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MY JMG Porsche experience - and the maintenance plan myth?

jm24

Well-known member
Joined
30 Mar 2015
Messages
154
I had hoped not to have to write this post – but now feel I should share my experience with JMG and their apparent maintenance plan and hear people's thoughts.

So early in April, having recently acquired my dream C4S, I felt a maintenance plan was worth the peace of mind. Being in the south, JMG are half the distance of Hartech and as far as I could tell had a good reputation. I duly booked the required full reset service and inspection, despite the former being around a thousand pounds alone.

On the day, JMG finished around the suggested time. A number of advisories were made, mostly minor except a seized front brake bleed nipple. After the technician had run through these, I asked how I would be accepted onto the plan. The young lad then said 'It will be up to Jon, and how he's feeling on the day, but he will email over the next week'.

Before I set off, I checked the service book I left on the passenger seat – no stamp. Popped back in to get it done before heading off to for some new tyres, generally happy knowing my car had not thrown up any surprises. Knowing I needed new tyres and not being able to find any Michelin PS near me, I had previously spent some time calling places local to JMG, and to my surprise a nearby Kwik-Fit said they could get them in, so I had arranged for these to be fitted late afternoon after the service.

Now, this is where it gets messy. After waiting 5 minutes in Kwik-Fit, the chap comes in and says there's something I might want to take a look at. He says one of the rear brake bleed nipples has been left open and is spurting brake fluid. He shows me the tyre which has fluid over much of it and the open nipple which he has not touched (have some pics of this). I explained I'd just had it serviced, but when a Kwik-Fit guy is appalled it is not reassuring (incidentally the Christchurch Kwik-Fit were brilliant and had brand new hunter alignment kit in)!

As you can imagine I called JMG wanting to alert them to this. Now I'm aware this might have looked like an angle to get some money off or something but I just wanted to hear what they had to say. However I had to them chase up after leaving several messages, and then have several conversations with 'Clare' before eventually I get to speak with Jon Mitchell (the boss) and explain what's happened. Now Jon seemed polite, genuinely concerned, and promised to investigate and come back to me (I didn't meet him during the service as he wasn't there). I told him the name of the manager at the Kwik-Fit centre in case he wanted to verify, but he seemed to just take me on my word.

I did have to chase Jon a bit, but finally we get to speak again at the end of April and again and he sounds genuinely concerned. He explains that the technician says he didn't leave the nipple open (as you would expect), but accepts that mistakes happen and seems to implicitly accept this is the case. He assures me the technician is now quite paranoid about checking and asks what can they do to keep my custom.

I wasn't looking for any money as I was fairly reassured and happy with this response, but Jon then said that to make up for it they would fix the seized front brake nipple (nothing to do with the human error on the rear) and they would replace all the threads with ones that aren't prone to rust as these are a bit of a design fault apparently, and they are working with a local business to make a replacement part. He says they will do this free of charge, next time I come down for a service as part of the plan which I would be accepted onto.

I was at this stage happy with this, and felt it a fair – even generous - offer. Jon said he would send me through the necessary maintenance plan documents the next day.

To cut to the chase, 4 weeks later and I have received nothing from them except repeated promises to send the relevant documents through. At first Clare says the documents are on the website (which they aren't, so makes me question how many people actually get accepted onto the plan), but subsequently when I call back she says it's Dave's fault for not sending them (Dave is apparently the manager). Last week I was promised them by Tuesday latest. I politely inform Clare if I don't receive anything then I will read between the lines that they're deliberately not sending it to me. This week I called again as one last try and she puts me through to Dave who says he's been off ill and says he'll send them once he's written the exclusions (even though there aren't supposed to be any). I ask by when, and now I'm sure I'm getting the run around when he just says 'this week'.

So, do JMG actually want people to join their maintenance plan, and after this would you even want to be on it? Or is it just that Jon Mitchell is a good egg who seems to have employed a load of incompetents? I'm now considering just going with Hartech and taking some kind of small court claims action against JMG – mainly as a matter of principle. Any thoughts welcome..
:?:
 
From what you're saying, you've tried hard to get a plan with JMG going to the point of putting yourself out repeatedly in order to give them your business, surely it shouldn't be like that.

I don't know JMG apart from they have been in business a long time and Jon Mitchell does come over well in his posts I've seen on the Tipec forum (he is Tipec technical advisor), but even if you get the documents and enter the plan are you sure you won't have nagging doubts, which is the last thing you need with something like this.

Maybe somebody with a JMG plan will post their happy experiences and your experience up to now will turn out to have been a set of circumstances that were just a blip, but it doesn't sound encouraging.

You could talk to Hartech and see if a JMG reset service will give you any credit off the entry service they need to get a car onto their plan which we down south probably have to admit is the gold standard. It means biting the bullet for the (hopefully) once a year trip up to Bolton of course.
 
Agree MJ, and I'm sure most people's experience is much more positive otherwise I doubt they'd be in business. Incidentally I did speak to Grant at Hartech today. Unfortunately they'll still need to carry out most of the service including oil change as they use a different oil and will want to check the fitler. However some items like spark plugs I could skip, but still upwards of another £500 +vat he thought. He did also say he thought in reality they don't make much if anything from the plan. This adds to my suspicion that from JMG's perspective charging over £1k for a reset service and not ending up with the liability of anyone on the plan is far more profitable..
 
Don't have any experience of JMG but these service plans just appear to be a 2 way gamble.

The provider is betting they wont have to contribute any labour

And the purchaser is getting piece of mind

Hopefully JMG could make this good as their offer, or reply to this thread.

Otherwise other customers may be put off them
 
you do come over as a very reasonable guy, and with more patience than I have,
for what its worth, if they cant get this part of a plan in motion, I very much doubt you would have any luck with a serious issue, cut your loss's and run.

I feel for you sir. :frustrated:
 
Jonathon555 said:
Don't have any experience of JMG but these service plans just appear to be a 2 way gamble.

The provider is betting they wont have to contribute any labour

And the purchaser is getting piece of mind

Hopefully JMG could make this good as their offer, or reply to this thread.

Otherwise other customers may be put off them

I suppose for the majority of cars that don't have any major failure or issues they are essentially getting guaranteed custom in the form of annual servicing etc, and then a bit at the start including any work that needs doing (assuming you do it with them). As seems to be the common message here, proper maintenance seems to reduce the risk of failure making it less of a risk for them.
 
+1 :frustrated:
 
dont know anyhing about them but imagine the hassle trying to get a claim resolved.
 
In isolation, the circa £1k start off cost seems expensive?

What exactly did this entail?
 
Chris_in_the_UK said:
In isolation, the circa £1k start off cost seems expensive?

What exactly did this entail?

The op said it was a reset service, is this just

Oil / filter
Brake fluid
Transmission fluid
Plugs / packs
Air filter
Pollen filter

??? Not sure what else
 
medicus said:
you do come over as a very reasonable guy, and with more patience than I have,
for what its worth, if they cant get this part of a plan in motion, I very much doubt you would have any luck with a serious issue, cut your loss's and run.

I feel for you sir. :frustrated:

Thanks mate. I've certainly learned to be more reasonable and accepting of life's challenges. It's usually more helpful in these situations.

Essentially though I felt I have given JMG every opportunity to rectify the situation for both our interests, but I'm also very principled so I have no intention of just 'walking away'. I have all the evidence I can of what's happened. I'm likely to pursue some level of compensation for the fact that had it not have been for the plan I would have just had a standard service done at 9excellence (close to me) and saved myself around £600 on that, plus costs of a 200 mile round trip. That's not accounting for the issue of allowing me to drive away with brake fluid spurting out on one corner.
 
Jonathon555 said:
Chris_in_the_UK said:
In isolation, the circa £1k start off cost seems expensive?

What exactly did this entail?

The op said it was a reset service, is this just

Oil / filter
Brake fluid
Transmission fluid
Plugs / packs
Air filter
Pollen filter

??? Not sure what else

Didn't include coil packs (annoying as a few were advisories and I would have said replace them if they'd called me to ask) but did also include:
Auxiliary belt
Clutch fluid
AC service
'Advance engine oil flush'

Also have to add £100 for the inspection.
 
jm24 said:
Jonathon555 said:
Chris_in_the_UK said:
In isolation, the circa £1k start off cost seems expensive?

What exactly did this entail?

The op said it was a reset service, is this just

Oil / filter
Brake fluid
Transmission fluid
Plugs / packs
Air filter
Pollen filter

??? Not sure what else

Didn't include coil packs (annoying as a few were advisories and I would have said replace them if they'd called me to ask) but did include:
Auxiliary belt
Clutch fluid
AC service
'Advance engine oil flush'

Also have to add £100 for the inspection.

Please give us an exact breakdown of what the £1000 got you, as i am now puzzled .
 
OK I'll scan and post the invoice/breakdown later.. though basically just your list and my list combined :)
 
Re: MY JMG Porsche experience - and the maintenance plan myt

jm24

that is not the way it should be, that is very disappointing

your profile says you are in London, what part as there a lot of good garages in the South East

jm24 said:
I had hoped not to have to write this post – but now feel I should share my experience with JMG and their apparent maintenance plan and hear people's thoughts.

So early in April, having recently acquired my dream C4S, I felt a maintenance plan was worth the peace of mind. Being in the south, JMG are half the distance of Hartech and as far as I could tell had a good reputation. I duly booked the required full reset service and inspection, despite the former being around a thousand pounds alone.

On the day, JMG finished around the suggested time. A number of advisories were made, mostly minor except a seized front brake bleed nipple. After the technician had run through these, I asked how I would be accepted onto the plan. The young lad then said 'It will be up to Jon, and how he's feeling on the day, but he will email over the next week'.

Before I set off, I checked the service book I left on the passenger seat – no stamp. Popped back in to get it done before heading off to for some new tyres, generally happy knowing my car had not thrown up any surprises. Knowing I needed new tyres and not being able to find any Michelin PS near me, I had previously spent some time calling places local to JMG, and to my surprise a nearby Kwik-Fit said they could get them in, so I had arranged for these to be fitted late afternoon after the service.

Now, this is where it gets messy. After waiting 5 minutes in Kwik-Fit, the chap comes in and says there's something I might want to take a look at. He says one of the rear brake bleed nipples has been left open and is spurting brake fluid. He shows me the tyre which has fluid over much of it and the open nipple which he has not touched (have some pics of this). I explained I'd just had it serviced, but when a Kwik-Fit guy is appalled it is not reassuring (incidentally the Christchurch Kwik-Fit were brilliant and had brand new hunter alignment kit in)!

As you can imagine I called JMG wanting to alert them to this. Now I'm aware this might have looked like an angle to get some money off or something but I just wanted to hear what they had to say. However I had to them chase up after leaving several messages, and then have several conversations with 'Clare' before eventually I get to speak with Jon Mitchell (the boss) and explain what's happened. Now Jon seemed polite, genuinely concerned, and promised to investigate and come back to me (I didn't meet him during the service as he wasn't there). I told him the name of the manager at the Kwik-Fit centre in case he wanted to verify, but he seemed to just take me on my word.

I did have to chase Jon a bit, but finally we get to speak again at the end of April and again and he sounds genuinely concerned. He explains that the technician says he didn't leave the nipple open (as you would expect), but accepts that mistakes happen and seems to implicitly accept this is the case. He assures me the technician is now quite paranoid about checking and asks what can they do to keep my custom.

I wasn't looking for any money as I was fairly reassured and happy with this response, but Jon then said that to make up for it they would fix the seized front brake nipple (nothing to do with the human error on the rear) and they would replace all the threads with ones that aren't prone to rust as these are a bit of a design fault apparently, and they are working with a local business to make a replacement part. He says they will do this free of charge, next time I come down for a service as part of the plan which I would be accepted onto.

I was at this stage happy with this, and felt it a fair – even generous - offer. Jon said he would send me through the necessary maintenance plan documents the next day.

To cut to the chase, 4 weeks later and I have received nothing from them except repeated promises to send the relevant documents through. At first Clare says the documents are on the website (which they aren't, so makes me question how many people actually get accepted onto the plan), but subsequently when I call back she says it's Dave's fault for not sending them (Dave is apparently the manager). Last week I was promised them by Tuesday latest. I politely inform Clare if I don't receive anything then I will read between the lines that they're deliberately not sending it to me. This week I called again as one last try and she puts me through to Dave who says he's been off ill and says he'll send them once he's written the exclusions (even though there aren't supposed to be any). I ask by when, and now I'm sure I'm getting the run around when he just says 'this week'.

So, do JMG actually want people to join their maintenance plan, and after this would you even want to be on it? Or is it just that Jon Mitchell is a good egg who seems to have employed a load of incompetents? I'm now considering just going with Hartech and taking some kind of small court claims action against JMG – mainly as a matter of principle. Any thoughts welcome..
:?:
 

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