Hi, so I am new here and I got my 04 Jaguar Stype in 2016 and I fell in love after I put 100000 miles on it had a lot of repairs but that is to be expected. I was having my oil changed recently and they told me I needed front lower ball joints and THEY suggested I go to a Ford or Jaguar dealer which is obviously super expensive. I called around a different places and still pretty expensive. I am not one to fix stuff myself unfortunately but I was wondering if anyone had any advice about should I just keep calling around and find the cheapest place or go to a dealer. Any advice would be appreciated. I am in South Florida if anyone knows of any place spectacular around here. Thank you so much.

 

Get the right part number from s.n.g Barrats (stickies) and check the eBay for good price for the *****. Acquire the parts. Then take the car with parts to the repair shop. Check Google for recommendations. The job should take less than 2hrs for both sides in total. I changed mine in 2, with a jack and a set of spanners. Good luck.

 

+1 on that...

You can also get the ball joints from Rockauto as well.

Also, remember to get an alignment done after replacing the ball joints.

 

I'm surprised you're having trouble finding a local shop that can replace the ball joints. I had one fail on my '02 several years ago. I had the work done at Les Schwab, a regional tire store chain. It only needed one side and total for parts and labor (with alignment) was about $220.

Aftermarket is the way to go here. Not 100% sure, but think the dealer only sells the ball joint as part of the control arm assembly, which is far more expensive. An independent repair shop has access to quality aftermarket brands (such as Moog) with service kits to replace just the worn part, not the whole assembly.

Also, many shops don't like to install parts supplied by the customer, and typically won't guarantee them. In my over-rated opinion, you're better off to let the shop handle everything and supply the parts. With their wholesale connections, they can probably offer a better price, too.

If a shop tells you they don't work on exotics like Jaguar, keep looking. Many of the components for this era came straight out of Ford parts bins.

 

Hi,
Recently has most suspension arms, drop links and ball joints replaced. I sourced from Berkshire Jaguar Components and had fitted by a trusted independent. Worked out no more expensive that similar repairs would have cost on a Ford.
https://www.berkshirejagcomponents.com/