|
GOOD
SCORE = 16 |
BAD
SCORE = 11 |
The Good Service
Francois
Jordaan
e-mail
April 15 2003
Returning
home ( Botswana )
from Johannesburg
my 2.8 started behaving 'funny' (no power, backfire, Thirsty). The closest
dealer from me was Waterford
in Santon, with no appointment I parked my Landy in the service bay to go
and look for some help. After explaining my problems to the friendly lady
at reception she had a word with the service manager and he said they
could squeeze me in, when I returned to the Landy to get my service
booklet they have already washed it, how is that for first impressions! After
some testing (T4) a faulty cam pickup sensor was pointed out as the
culprit. Waterford changed the pickup and the same problem popped up
again, they had a EX-Bmw man
there that said it seems like the ECM but is was 5:30 in the afternoon and
they had no stock, I told them that I will get it sorted out in Potch. the
next day since I was going to stay over there for the night. I got really
professional service from Waterford
and will take my landy back anytime! J
The
next morning I was @ Daly 8:00 in the morning to see if they can give me a
hand, after I explained my problem to the lady @ service reception she
told me that they can only help me the next Thursday (6 day later!) I
explained again that I had to be in Botswana
no later than the next morning but to no avail. I went looking for the
Workshop manager (William Francis or something) I to my story again and to
my shock he told me he can't help me and turned around and walked away. LL
!! I ended up calling the
local LR dealer in Francis town (Mike Redden), he told me he will make a
few calls and call me back.
5
min later I got a call from Mike and he informed me he had just talked to
Neil from 4way Land
rover and he will 'make a plan'.
Off
to Vereeniging I went still discussed with Daly LR for really shitty
service. I met Neil and gave him the rundown of what have been happening
with the Landy and he told me he will make a plan to get me back home. The Dealer
Principal told
me that they R real busy and that they
will give it a go the first moment they have spare.
Much
to my surprise the problem was sorted out by the time I came back to see
if they have started yet!!!. If this was the
standard for LR dealers everyone would have been driving LR
Thanks
to Neil and he's guys for helping a guy in need (I know where my Land
rover will be serviced for the rest of its long live!)
Ronnie Langley
e-mail
May 2002
My Freelander visited above (Southern Land
Rover) a number of times for services and small repairs
and the service has always been very professional.
1. I was worried about some cross-axle wheel spin taking place with no
visible effect from ETC. Southern ran diagnostics on the system, showed me
a
copy of the print-out and even went with me to some ditches near Wemmerpan
to demonstrate the functioning of the system - all at no charge.
2. Some 12000km after my 80000km service during which the front brake pads
were replaced, one of the two bolts holding the left front callipers
came
loose and fell out on dirt roads in the Griekwastad area. Back in
civilisation I heard a knocking noise and found the problem. Phoned
Southern
the next day and was able to have the car fixed immediately free of charge
while waiting at the workshop.
3. Damaged my left outside mirror - please don't ask how! Southern
asked to
me to purchase the spare and fitted it free of charge while I waited at
the
workshop.
Just had to share this with you Pierre Joubert
e-mail
30 January 2002
I have read through all your comments about the good
and the
bad. I own my second Disco and the Series II must be one of
the best 4x4's ever built. I really have nothing bad to say
about LRSA, except that Dealerships are like Banks. You
really don't get a good bank or a bad one. It is all about
the bank manager and his staff. This can be compared directly
to LR. It is all about the dealerships, with the DP being the
captain in charge.
I can give you a bit of history about myself. I was a die hard
BMW owner and have had more than 7 different BM's in the last 10
years. In between the BM's I traded my 530i in on a Disco
Series one. Had a lot of crap with it (not serviced with LR)
and eventually traded it in on a 98 M3 4door. The car was
immaculate, and by the time I reached 80000Km, BM had
replaced the gearbox 3 times, and the engine once, and I sold
it after the back suspension collapsed and swore never to own
another BM in my life. I had all the same dealings with BM
dealerships as you guys have explained with LR.
My dealings with Southern Land Rover over the last two years
has been one of utmost professionalism, and I can only thank
Jaco, Mike, and Martin for their continued support of my LR
Experience. I book my car in for services at Hyde Park, and
they deliver my car at Hyde Park again. Although the car gets
serviced in town, I do not need to go into town for a service.
I have read the article about the Worst 4x4 where the author
takes a shot at Southern LR, which they (Southern) are fully aware off,
and when I asked them about the incident it became
completely apparent that the article was only the one side of
the coin. I would have like to see them answer the letter and
explain their side, but they seem little worried about it.
To be perfectly honest, they give the best service around,
and are efficient. The service cost are more than reasonable,
and the warranty claims were handled and approved on the same day.
(My experience anyway)
I must also admit that I am one of the worst customers to
deal with, but the experience with Southern is commendable
and I can with the utmost confidence suggest them as a sales
and service dealership.
For the rest of you, who are coming to terms with the niggly
problems of Land Rover,(that is part of the experience, get
used to it, or get a bicycle), because you will have the same
sh!t at other car makers, but they are not this transparent
and published, about their problems, and not as close to
their customers as Land Rover SA (with all their faults).
Pierre du Plessis
e-mail
18 September 2001
I bought a 2001 Freelander TD4 Steptronic
from Tzaneen Land Rover at the beginning of the year. I had some
problems initially which apparently stemmed from shortages in the BMW
engine spares due to the handover between BMW and Ford. This
resulted in the vehicle being replaced with a new one after three weeks.
I need to stress that I never insisted on a replacement but that the
dealer, Willie van der Merwe, handled everything in a very professional
way and convinced LRSA to replace the vehicle.
Subsequent to that incident the new vehicle
developed a leak at the gearbox oil cooler resulting in damage to the
gearbox. Once again the dealer stepped in and the gearbox was
replaced with a new one. All of these incidents cost me absolutely
nothing and I was supplied with a vehicle to drive during the periods
that my vehicle was at the dealer for repairs. Since these
unfortunate incidents the Freelander has been back to them for its 20
000 km service and I am very happy with it. It just goes to show
that despite mishaps one can walk away still feeling very satisfied,
just because the dealer and his staff are handling the problems in a
very professional way! To add to this - when a friend of mine who
lives in Paarl could not get the new Freelander of his choice from
agents in the Cape in time, I informed Willie who promptly found him the
right car and delivered it to him in Paarl!
I can most certainly recommend Tzaneen Land
Rover!
Tony Webster
e-mail
7 September 2001
I was recently on a trip in the Chobe Game
Reserve in Botswana when, a few
km short of Savuti the dreaded red oil pressure warning light on the
dashboard came on.
Luckily I was in possession of a satellite phone (for other reasons than
to
contact LR in Jhb!) and managed to call LR who put me on to LR in Maun
(Lesedi Motors, Rod Bateman). Rod could not have been more helpful. He
sent
out a tow truck and a Toyota Land Cruiser (he apologised for that but it
was
all he had in his second hand stock!) to get the family back in comfort.
The whole episode took 2½ days and involved much anxiety, swearing, sweat
(we even had to winch the tow truck out of the sand on one occasion) and
fun.
The culprit was a bolt coming out of the oil pump shaft in the sump. This
released the cog, driven by a chain from the crankshaft, from the pump
rendering the pump dead.
Lesedi replaced the whole oil pump assembly (the bolt had had all its
threads chewed, so what the threads on the inside of the shaft looked like
I
can't imagine) with a second hand one. Everything was done with such an
air
of concern and help that I can't thank them enough.
The incident ruined our holiday as we were unable to continue to the
booked
(and paid for) camp sites and I would be interested to know if any other
reader has had any similar experience.
Sandton Land Rover replaced the second hand pump assembly on return.
All the Land Rover spares, labour and towing costs at Land Rover's
expense.
Thank goodness! The satellite phone bill was in excess of R1 000!! But at
least we are back!
Darron Misplon
e-mail
5 June 2001
Good news....
A couple of months ago I bought myself a
1993 V8 Disco with only 90 000 kms on the odo and a FSH. I bought
from a private dealer who offered me the standard 30 days warranty.
A couple of weeks ago I noticed that my
Disco would occasionally hunt on a warm startup and eventually cut
out.
Being understandably nervous about possible
air/flow meter malfunction and the costs thereof, I phoned Gustav at
Forsdicks, introduced myself and explained the symptoms to him. He
very kindly went on to explain in detail possible faults, including
the CO setting. He told me to pop in the following Monday for a
quick CO setting check. Which I then did.
The service guys were fantastic, hot
filter coffee and the newspaper were made available and a mechanic
was put onto my job within ten minutes.
I asked to watch the CO being set and it
was no problem. The mechanic was friendly and no question was too
much of a problem to answer.
The CO setting was running at 5 when it
should be at 1.5.
My V8 was set up and she ran sweetly.
Overall impression? Good friendly
service and value for money. I woke up the next morning to a SMS
enquiring whether all was ok with my Disco and if I was happy with
the service I received. My whole bill came to R150.00.
Forsdicks has really won over a
potential customer.
Well done guys.William Wright
e-mail
28 May 2000
I have a brand new DEFENDER 90 TD5 which
I bought in January 2000 I collected the vehicle and at
first all seemed okay but as you know what happens with new vehicles as
kilometres build up bolts start to loosen ???.
any way I took the vehicle in to Southern
Land Rover and pointed out a few problems I wanted sorted out at the
first free service. When the vehicle
was sent in for this service the problems requiring attention were
listed and given to reception. T
1 door and floor water leak.
2 radio not working correctly
3 left door lock not allowing door to close
flush.
Southern LAND ROVER needed the vehicle
for a few days to rectify these faults as the vehicle needed to go to a
panel shop to correct and rear panel alignment which besides the panel
shop owner not being aquatinted with the truth( about the starting and
finishing of the job . he had told George Martins the dealer
principle that all that was required was the vehicle only needed to be
cleaned. But when I arrived the
bugger had not even started the job even though he had the vehicle in
his workshop for two days.) was repaired to my satisfaction. A
new radio was ordered and fitted to my vehicle at no charge at the
following service. So the bottom line
is after a few hiccups all went well my
10 000 km service cost me with filters and my own oil (Shell Rimula
super.) R510.oo including vat and tyre rotation.
I own a petrol station as well as my own
workshop and know what to expect from motor mechanics and where to look
to see if the work is done correctly. all I can say is so far no good.
best wishes to Jan and George of Southern
Land Rover.
Gillian Wood
e-mail
11 May 2000
I have a 1996 Tdi Defender 90, and it recently blew a cylinder head
gasket whilst I was on my way to George. I had it towed to the LR dealer
in George to get the repair done. When I went to collect it the following week, I
immediately noticed an above average engine noise with a very loud knock. I
immediately complained to the service manager as well as to one of the mechanics who both
said the engine was 100% and cleared that it was fine to go to Cape Town.
The good....
Upon my arrival I took it straight to Donfords LR in Stellenbosch, where they immediately
on start up said the engine was too noisy!! The long and short of it was that
cylinder 4 was badly damaged and extensive repairs would be necessary. At this stage
I involved LRSA merely to attempt to get a refund on the account I had paid in George as I
felt their repair achieved nothing. LRSA after hearing the whole saga offered to
replace the sub assembly and pay for 80% parts( approx. R28000!). I
found both LRSA and Donfords to be very supportive, and the actual work carried out by
Donfords was flawless. Thanks to Ferdi from Donfords, and Deon from
LRSA.
Follow up:
I still have no idea
why the gasket went, as the George dealership could not tell me. I have
heard since that there is a problem with the 300Tdi engines with the gasket
from the water pump to the head that somehow due to vibrations comes a
becomes a little loose, and the landy would start loosing a little water
each month through this gasket, and then it would all of a sudden just go.
Danie from Somerset Overlander told me this, and in fact showed me a
Discovery that he had in with a blown head gasket and pointed out the water
stains on the engine block water had been leaking through. So maybe it is
something people should check? The LR had 72000kms on the clock at the
time!
Deon Kriek
e-mail
8 March 2000
My office is situated directly adjacent Southern Landrover in JHB
CBD. They have always given me excellent service and advice. My only concern is the price
of the spares and their labour cost. My procedure nowadays is as follows : A) Book in
vehicle at Southern Landrover and obtain detailed list and costs of things to do. B) Go to
Dover parts and obtain spares at sometimes 50% of the cost C) Book in vehicle at Trans
Quatro (Greg Wheately) and get the job done at a acceptable
cost. Maybe a bit unfair to Southern, but ............
Stuart Carliell
ZA-LRO
For a change I have some good news regarding dealerships.
After my experiences last week with the broken rocker cover
and the thoughts of the list members that it could have been the cam belt that failed (based
on my original description of the symptoms) I decided to check the cam belt through the
wading plug hole. Boy did I get a fright, +- 5mm had been worn off the side and there was
a lot of rubber inside the cover plate. This left me with the Dilemma (sp?) of where to
take the vehicle (you will
remember my experiences with Forsdicks last week), I followed the
recommendations of David & Peter and took it to Southern Land Rover, what a pleasure.
I was able to get the Landy in for a service within 2 days of phoning unlike most
other BMW/Land Rover dealership where you have to book well in
advance. They only did the work I
asked them to do and didn't charge me for anything extra, they also phone me that I would
require Kit 2 etc for the cam belt. The service advisor (Jan Nienaber) was very efficient
and helpful. In summary whenever I need to use a Landrover agent I will definitely go to
Southern, it is a bit of a hassle to get the vehicle into town but that is more than made
up for by the service received.
Regarding the saga with Forsdicks Westgate from last week,
after such poor service I sent a rather strong letter to LRSA and at the time was quite impressed as they phoned me the some day to say they will investigate the matter and
come back to me early this week, unfortunately I haven't heard anything yet and the person
involved did not return my phone call yesterday. It
looks a bit like LRSA have the some
attitude to customer service as most of their dealerships do
David Farrow
ZA-LRO
Basically my thoughts as well. Once the vehicle is out of
Warranty it will
be serviced by myself and for any serious work, by a reliable back street
mechanic, assuming I can find such a beast here in JHB.
Geurt Bloem
ZA-LRO
I bought my 110 from Daly Land Rover and had very good
experience with them. At the time of purchase, I traded a MB$nz for the Landy and Daly
delivered it on my doorstep in Pta. The vehicle was excellently serviced and I was given a
full training on how everything worked. I've had some small niggles, but they did listen
and was prepared to acknowledge their error.
I will definitely buy another 110 (obviously I'll spes a 110
with a 300 TDi
engine and not the TD5) and it will be with Daly. These guys need support for the type of
service they are prepared to give and further they are prepared to haggle over a price
which makes a good deal even better.
Rudi Botha
ZA-LRO
I would like to share some really excellent experiences I've
had with a LR
dealer.
You guys may remember my ordeal with the local Pta dealer
where I bought my Landy. I've had my '97 Tdi Shorty in for 4 engine replacements during
the 80,000km that I've had it. Endless sh$t and no support or sympathy from the dealer.
When I had another breakdown in Potchefstroom I've had enough. This was on a public
holiday and I had my elderly parents with me in the car. One phone call to LR Emergency
had the local dealer Theo Daly from Daly Land Rover in Potch contacting me with-in 10
minutes. They took my car in, Theo gave me his own car ('98 Discovery) to continue the
journey. He told me I could probably have my Landy back that evening. The problem was
bigger than what they thought and the car was not fixed yet. No problem, Theo offered me
the Disco to keep till my car was fixed. Remember this all happened on a
PUBLIC HOLIDAY!!
My car was fixed in 4 days and Theo contacted me to make
arrangements for the delivery of my car to Pretoria! They brought me my car and handed it
over with a FULL tank of petrol. I was very impressed with the service. Needless to say I
bought my new Discovery from Daly's in Potch. Subsequently I've had all the services done
in Potch. Each time they gave me a car to use during the services. The last service
(40,000km)I could not return the car to them due to business. AGAIN no problem, Mr Botha,
we will deliver your car in Pta the next day and collect our car. All this at NO
additional cost!!!! If that is not real service.... Pretoria have a LOT to learn.
Fanie du Plessis
ZA-LRO
I bought my Discovery from Sandton LR secondhand with 124 000
km's on the clock. I test drove it and it had a minor miss which they promised to fix
and did not when I took delivery. They took the vehicle in for a week to
look after the miss as well as a long list of other faults I only noticed
after delivery. They gave me a replacement Discovery to use and all the
faults were corrected to my satisfaction.
About two weeks later the Discovery started stalling at stop streets while
idling. I took the vehicle back and they diagnosed a defective airflow
sensor. A replacement is priced at R6000 but they offered to get it fixed
for free under a LR secondhand |
