason I don't feel a dealer would work is that since I bought it used and have not used them for regular service I don't really have much leverage. I called the local Jaguar dealer service dept and spoke to the boss; he said that there is no support for this problem since it is out of warranty from both time and mileage (67k). He further stated that I would have to deal with the factory. I firmly believe that this should not be a consumer problem (ie my $$ and I will not pay for this service though I will mostly likely have to eat the loss) since a piece of the machine known to be defective (and not recalled) caused catastrophic engine failure. I realize that this is an uphill battle and I probably am wasting my time, but I have some cycles I can devote to this. If the failed parts had no maintenance requirement, nor a replacement requirement then I'd sue for a new engine. However, if the failure was due to insufficient maintenance then Jaguar can't be held responsible for the parts' failure. You must first get their full attention; only then will they take time to learn the facts and present same to a decision maker for action. In California we may sue for up to $5,000 in small claims court without an attorney - suggest you investigate your state's small claims court system. A compromise is the best you can expect, IMHO. I knew I had read an article about this somewhere so went back over my old copies of Jaguar Enthusiast. The May 2004 edition (Vol 20 No 5) has an article on replacing the tensioner on page 20. This article clearly states that there is a known fault with the tensioners that crack. The recommendation is that they are replaced with a later type. If you have the time then take Jag to court and present the magazine as evidence that they have fitted a substandard part to the car. You can get a copy of the magazine from Jaguar Enthusiast Club, Abbeywood Office Park, Filton, Bristol. UK BS34 7JU email jechq@btopenworld.com Tel 0870 845 2482 ( sorry dont know the uk dialling code) Best wishes Stu > Hi Group - > glad to find this group - as the subject states, the defective [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > regards, > Jay Thanks Stu! This is very helpful. Jay The JEC magazine for March 2005, has an in depth article about these tensioners failing. Unless the FORD management that now rules at JAGUAR have applied the BIG 3 mentality to customer care then you would be best to contact the JAGUAR Head Office in NJ,(I believe). Their details should be in any of the literature that came with the car. As for the local dealership telling you that the car is out of warranty on time and mileage, this is tosh! I just got a brake actuator recall,(D348), done on a 1988 XJ40, with 94000miles on it and the factory covered the whole CAD$1900.00! So I think you would be best to contact the JAGUAR USA H.O. first, and if you still get the run around then contact the factory in England and also the JEC,(might be a wise investment to spend the ?33.00 annual membership first!). With the JEC you get 12 monthly magazines per year, excellent support both technical and otherwise, as well as VERY good relations with the company. The JEC has over 22,000 members and growing every day. NO company can afford to ignore that kind of consumer group, especially one that is 'product friendly' to start with! Best of luck! > Thanks Stu! This is very helpful. > > Jay >The JEC magazine for March 2005, has an in depth article about these >tensioners failing. Unless the FORD management that now rules at JAGUAR have [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >tosh! I just got a brake actuator recall,(D348), done on a 1988 XJ40, with >94000miles on it and the factory covered the whole CAD$1900.00! Phil, Is there somewhere on the www that I can get a list of recall items that might possiblyapply to my 1990 XJ40 ? I don't really care who pays for them - I can do all the labour myself. It would be nice to get free parts, however. What I really want to know is what should be replaced on my vehicle, and why. Despite our Canadian winters with all the salt and crap I'd like to keep this car running quite a while longer if I can. It uses a bit of gas but it's a nice drive. If there is something that is known to fail, and usually cause serious problems, I'd like to know about it. - Tom Happy Trails To You Tom, I 'lucked' into the recall notice by accident. The shop that was doing the safety for me had it on their computer. I called ROBERT MOTORS in Toronto, and they gave me the recall #. They are in the book, and very helpful. There is an online resource as well, which is available at: http://www.recalldata.org/ I hope this helps. Phil >>The JEC magazine for March 2005, has an in depth article about these >>tensioners failing. Unless the FORD management that now rules at JAGUAR [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > Happy Trails To You Thanks Phil - you in TO ? - I'm in Whitby,work out of Markham, so anything in that neighbourhood is quite convenient. >Tom, >I 'lucked' into the recall notice by accident. The shop that was doing the [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] >> >> Happy Trails To You Happy Trails To You |
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