British automaker Jaguar Land Rover has come under fire after the owner of a Range Rover Evoque accused the company of fixing her swanky SUV with used parts. The company has reportedly struggled to source enough new components to clear its backlog of 10,000 cars awaiting repairs, so has instead turned to used components as a quick fix.
In the UK, more than 10,000 Jaguar Land Rover customers are currently awaiting repairs to their cars, reports British outlet Autocar. However, the Range Rover manufacturer is facing a “bottleneck” at one of its parts suppliers, which means it has been unable to source the necessary components quickly enough. As such, the backlog has built up and now more than 5,000 JLR cars are off the road and waiting for repairs.
The parts supply issues originate at JLR’s Mercia Park facility in the midlands in the UK. The backlog has gotten so bad that rather than wait for new parts, the automaker is instead instructing service centers to use second-hand components to patch cars up and get them back on the road. Autocar reports:
An employee at a JLR dealership has told Autocar that to beat the waiting list for new parts and speed up repairs, the manufacturer has instructed dealers to use second-hand parts.
“JLR has told retailers to source non-genuine parts to get cars fixed and out of their workshops for the last six months,” he said.
“One JLR senior manager even suggested we use second-hand parts if necessary, although this was ridiculed by retailers.”
Now, owners are finding out about the fixes, and they aren’t happy. Autocar spoke with a Range Rover Evoque driver who had their car patched up with a “refurbished engine and turbochargers,” according to engineers at consumer watchdog Reject My Car.
The driver had originally been told the parts to fix their car wouldn’t be available for more than seven months. However, it was soon inspected once again and miraculously repaired and sent back out onto the road. However, while the parts used were official JLR components, they turned out to be second-hand. In response, JLR told Autocar:
“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.”
But the Evoque owner isn’t the only JLR driver who has been hit with a lengthy wait for parts. a to be suspicious of a repair job carried out by the company. A Range Rover Sport driver was left waiting six months for a new wiring loom for his car. By the time it arrived, he had already rejected the car.