My 2007 Jaguar X Type 3.0 (60,000 Miles) feels like it slides/glides when driving in the highway. The problem is not overwhelming to the point where it feels unsafe to drive the car. Has anybody encountered this problem?? Any idea what it can be?

Any help is much appreciated.

 

619Jag, first off, welcome to the Forums. I think you will find lots of good information here and lots of friendly people. But, we do ask a simple thing from you though. Please stop by the New Member Forum and introduce yourself. We are quirky in that we like to get to know one another. Besides, this will also give you a chance to meet the movers and shakers around these parts.

As for your problem, what I want you to try is to take one of the off-ramps of I-5 that is part of a clover leaf. As you are making the big sweeping turn, I want you to play with the gas some. I want you to step on the gas momentarily like you were going to accelerate at a decent rate (don't need to get really crazy). Do you feel the rear end slide to the outside like the rear end is coming around on you every time you step on the gas? If yes, then your problem most likely is your forward/lower control arms for the rear suspension have worn out bushings and you are getting a little bit of play in them. What you would be feeling is the car fighting itself as it is finding the gaps in the road and the tire is twisting slightly, causing the car to move around a little side to side.

The new arms run about $100 each and are easy to install (remove tire, disconnect 2 bolts, remove arm, install new arm, install the 2 bolts, reinstall tire, get car aligned).

If this is not the case, then let us know and I am sure we can have a few more things for you to try and see if that would be your problem.

I have spent more time than I care to admit to down in San Dog. Most of my time was off of Rosecrans, going to Point Loma (navy sub base). San dog was kinda my second home as my one boat loved it there and every time we pulled in, the boat would break and keep us there for a lot longer than we were supposed to be there.

 

Hey Thermo,


Thank you for the input. I went ahead and did some runs, and found that when making the turns the car would feel like the end would slide to the outside, but when pulling extra hard the nose also felt like it would dip to the inside. It sounds like the problem is the lower control arms of the rear suspension, is this a common issue with the X-type? Or are there other things known in the car that can make it feel like its gliding/sliding while on the freeway?

Your input and knowledge is greatly appreciated.

And by the way I hope you enjoyed your time while in San Diego, it is indeed a big military city, with lots of things to do. And well, we do have great weather. Great for driving the jag with the sunroof open

 

619jag, the lower/forward control arms on the rear suspension are known for wearing out and causing all sorts of grief. They are about $100 each to replace and if you have even a little bit of mechanical ability, you can replace them yourself (remove tire, remove 2 bolts, remove arm, install new arm, install 2 bolts, install tire, get alignment). Start there and then see what you have at that point.

As for my time in San Diego, my favorite restaurant is no more. I loved eating at Casa de Pico in Old Town. Granted, the italian place that was right next to it was great too (the jalapeno fettuccine was incredible). I did a lot of travelling around there and at the time was doing a lot with the Ford Truck group in the area. Travelled up the coast a little bit and saw some great car shows, spent time with great people, and in general enjoyed my time. Silly question since it is something that you may know. When I was there (back in 04-05 time frame), there was a group that played at Casa de Pico on the stage there that played a lot of latin american songs and in general what could be called "world music". Would you happen to know the name of the band. The lead singer played the pan flute (if that helps). I meant to pick up one of their CDs while I was there but always seemed to run into something where I couldn't. It seemed to me that they were one of the big bands in the area. Nothing like eating some great mexican food and listening to them play their instruments.

 

Thermo,

When searching for the arm on the internet, I found that there are actually two different arms that can be called rear lower control arm. Do you mind looking at the attached picture to point out the correct arm. Hopefully in the future I can become more knowledgeable to be able to identify the different components.

And indeed, casa de pico in otown was a great spot. The performers there, and most of similar places, have local performers, so its difficult to track the name of the band. But ill ask around see if I can find some info.

Thanks Again!

 

619jag, you are after the middle one in your list. If you look, it talks about it being the forward/lower arm. You may also find (especially if you notice that your rear tires are leaning in at that top) that you may need to replace the upper control arm too (bottom one on your list). But, if you are replacing the upper arm, you may want to go with the upgraded arm I ran across (comes from a Volvo S40) as it is also adjustable and can allow the shop to set the tires to the correct orientation.

 

Hey guys, indeed I changed the lower control arms and that completely took care of the problem. It was really a night and day difference. After the old arms were removed, visually they did not appear to be worn out but when feeling them out they were extremely loose and overly flexible (the bushings) as compared to the new ones. So glad the problem got resolved and that the Jag rides as it should.

Thanks Thermo for your help!

 

619jag, not a problem. That is why we are here. Fairly easy job, right?