Hello all, I just purchased a Select Edition CPO 2004 X-type 3.0 automatic. It had 24,000 miles on it from one owner. During the certification process they replaced the front tires due to wear. The dealer installed ContiProContact tires on the front. Since the rears were making loud noises, and since they didn't match (They were ContiSportContacts), I replaced them with the same tires as the front and balanced all four. Those tires would not have been my first choice but since the front were new...

Anyway, I have a pretty bad vibration above 55MPH. It seems to be coming from the drivetrain rather than the tires. I think that because is seems to be at a higher frequency (faster speed) than the tires. I had the tires re-balanced, and they balance fine, and it had no change. Of course I took it to the dealer and they did nothing, saying they feel it but didn't do anything to fix it. (Service writer said to bring it in again NOT on a Friday!)

My question is...What could it be? I read that some of you had drive shafts or bearings replaced. Does that sound like a possible fix?

Thanks in advance. Other than this, I love my X, but it really needs to get fixed. It's driving me nuts!

 

Bearings, CV,ball joints might be bad too if you don't suffer from the tires . Have it checked it asap otherwise it gets worse and leave you stranded

 

Mine had the vibration from 45-60 mph, and a replacement driveshaft fixed it.

 

Good info rudy and thanks for chimimg in
Where u been? Aint seen you around in ages!

Jim

 

Thanks for the response. I just talked to the tire dealer and they are going to do a "road force" balance. I guess it's a little better than the standard spin balance. We'll see if that helps. If not, I think I'm going to push Jaguar to replace the drive shaft. That's exactly what it feels like.

Thanks again.

 

HeyJim - I've been hanging around the bike club boards much of the summer - don't spend much time on 4 wheels until winter.

 

Good luck GMAN..............be sure to keep us posted about the outcome!

Rudy..........I'm guessin that means we'll be seeing more of you over the coming months then ( as winter is nearly upon us?? )

Jim

 

Yup - I'm baaack!

 

I noticed a slight vibration when I picked up my new 06 last winter. Took it back 3 times (2nd time called Jaguar customer service). For the first trip, the dealer balanced the tires....didn't help. The second time, they road force balanced the tires, slight improvement. Still not satisfied, called Jaguar directly to handle this, dealer now decided that two of the tires were beyond balancing (from the factory), so they replaced all four. I noticed more improvment, but vibration still there.

I've come to conculde that it's either the tires just suck, which is very probable given the reputation of the Conti tires, or it's just the nature of the all wheel drivetrain. I can't wait to put another 10K on the tires and dump them for some quality ones. There is a reason Michelin tires cost an arm and a leg.

I never really liked Conti tires, had bad experience with ContiExtremeContact on my previous SAAB.

 

Welcome Back !!!!!!!

 

When you took the old tires off, what did they look like? Was there uneven wear? If so, on which ones, and was the inside or outside worn more?

I would guess that if you have had the tires balanced several times that this would not be your problem... Also, through balancing, I'm sure that the shop would have noticed a bent rim - so that probably isn't your problem either.

I would say that you are most likely looking at either a wheel bearing or an inner or outer cv joint. (It could possibly also be the tie rod, but the cv joint is much more likely). Easy way to tell is to jack up the car (the front wheels are most likely where you will find the problem) and grab the tire on either side. Try to wiggle it back and forth (push with one hand and pull with the other and vice-versa). If it moves or has any play in it, your cv joint is bad. If not, check out the wheel bearing. Does your car make any noise like a friction sound when you are driving? That is a tell tale sign of a bad wheel bearing.

I would bet that one of these two items is what you problem is. If it is the cv joint, you can take the easy (but more expensive) route and replace the half-shaft. The part runs about $250. Or, you can replace the joint and the boot for around $50, but let me tell you that it is a pain in the butt to get everything together and working if you go this route. If it is the wheel bearing, the bearing will run around $50, but you will also need to pay a shop to press the bearing in and out for you (they will probably do it for like $20).

Having either of these things done at the dealer will be quite costly. Let me know if you plan on tackling this yourself and I'll write you up a how-to on it. It isn't too tough, but a little time consuming.

 

The more research I do, the more it sounds like a driveshaft issue. I still don't think it's a tire due to the frequency of the vibration...it's faster than the tire rotation. Others on this forum have had a similar vibe as mine and the driveshaft or at least the flange surrounding the input shaft has solved the problem. I have an appointment with Jaguar tomorrow to look at it. Wish me luck. BTW, I still plan on road force balancing the tires as well.

 

Man wonder how much that other stuff costs? The inside of my passenger tire was worn bald...either out of alignment or the part that is making noise is really bad...so I guess both are the culprit!

 

Just wanted to give an update on my situation. I took my X back to the dealer for the vibration problem and they again said it was a bad tire. They replaced the tire, and I had all four road force balanced. After that, my car was absolutely smooth...untill 55mph, when the same vibration started. So, I go back for the third time and beg them to replace the drive/prop shaft. I refrence this and other forums to explain the reasoning behind my diagnosis. He reluctantly agrees to replace the drive/prop shaft. Well, I got my car back today and it is FIXED. Perfectly smooth at highway speeds. What a difference! Thanks again to jaguarforums (and others) for educating another consumer.

 

Nice to hear your problems fixed ! I'm glad Jaguar Forums help you out on your issue .

 

how much did that cost? I think I am now suffering from the same problem, where I get vibration on highway speeds above 60mph. I'm not sure if I just need to have my tires replaced and balanced or if its the driveshaft, (I do have a big air bubble on one of my front tires...) So all you did was have the driveshaft replaced?

 

Luckily, it didn't cost me a penny. It's still under the original factory waranty, plus it's a Select Edition CPO. So, I've got another 2 years after that. He did say that the part was $900. I don't think that included labor. Definitely check your tires first, especially if you have 17" or 18", as the short sidewalls will magnify any abnormalities in the wheel/tire combo.