My Freelander was booked into Shields (Glasgow) for its annual service and for the power steering to be fixed under warranty. Unfortunately it did not make it, as two-days prior to the agreed date, the steering failed completely and the Freelander had to be recovered by the AA, who sub-contracted the uplift to a local recovery agent called Autotec. Instead of taking the Freelander directly to Shields, it went missing for a day or two - seemingly in storage?

The car was eventually delivered to Shields, i then got a phone-call from Shields that all was well and to come collect my fully repaired vehicle (on the original agreed service date) which had been given its annual service and a brand-new steering rack, fitted under warranty.

However, all was not well, when i collected the Freelander it had a mind of its own, steering all over the road with tyres squealing. I went straight back into Shields and it was obvious that the o/s REAR wheel was heavily toe'd-in!!! It was immediately put on a ramp and we could see that the rear suspension was damaged, the o/s rear arm had a 30 degree bend/kink in it!

Shields or Autotec ??? ...no-one would own-up to the damage, so i had to pay Shields to get the rear suspension repaired. Two days later i got another call from Shields 'that all was well and to come collect my fully repaired vehicle' which had been given a new suspension arm and a 'full alignment'.

However, all was still not well, when driving home the Freelander was still wandering with tyres squealing when going around roundabouts. Fed-up with Shields, i went straight to Kwik-Fit to get the front wheel alignment checked and they laughed when they saw the condition of the vehicle. They confirmed that its had a new rear suspension arm and that it had indeed got a brand-new steering rack, but one front wheel was set at +7.5 toe-in and the other was set at +7 toe-in. So i also had to pay Kwik-Fit to re-align the front wheels, although they did not have the equipment to check the rear.

I informed my insurance company and complained to Shields, The AA and Landrover direct.

The AA gave me an apology and paid for the repairs despite the fact that their investigation was 'inconclusive' who actually damaged the rear suspension. A big thank-you and well-done to the AA.

Landrover direct gave me an apology but could not take liability for the damage as they had to take Shields 'word'? So they gave me a goodwill gesture of a 'dealer credit' and took the Freelander to a different dealership who were great and checked everything over. The rear-end did indeed require alignment and the front wheel alignment got a minor tweak. A big thank-you and well-done to Landrover direct.

Freelander sorted - it is now driving like new :o)

...and what of Shields (Glasgow)? - not a peep, not an apology, explanation or offer of help. Shields also denied all knowledge of the damage. If the car was delivered to them in a damaged state, they must have fitted the new steering rack with their eyes closed because the damage to the rear was obvious. They then did not align the front wheels and turned the car back-out to me with serious rear wheel steering! So it could not have been road-tested either, or was ignored.

Shields (Glasgow) - no thanks, my Freelander will be giving them a very-wide berth.

this is the third Landrover I have purchased from Shields, and due to the attitude of the service department when I required a warranty repair done recently, I was forced to have the repair and the first service done at Taggarts Glasgow. ( excellent service and very happy to do the work )

I have dealt with Shields for over 10 years but I now feel their service department is letting them down badly and they will lose a lot of "loyal" customers due to this.

shame really, but perhaps they no longer want the Landrover franchise.............that's the feeling I get.

Iain

ps and your experience just confirms what I am thinking Deek

Thanks Iain

It was indeed Taggarts that sorted me out and the difference was night & day. Taggarts kept me informed, checked & test-drove afterwards, cleaned inside & out (gleaming) and sent me off happy, with a box of shortie and a welcome-pack to gain my future service - which they certainly will.

I should have remembered... Over a year ago, at pre-sale when i was shopping-around, i walked into Shields with a guaranteed company car allowance on a £30k budget, swapped contact details with the sales guy ...and he did not even bother to call me back!?

sounds like a movie

the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
(The AA, the Autotec and the dealer)  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

npinks wrote:

sounds like a movie

the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
(The AA, the Autotec and the dealer)

Admit it, you've been waiting for ages to be able to use that!!  Hi Darling, I'll be home in 10 mins. If I'm not back, please read this message again...

yes Deek, I was impressed with Taggart's customer service as well, and Shields could learn a thing or two from them.

I used to be happy with Shields, but as I said they just don't seem to care now, and I wonder if there is something going on between them and LR that we don't know about.

I must say at the time I felt very let down by Shields as I have been a loyal customer for over 10 years, and it was a bit of a slap in the face.................but hey things move on !!

Iain

xtattsbox wrote:

npinks wrote:

sounds like a movie

the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
(The AA, the Autotec and the dealer)

Admit it, you've been waiting for ages to be able to use that!!

it just came to me out out of nowhere  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Just heard that Shields Glasgow have been taken over by Lookers, seems that applies to just LR , will it stay as a Shields or change to Taggarts? not sure only happened recently ( month or two) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-22561934 my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.