Chris G

Poor Service

I purchased a used Jaguar XE around July 2022 from Kia Boston, after having seen it on Autotrader. Being based in Wolverhampton and being some 140 miles away, I did have reservations about it, due to any potential faults and getting it fixed. However the salesperson reassured me that I could take the car to any VAT registered garage, using their Auto Protect warranty and there would be nothing to pay. I drove over to Boston after paying for the car in full, with the understanding that it had a full service history and was in very good condition. When I arrived for the test drive, I noticed it had several scratches, which I had no been made aware of and there was some question marks over the service history. I was reassured that the service history was fine and accepted that the scratches were just about acceptable. However, upon checking all the supplied paperwork, there was in fact only one proper service, which had been completed by Kia in April last year. As such, I have since been advised that the value of the car upon part exchange is approximately £1000 less than market. About 1 month of having the car, the rear camera stopped working and the car started displaying ‘forward alert’ error messages on the dash. I was asked to return the car and leave it at Boston, without any mention of a courtesy car. Not very practical. I was then asked to find someone who would work with the warranty provider, which took some two months in the end. At no point was I told I needed to pay for any inspection reports, for which most dealers wanted over £600 for, which I had to cover! When being sold the warranty, this little matter was conveniently not mentioned. Eventually I found a dealer over 20 miles away who would deal with Auto Protect, so I took the car in almost 3 months after the initial faults. They repaired the faults, but then Auto Protect said they wouldn’t pay anything anyway. Absolute disgrace. Eventually, I did get a refund from the dealership. When I collected the car from the dealer who repaired the faults, they also advised that the front brake pads and discs were low and needed to be replaced, at a cost of £700. This alongside all the faults have led me to part exchange the car, as I have no confidence in it or Kia / Auto Protect, as I need a reliable car for my job. I have lost £5000 in five months on this car, in a market where second hand cars are apparently in short supply and therefore over priced! All of the above has certainly put me off dealing with Kia ever again, as my last requests to the garage have gone unanswered also. I will now never purchase a non dealership car again e.g. a Jaguar from a none Jaguar dealer and not touch another warranty provider. The only reason I have given then 2 stars for service, is that at times, Jack has been helpful and did at least offer to refund the next service I had on the car. Never got to test if that would happen and I have had radio silence asking for a refund on the 2nd year of the warranty.