New XJR but lopsided stance
 

I am the happy owner of a BRG-colored XJR. It was so stunning I bought it notwithstanding that I thought I detected a lean to the left on the tail end.

Before I signed on the dotted line, I bought measuring tape and measured as best I could. The left side seemed depressed by about 1/2 inch. On the second try it seemed only 1/4 inch at most. I thought maybe it was an optical illusion.

Now that I have the car home on flat ground, I see that it DOES lean to the left in the back and looks like the front end also leans to the left. The lean is NOT negligible like I hoped it would be. It borders on easily noticeable.

I purchased a comprehensive 1-yr warranty (sold by the local BMW dealer that had the car on trade-in) because of my concerns with the air suspension. Consequently, I could drive to the local Jaguar dealership and tell them to figure out why it leans to the left and (hopefully) not have to pay for new parts, if they are needed. The warranty would cover me in theory.

I read this detailed post on recalibration by Cambo351, but it seems like a dealer will not be able to do this or will not be willing to: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ur-x350-75369/.

The lean is there even while the car is turned on, but I cannot sense any effect on the performance yet.

Anyone have suggestions on where I could go in the L.A. area?

Cambo351 also posted this thread that seems related: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-uneven-90443/

tall drink of water......did you get your problem solved? If not here are a couple of suggestions taken from the chassis section of the X350 workshop manual pages 265 & 359-362.

Check the three or four sensors, depending on build date, for two potential causes for "vehicle attitude is not flat after leveling" (p265)

1) Check for a missing or misadjusted linkage/clip.
2) Check for water/moisture/corrosion in the height sensor connector.

The location of the sensors is pointed out and described on pages 359-362.

Hope this sheds some light on your current project.<G>

Front springs are controlled with one height sensor, rears individually, so it sounds like the rears need setting up correctly, OR one of the rear height sensors is defective.

A dealer or in fact anyone with the IDS/SDD system will be able to calibrate the ride height for you. I only meant that a dealer probably won't lower the car for you, just set it to factory ride height.

It's not uncommon for one corner to be higher/lower than the others, not a big job to correct it, if you have the right equipment...

Thanks everyone. I hope I can "beat they system" by making my one-year warranty pay out to fix the suspension. Once I'm sure I have the car all sorted out I will cancel the warranty.

On my first full day of ownership the tail end looks more even. Could it have sorted itself out?

If I need to take it into the dealer, I will know the possibilities to throw at them. If they are completely clueless, it will help.

Thanks again! I'm so pleased to be a part of this fraternity of car owners because Jags destroy the German cars in terms of looks and elegance.

We've had a few issues on my wife's Jag that have done just that. Not to say ignoring problems is the way, but some things happened once and then went away. Battery resets, etc take care of some issues.

Agreed on the XJ's looks, I don't see any German boxes that come close. You can trace that theme back to WWII, just take one look at a Spitfire vs. Bf109. Sleek and elegant vs a boxy crate.

:D

Check the tyre pressures first and make sure all the tyres are the correct size etc. the effects can e exaggeratted

Aftermarket warranties usually do not cover computer reflashes and diagnostics and shocks. This pretty much puts it on you, so be careful how much you spend. I had a warranty and found this out the same way.

[QUOTE=TallXJDriver;731179]Thanks everyone. I hope I can "beat they system" by making my one-year warranty pay out to fix the suspension. Once I'm sure I have the car all sorted out I will cancel the warranty.

On my first full day of ownership the tail end looks more even. Could it have sorted itself out?

[QUOTE]

Be careful. In addition to oldmots warning about potential coverage issues as a former dealer I can pretty much assure you canceling the warranty will at best only refund you any unspent dollars and might not net you anything at all. For instance if a repair cost them $1000 after any deductible is applied you would only get a refund for that amount over $1000 that the warranty may have cost you ...less any processing fee!! The companies that administer these things don't figure to lose money at it so read the fine print first before you authorize any repairs and be sure the dealership explains what will be covered and what will cost you and how much.

Any chance this car has Sepang wheels? If so I flew out to LA to look at this car after I had a ppi inspection done at an independent jag shop. I was going to buy it from the owner before he traded it in. The report I got from them was it needs all new hoses, 15 or so of them because they were bulging and rotting from the inside out, brakes were shot, and when they ran the codes they said all the air suspension modules were failing. They said it was probably because the last mechanic never cleared them. So I fly out to LA to pick up the car and about fifteen minutes into the test drive the air suspension fault light goes on. After only being in LA for four hours I flew back home with out a car.

Good luck with the car if it is this one.

Very intriguing. Yes, Sepang wheels. BRG XJR. Did the car have missing leaping cat on the hood? What city did the owner live in?

Who was the independent you took your car to? What was your impression because I need someone.

What a small world this Jaguar universe is. FWIW, I paid well under blue book. I knew I might be buying a semi-project, but was not going to wait for a BRG XJR to show up in California, and travel was not an attractive option. (The interior is spotless, and it has navigation so not all bad with the car.)

I'm taking it into the Jaguar dealer on Thursday for... the brakes! They are squealing in a way that sounds like something more than spent pads. It's really hard for me to judge if the brakes are not operating right since I haven't driven this car. I do feel like I'm applying more brake pressure than I should need to.

Also, I'm taking it in for the lopsided stance.

Replacing hoses is not a big deal, right? But the other items could be bad. I could see myself fighting with the insurance company. I bought the most inclusive plan they offered because I was getting a strange feeling from the lopsidedness and unreplaced swiped hood ornament.

Any chance you could share the report you got from the mechanic? That would be cool to have. Thanks!

Thanks. I'm sort of curious how this will play out if I need expensive repairs. I'm in courtrooms all the time and interpret agreements all the time. If I get jerked around on coverage I will make them regret it. (If they don't have a valid out in the contract.)

OK, Chitown. It's looking more and more like your Jag. My air suspension fault light came on tonight. Coincidentally, I'm taking it in in the morning for the first time. It's like I knew it was coming.

This repair bill could be 1/3 the price of the car if I'm unlucky. My warranty better pay off.

Car was owned by a guy in Playa del Sol. I forgot how long he owned it for but he was getting rid of it since he had too many cars.

The car had the ppi done at Mitchel's British Automotive. The price quoted for hoses and labor was $2300.

See if they will fix the drooping headliner in the back.

Car was hit in the rear bumper when the car was stationary so the car has a new rear bumper on it.

Car has two new front air shock if I remember correctly.

That sure sounds like mine. The drooping headliner is there, and I forgot to mention that to the dealer. (I'm actually uncertain where the second owner was from. He only had it a year.)

I am waiting for a report from the dealer but the insurer told me (second hand) that a compressor was out and a relay (?) was out.

I am very interested to learn how you found out about it being rear-ended. That was NOT in the Carfax provided for free by the dealer. I wonder if the Carfax was accurate.

I'll let you know about what the dealership says in case you are curious. I would be if I had traveled all the way to be disappointed. Hope you found another one.

This can serve as a heads-up to anyone who believes that a CarFax is 100% accurate and dependable. They are not.

They can't report on any accidents that aren't reported to the police and or paid for and reported by an insurance company. They do not have access to information from self-insured companies such as Avis, Hertz, Dollar, or other self-insured rental companies and absent an insurance company or police dept. they are incapable of knowing if or how much damage a vehicle might have suffered.

The owner told me that the person that hit him paid out of pocket so her insurance wouldn't go up, which equals no police report.

I wonder if the rear-ender relates at all to the slanted stance. (Probably not.)

So Santa Monica Jag told me that it needs a new compressor, but no leaks were detected. This I'm covered for under the "EasyCare" policy I bought. (This might explain the uneven stance.)

SM Jag also told me that I need new brake pads and rotors. Rotors must be the most expensive wear item. I will be out of pocket over $2K on my new-to-me car. Sigh. But I'm not surprised. I knew I was buying a car that needed work. I just thought my warranty would cover anything big.

If I were you, I would do the brakes yourself. Parts aren't that expensive and it's simple to do if you're mechanically inclined.