www.jec.org.uk

Has anyone used KWE recently for service or restoration work? Quality of work & guidance seems good on my project but difficulties over customer service and proper communication..

Although still to be evaluated because work over-ran significantly in to the off season but am expecting that quality will match KWE's high quality reputation. Problems were with refusal to accept compromise over contentious issues. The car was returned dirty inside and out, with minor defects and missing parts, all of which could have easily been put right with a regular PDI process or flagged up ahead of hand over. Gave impression of lack of care and 'penny pinching'..

I am surprised to hear this as Chris and Theresa Knowles, for what I know, have an excellent reputation. I did contact the company this year to evaluate prices but they were way beyond what I could afford...

Yes, they are certainly nice people but guess they must be struggling with cash flow or similar. They have certainly taken on more work than they were able to reasonably look after, which can only lead to challenges. I was certainly surprised at their refusal to give ground on even the most obvious of issues, particularly given my sizeable spend. Shame because I was hoping to come away with an instinct to return but will now consider others next time round..

They aren't much help to cheapskates like me; the last time that I enquired I was told that they generally look at work around the £5k mark which is a lot more than I usually spend on a car in the first place.

Hi Charles1471,

I used KWE for some work to my XJS V12 about 18 months ago - a re-cored radiator, some hoses and a new header tank.

The quality of their work is very good - I must point this out to begin with.

I did have several issues with them however, including a very long turn around time for what was a relatively simple scope of works (they had my car for a couple of months), the invoice was twice the estimate, poor communication, and my car too came back a little unloved - and missing my outdoor car cover! It also came back with a couple of new faults - which may or may not be related to be fair.

This concludes my experience with KWE - but they have a great reputation as far as I know, so maybe I was just unlucky (par for course with me!).

Ian.

Hi Ian,

Your experience sounds common to mine. I'm sure the actual jobs they did on my car are to a high standard. Its the associated tear down and reinstatement work that has been my problem. I'm still trying to put these bits right some months after the car came back. Their refusal to adequately acknowledge and support resolution to these issues was particularly frustrating and has had a disproportionate impact on my customer satisfaction. I will consider all alternatives before going back to them for any future work.

Charles

Had a few dealings with them would not use again Fitted an incorrect ditributor cap (should of been a vented one and caused all sorts of hassle). Very expensive and really only interested in mega money resotrations.

I also had an unsatisfactory experience with KWE recently. They had my car for one month but I was unable to make sense of their modus operandi or their charges (£109 p.h. plus VAT) for servicing/repairs. KWE appear to me to slot such jobs in around significant renovation work (vanity projects for individuals who have more money than sense, hoping XJSs may become as desirable as E-types) so you may wait longer than is usual in the motor trade for your car to be returned to you, depending on the scope/extent of the work required. I found the experience stressful, and needless to say, Chris Knowles and I did not part on good terms, neither party wishing to see the other again!