When my car was brand new I had gone on a short trip to a state park around here called Hocking Hills. There is a circle of roads there used as a proving ground for Car and Driver reviews. With the smooth country roads, I kept hearing a faint rhythmic sound from the tires/wheels that varied with speed. Couldn't feel vibration or anything, so I didn't worry too much about it. Mentioned it to the dealer, they checked the wheel balance, did a visual inspection and said all clear.

So fast forward a bit... during my 1000 mile drive to reach the Lobster Run kickoff, I had noticed a little vibration on the highway. Not something I ever really noticed here in Ohio because most of our roads are like driving down a staircase. But I must say the pavement on the I-90 toll road is excellent (and brand new) in many stretches.

Anyhow...my new friend MaineJagMike was good enough to take my car (and several others) to be checked out while we enjoyed lunch and a tour of Winslow Homer's studio on the coast. The techs immediately noticed that my front tires were obscenely worn on the inside edges (they have less than 10k on them). They recommended front tire replacement and an alignment, but that would have to wait, given the circumstances.

Fast forward again...I just took my car to a local trusted alignment guru. He found that (1) the alignment was completely out of spec (nearly every measurement), and (2) the painted bolts on the suspension parts had never been touched by a wrench. This would suggest that my car was never aligned before delivery, which I would think would be a normal part of the assembly QC process. I suspect that the noise I was hearing in the very beginning was due to the alignment, but I never even considered that problem on a brand new car.

After 20 minutes of work, even with the worn out front tires, the car now feels absolutely planted. New front tires on the way. I post this only to say if your steering feel is at all "floaty" at times, or if you have any tram-lining effect, have the alignment checked no matter your odometer reading. These were the symptoms that I simply attributed to the pirelli rubber that everyone complains about.

 

Good insight! More knowledge the better. What did the dealership say? The dealer first tome around simply lied to you about checking?

Also Side note. I just moved to Ohio and will be picking up my f type in 48 hours! Would love to do a Hocking Hills Foliage cruise.

 

I don't think they checked the alignment when I mentioned the problem, and I didn't think to ask them to.

Where in Ohio are you?

 

Columbus OH!

 

Wishing you:

 

Factory alignment chewed up my first set of tires. Absolutely awful. I now know to ask to do alignment on new Jags at delivery.

 

alignment caused my issue as well while on the lobster run. front right tire was pointing the wrong way.

 

My rear alignment was off and front was off a little. I had major wear on the inner parts of rear tread. With alignment and Michelin PS4S, the F-Type is so much more fun to take around corners.

 

OK be aware that the alignment spec for the car has aggressive camber for cornering which is why I too went through a set of those damn Pirelli tires at 10K miles as well and I did have it aligned early on. I took mine to a more neutral setting and my Michelin Super Sports have gone 15K miles and look like they have at least another 10K to go. But you will give up some cornering performance if you lose the camber. Doubt it will be much of an issue unless you track the car but FYI.

 

Hi guys - just a quick word on the Jaguar factory alignment. The factory have incredibly sophisticated alignment machines, which cost well in excess of six figures and are about the most accurate machines money can buy. Dealerships however use alignment machines of varying quality, age and accuracy (i.e. not hunter rigs - the next best to the factory machines). I'd be very surprised if the alignment didn't have a "tweak" on the dealership rig prior to delivery during the PDI process, and because their rigs are less accurate, adjustments are falsely made taking the alignment away from the factory nominal specification.

Just a tip as to how the process goes Don't be so hasty to blame Jaguar themselves!

 

17K miles on my original P zero, worn but probably another 5K miles before need replacing. Probably go with Michelin

 

This is exactly the sort of "question" that the GM of my fantastic dealership - MaineJagMike and Scarborough Jaguar/Land Rover - can address. Mike?

 

Well I don't know about the cost or sophistication of the factory alignment jigs as Chrissyg seems to be aware but I can tell you that we (as small as we are here in Maine) have the latest Hunter alignment machine that is calibrated on a regular basis by the Hunter factory techs and I would hope other dealers have that as well (it may in fact be mandated by JLR as many 'shop tools' are).

I can also tell you that the PDI process (Pre Delivery Inspection) follows a checklist of items for each vehicle that does not include an alignment as they come from the factory properly aligned.

It's also true that as enderle stated the cars are spec'd for camber that helps with cornering and will lead to rubber loss more than a mild or no camber as most of the time the car is going straight down the road and not cornering. When we put a car on the rig for alignment the computer sets the parameters for that car by VIN, wheel and tire size. Of course some tires wear better than others and you can consult the wear rating for each tire as a guide. And of course some drivers wear tires better than others too!! High performance tire compounds today are generally softer than in years past as technology has changed and they are sometimes not designed for long life but rather for best performance. That doesn't make one better than the other, it's all in what you prefer considering driving style, the roads you drive on, budget, etc.

 

I appreciate this insight, however in my case it was clear that no wrench had ever touched any of the bolts on my suspension.

 

I have asked to have two of my new Jaguar cars alignment checked upon arrival and was advised the alignment was perfect.

However, I was told by a mechanic at the dealer, that if someone nudged a curb (for instance) somewhere between the factory and my taking delivery the alignment could be affected and they have had that happen.
Lawrence

 

I have worked for Jaguar Land Rover in Chassis Engineering, in Product Development

It's physically impossible for a vehicle to leave the factory without running through the alignment facility - the systems simply don't allow it. The tolerances of which are significantly tighter than those used in service, as the tolerances can be set more accurately. I can't really comment on your car having not seen it, I'm simply stating the facts from the factory side. I'd be interested to know your VIN number, as I may be able to ask a friend to look into the factory settings. Remember however, that all of our cars have a run in period from new, where all of the compliances in suspension bushes, springs and their isolators all "bed in". When this is done, combined with driving the car (which can over time change the alignment - hence why we have places to take our cars to be aligned!) alter over time.

Mike, appreciate your insight. JLR do state that all dealerships have a hunter rig with the latest, and up to date software. It's fantastic to hear that yours does - a lot don't!

I'm on a bit of a fine line of what I can and can't talk about, but I've been a lurker on the forum since I got my brand new 18MY V6 coupé in September, and want to contribute if I can

 

Chrissy,

You obviously know your **** and will be a welcome contributor to this forum. If we assume that my car was dialed in when it got on the boat, I can at least say with certainty that it was off by enough to cook a set of tires in a very abnormal pattern in just a few thousand miles. That isn't just bedding in. As you've seen we've had other members with similar issues, but obviously many others who have not. So does that suggest my car has a mechanical issue that would allow the geometry to erode to such a degree in such a short interval?

 

Nati,

Not doubting the error state in your vehicle, I'm trying to understand a little more about it and see if I can help close down where the issues arose - hence why I asked for the VIN number of your car so I can dig into how it was set when it left the factory. How many miles was it exactly? You seem to say it was about 10k miles? And I'm not attributing it all to bedding in, but geometry does change over time, so if the vehicle was at an extreme of a tolerance, combined with settlement, would add to wherever the other error state came from. What did your dealership say about it?

 

Could the alignment been upset by poor loading or unloading as it crossed the pond?

 

The problem was identified with 15,000 on the ODO, but the tires themselves only had between 9-10k on them. I used a different set of tires during the winter. I can PM you the VIN. My local dealership has not been involved as they have damaged my car upon prior service, thus are generally not afforded the privilege unless I am having a clear mechanical issue that would be a warranty item.