Range Rover Velar: AC malfunction in a brand new car & no solution

On repeated requests, they have given old F-pace as a courtesy car.

Thanks to Kamal Gupta for sending in the details of his purchase. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP share page!

• While taking the delivery of Range Rover Velar on 04/04/2024 from AMP Motors Gurgaon, the air conditioning unit malfunctioned (Hot air blowing from front right side blowers even after lowest temperature setting). I was not willing to take the delivery as they were trying to give me a faulty car.
• On technical advice, the car was switched off for 10 minutes and then started. Cool air started blowing, and the sales team and technical staff assured me that it was some software update issue. They insisted that I should take the delivery of the car as it was my birthday also and that I shouldn't spoil the day. I ended up taking the delivery.
• I was travelling abroad till the 26th of April, and on 03/05/2024, I visited the AMP Gurgaon workshop. After inspection, they told me that it was not a software issue and the motor needed to be replaced. The motor was not in stock and will come from the UK, so you take the car back, and we will inform you once we receive the motor.
• On the 28th of May, the part arrived and the car was sent to AMP Motors Gurgaon. In the meantime, one more issue cropped up - petrol smell had started to come inside the cabin.
• On the 30th of May, I was told that the issue was not resolved by changing the motor and that the entire AC assembly needed to be replaced. Again, it's not in stock and will come from the UK. Regarding the petrol smell, they agreed that it was there but were not able to diagnose it. Since then, the car has been at the workshop and they are not giving any timeline when the part will be received.
• On repeated requests, they have given old F-pace as a courtesy car.

I asked for a refund or replacement of the car, but they refused. I have been paying EMI, insurance, and depreciation since April 2024 for a car that I am not able to use. All this has started to affect my work and my mental health.

How come such a major issue was not detected during the PDI at the plant and then at the dealership? On demanding the PDI report, they straightforwardly refused to share it by saying that it was an internal document. I feel that AMP Motors has knowingly delivered a car with manufacturing defects

Here's what BHPian TORQUEINDUCTION had to say on the matter:

Well, the forum continuously emphasizes on the PDI check and this is the reason. My younger brother booked Safari top end in Pune couple of months back. We did 2 inspections at the yard. One at night to check all lights and other in day for other features. We too found that the A/C was not cooling. We refused to take delivery and the car was not registered. Dealership tried to fix the car for 2 weeks but were not able to properly diagnose the issue. We got a new replacement car, while the dealer was still trying to fix the issue on the old car. I myself have helped with PDI for my friends, who are from non automotive background. Since the car is already registered, it would be difficult to get a replacement. Hope the issue is resolved soon and you are able to enjoy your time with the fantastic machine.

Here's what BHPian sachin_cs had to say on the matter:

Having a small stint at JLR, my understanding is that the CKD cars have a lot of issues from the get go. I can give you n number of problems which we faced regularly. JLR has anyways got a bad reputation in terms of reliability but we don't expect it from a factory fresh models. During my time an F-Pace (3 months) petrol developed clicking sound from the fuel tank and car would go into limp mode but would not throw any error in obd, in every F-Pace the front Jaguar emblem would rattle, new F-Pace had its screen conked off, a discovery sport would need regular replacement of front suspension components as it would develop rattling noise, Velar had air suspension not available error within a month etc. The only reliable workhorse were Defender, Discovery (full sized Discovery, not the sport), XE. Range Rover & Sport were doing great back then, now I'm not sure if CKD has made a difference to them.

My whole point is that the charm and the brand value associated with Land Rover & Range Rover in particular is incomparable. Buy these cars as a lifestyle vehicle, not as your primary vehicle. Expecting reliability in JLR is like expecting a Swift to have a TSI engine with Tata's safety.

Raed BHPian comments for more insights and information.