A ‘significant parts shortage’ is putting Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) workshops at ‘breaking point’, according to a report by Car Dealer.
Around 10,000 cars are currently awaiting parts – with half of them off the road at car dealerships.
The news broke at a recent summit with the JLR dealer network, where attendees were warned that the problem, which originated at the firms new Mercia Park parts facility, is unlikely to improve for at least another six weeks.
UK client care director Andrew Woolliscroft said 5,000 JLR customers are currently driving courtesy cars. He told Car Dealer: “We’ve run out of cars to put clients into and we’ve run out of space to park the cars waiting on parts.
“We’ve nearly stopped our workshops from being able to operate and it’s unacceptable.”
Car Dealer spoke with several JLR customers, including supercar dealer boss Tom Hartley, who called the situation “disgusting”. Meanwhile, Paul Atton, a company director from North Yorkshire and owner of a Range Rover Velar with an ADAS fault, said: “I’m four months in without a car and have been stranded and left high and dry.
“I’ve tried every angle there was, and it’s been upsetting. You just get excuses all the time expressing they’re ‘sorry’, but there’s still no sign of the part.
“It’s crazy. I bought a prestige, top-of-the-range car and have been badly let down by the availability of parts, which makes me want to move on to another car.”
A JLR spokesperson told Car Dealer: “As we deliver our commitment to become carbon net zero across our supply chain, products, and operations by 2039, we are streamlining parts distribution from multiple locations to one global super centre.
“This transition has unfortunately caused some temporary delays to the delivery of parts to our retailers. We are working closely with our distribution partner, Unipart, to quickly resolve the issue and ensure the service returns to normal as soon as possible for our clients.”
Source: Car Dealer
Eddie Bamber
JLR are not the only manufacturer with this problem. Hyundai / Kia have car radio and Sat Nav units on indefinite back order.