Hello,

my 2016 XJ (with 50k) seems a bit off as I need to pull the steering wheel to the left slightly (not always). I know it could be a number of things.

I haven’t looked at anything yet. Everything seems ok. No knocking in the suspension, tires look ok etc. Alignment should be done every X miles according to Jaguar.

what are the correct settings for the X351? I am aware of suspension wear and tear but will realignment be enough? What’s your experience?

 

zYx, to the best of my knowledge, Jaguar has not changed the specs on the alignment over the years. So, going to any quality alignment shop should get you a good alignment. The one error that the shop will most likely make is that Jaguar states that the alignment should be done with weight in the driver's seat, not with the car empty. They recommend something like 70KG, 160 pounds in the driver's seat/footwell area. This is to simulate you being in the seat.

 

the guy I know is using weights when adjusting the alignment.

 

Thermo, I've been to a garage today to check the alignment. I know the guy, he is good, but he said he couldn't get it right as he thinks the drivers' side (UK) wheel is 4 mm off to the inside. He did say that the tyre is worn off on the inner side. In my view, he did a great job as the steering wheel is now in the correct position. He thinks that either the hub or wishbone is slightly bent due to a hard hit on the pothole or something. Not sure if he's right or just ****. Is it possible that something in the front suspension could be bent (without any visible cracks) after hitting a pothole?

 

First thing I always try in these circumstances is to swap the front tires.

 

Do you mean before touching the alignment settings?

 

Have you checked the upper shock mounts to see if the mount is worn and off center. Here are 2 pictures one old worn mount is off center and can affect alignment and the second is a new mount. note that the shock electrical connector is centered.

Old Worn shock mount off center

New upper shock mount centered

 

Thanks, I just checked it and it is perfectly centered.

 

zYx, this is where without having the car in our hands, we can only guess as to what is going on. If the hub was bad, I would think that he would have seen that as you should be able to lift the front tire off the ground and wiggle it side to side due to play in the hub. Granted, I would also think that you should get a wobble in the steering wheel from the tire flopping around. Even if the suspension is bent, he should have been able to compensate for it if it was bent only 4 mm I would think. Yes, ball joints and whatnot are going to sit at different angles, but 4mm is not a lot of distance. This is where I would put the front of the car up in the air and then do a comparison of components side to side. If something has bent enough to shorten itself by 4mm, you will see the arc difference in the component or the bushing on the end not centered. It will take a little bit of sleuthing to figure out the difference from side to side, but if that truely exists, you will find it after a half hour of looking. I guess the other way is to put on a new set of tires and see if you get the same wear. I get wear on the inside edges of my tires in the front. A lot of this is caused by the fact that having a car that you can't rotate the tires on, the front tires are going to wear on the inside edges due to how the tires respond when you turn the steering wheel, especially at speed.