Unfortunately I believed all of the great reviews. I'm not sure if they are inept or were scamming me. Either way, I was not happy.
I have a jaguar xj8 vdp but was assured that they were comfortable working on it. It's basically a 20 year old car, just a car, but old jaguars have quirks.
I took it in because after I installed a new starter, it wouldn't turn over. Working alone, I hadn't noticed that the alternator had seized. I do feel like an idiot for that. I also provided a part load breather hose and a crankshaft sensor that I wanted replaced while it was in the shop, so I didn't have to deal with them.
They did quickly catch the alternator. They were also able to remove the crankshaft position sensor, which was in a horrible location that I couldn't get to well. I'll give them that. If they proceeded from there, to a logical course of action, I would have been ecstatic. Unfortunately they did not.
After they removed the crankshaft sensor, they noticed that the wire needed to be replaced. Both the wire and the connector were just a big ball of electrical tape from a previous owner, so I was suspect that this could contribute to a intermittent starting problem that I had, before the starter died. They did order it for me, for $150, but never installed it. The original wire had a cut in the wire, a singe mark from a short I guess, and the terminals in the connector itself were melted. It may still have been functional, but should have been immediately replaced, not only for function, but safety as well.
So after a new $500 alternator, that you can get online for $125, new plugs, even though mine were less than 6 months old, and r&r of the crankshaft sensor, the cat would still not start. They called and asked permission to do a compression check. They tested a cylinder on each side, and were getting 10 and 45 pounds of pressure. Bad, horrible results. They said that it would need a piston and a timing chain, which would be $1600 more just in labor.
I again stated that the car had been sitting for 2 months. I'm physically disabled without one knee, a bunch of herniated and ruptured discs, and a lot of nerve damage in my back. I simply could not work on it myself, for any given length of time, due to the cold and pain.
I couldn't understand how a piston and a timing chain broke while sitting in my driveway. The engine itself was replaced 3 years ago and only has around 50k on it. The timing chains were upgraded to top of the line ones 2.5 years ago.
I asked if they had done a bore wash, they said that they had. A bore wash is where you add a tsp of oil to each cylinder, and without the plugs in, you crank the starter to get the oil to cover the walls. The car had been sitting and not running for 2.5 months at this point. The cylinders would be dry. Without oil covering the cylinders, you don't get a seal and thus, no compression. I also asked about testing the idle air controller, which could also result in low compression. I asked them to not do anything further, until I had a night to think about it, if their scenario was at all plausible, and if so, could I possibly borrow enough money to go further.
I decided to go over the next morning to see my cat, and hear it turning over. Also, there is a peculiar way to start these 4.0 v8s that jaguar used, after a bore wash, which involves flooring it, to shut off fuel, and cranking for 10 seconds, and repeating. This makes sure the oil makes a good seal and builds compression. After 5 times, you continue to turn the key while floored, but slowly release the accelerator.
The first guy greeted me and was pleasant. When I asked to go see my car, and explain the procedure that I wanted to do, he said that he had to get someone else. This repeated, with me explaining every time, until there were 5 or 6 mechanics in their lobby. I was admittedly getting annoyed by then. The last mechanic stated that he had already done the bore wash and this peculiar process. And, I was not allowed on the shop floor.
I left feeling dismissed, that my suggestions were just bs, since I wasn't a mechanic. Also, I didn't like not being able to see my car.
After a couple hours of being in a foul mood, I called the shop and asked for a total bill, to throw all the parts in the trunk, and have it ready to be towed back home.
When I got her back home, I was surprised that the part load breather hose had not been replaced. One of the original things that I wanted done. I had also paid for this. They did warn me that the crankshaft sensor wires had not been replaced, but oddly, I was charged for it. They did state they would connect it for me at a later date, if I desired. There was NO serpentine! Tests could not be done nor started without belt.
I spent yesterday putting it back together, & with bore wash & odd process, car STARTED. Stay away from these guys! read more