[squint]

Prior to me purchasing Evoque I had bought a new car from a different manufacturer.
I decided to test the SOS button (which should dial the emergency contact centre if car is in an accident and airbags inflated - and if driver does not answer, the emergency contact centre should be able to send car location to emergency services). On pressing the button, not only could the car not connect to emergency centre, it blocked my own phone from dialling out for nearly 30 minutes even if car was locked.
The dealership had my car for several weeks - head office said it was a network problem and only my car was affected(!!).

I considered this to be a major safety concern.

I was getting nothing sensible from head office or dealership - maintaining my car was the only one affected and they had had no other similar complaints - I found proof this was untrue.
Anyway, I had several weeks of absolute "hell" trying to get a satisfactory resolution.
Eventually, I contacted every car journal, radio show etc. I could think of - not one reply.

I then rejected the car - which was accepted. Within a day after being repaid monies due, the car appeared for sale on the Dealership's website!! - it can't have been fixed as they wouldn't have paid me.

I tried everything I could to make other owners of the same car to be aware of my safety concerns - just as you are but to little avail.
So I wish you well in your quest.
I came across this person on LinkedIn - maybe he could help you:

 

[PhilB]

Just ran a test on mine this morning.
If the doors have been locked either by pressing the lock button on the driver's door internal panel or having drive away locking enabled (I have) and with the engine running and the keys inside the doors won't unlock.
Numerous presses on the small unlock button on all doors failed to unlock and have the handles pop out.
It doesn't make sense to be able to open the doors from the outside with the driver and keys inside for security purposes either.
I think there is some kind of fault in this case or the doors weren't locked and the handles extended..

 

[colin4x4]

I think there is some kind of fault in this case or the doors weren't locked and the handles extended..

How many owners do we know have had this fault so far? we have the OP, plus the owner of the video in this thread, Is that it or has this happened to others?

If it happened a lot in car washes, then there is a underlying fault or specific condition, with all Evoques with the pop out handles, or if just a few mishaps then its likely just a problem with those cars only. That's what you want to find out.

 

[CaptainNick]

The video is from the OP running a test I think so just the one. In the video you don't hear the doors unlock (with the new ones you can hear them unlock and extend quite easily) as the handles are already extended so I'm guessing that the speed reached after getting in the car was not enough to retract the handles. Did you have to get out just before the wash to put the token in a slot for example?

If the doors are unlocked and the handles extended I can't see how it's reasonable that it is JLR's issue/liability. However, have you got legal cover with your car insurance? You shouldn't have to use a no win no fee Ambulance chaser!

 

[colin4x4]

Maybe it should be a bit like those car door mirrors in America, where legally they have an engraved sign on the mirrors, saying that 'cars may be close than you think'. Maybe all the pop out door handles should be engraved, 'Don't let me stick out in carwashes' or is that too USA nanny state?

 

[DKZ5745]

I would NEVER use one of the automatic car washers. If I was so inclined however, I would not leave the door handles out, as they are quite flimsy & I wouldn‘t be at all surprised if one was damaged or ripped off by the action of the rotating brushes, & then you have the added bonus of it hitting your car on each rotation, tangled in the brush.

Those type of car washers are great for company car owners who have no time and don’t really care about their cars other than they don’t want road dirt showing when they reach their clients.

At best, they damage the paintwork when they are working correctly, they don’t clean the car properly, and at worst, they can cause untold damage.

When I was a young man and knew no better, I took my Peugeot 405 through my local car wash. I followed the instructions to the letter, and it managed to break my drivers door electric heated wing mirror, and twisted a fixed roof aerial.

The garage owner (eventually) repaired the aerial & replaced the wing mirror. Immediately afterwards, all kinds of disclaimer signs appeared at the garage.
That was the last time I ever used an automatic car wash.

If the handles were out (you can put them back in by pressing the lock button on the drivers door) I don’t think there can be any blame attached to any third party really, due to the design of the handles.

Its always worth a try I suppose, but sadly, I think if the handles were out, you might just have to accept responsibility. Just my thoughts, but I would probably go down the same route as you to start with.

If the handles weren’t out however, that’s a different matter & JLR need to investigate that thoroughly.

 

[colin4x4]

If the handles weren’t out however, that’s a different matter & JLR need to investigate that thoroughly.

Or worse, the handles jumped out by themselves in the car wash.

This is an interesting case to watch as the Evoque is not the only car in the JLR range, with pop out handles.

 

[buededw1]

You say regardless of the door handles in or out they shouldn’t open in a car wash, but if there locked beforehand they won’t open !
But if left unlocked/open then it’s obvious to me the brushes can get behind the handles and pop the doors.
If you can say one hundred percent you locked them beforehand then you have a fault, easy to test, but if not then I would say you are going to struggle, also JLR state in Evoque handbook not to use automatic car washers.

When i drive my Mercedes through a car wash i dont lock the doors, why should i have to consider this when driving a Range Rover.

And the Solicitor and Barrister seem to side with my point of view and it's a technical fault as per the engineers comments. So i'm hoping on this occassion your wrong my friend.

Prior to me purchasing Evoque I had bought a new car from a different manufacturer.
I decided to test the SOS button (which should dial the emergency contact centre if car is in an accident and airbags inflated - and if driver does not answer, the emergency contact centre should be able to send car location to emergency services). On pressing the button, not only could the car not connect to emergency centre, it blocked my own phone from dialling out for nearly 30 minutes even if car was locked.
The dealership had my car for several weeks - head office said it was a network problem and only my car was affected(!!).

I considered this to be a major safety concern.

I was getting nothing sensible from head office or dealership - maintaining my car was the only one affected and they had had no other similar complaints - I found proof this was untrue.
Anyway, I had several weeks of absolute "hell" trying to get a satisfactory resolution.
Eventually, I contacted every car journal, radio show etc. I could think of - not one reply.

I then rejected the car - which was accepted. Within a day after being repaid monies due, the car appeared for sale on the Dealership's website!! - it can't have been fixed as they wouldn't have paid me.

I tried everything I could to make other owners of the same car to be aware of my safety concerns - just as you are but to little avail.
So I wish you well in your quest.
I came across this person on LinkedIn - maybe he could help you:

View attachment 7794

Hi Mate,

I appreciated this very much, I'll get in touch with this guy. I'm glad you got your money back, but that is ridiculous the car was back for sale. I have had an independent assessment and they are in agreement with my self and it looks as thought Land Rover are now taking it a lot more serious, however I can see this going on for some time.

 

[colin4x4]

As cars get more complicated, I get to a stage I do not trust things.

All our three cars in our household have automatic locking of doors as you go above 5MPH (anti-car jacking option), but I have put the disable option on all of them, as we do not want to be locked in a car if it is crashed and people cannot get you out of a locked door. OK, it says in the car manuals if airbags go off the doors auto unlock, but what if airbags do not go off, which i have seen in some accidents, so then the doors do not unlock. I would not risk it, mind you we live in a Scottish region where only sheep or deer might go for the car, so locking of car on the move is not needed

I just do not see why car designers make such complicated systems in cars now. They can go so badly wrong.