I've searched high and low and have come up empty although I do have to call Welsh on Monday to determine if they have the part. Does anyone have a source for the front upper shock bushings? My 2001 Vanden Plas base bushings are turning to dust and it's time to replace. Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

Rockauto.com has them but like all the other suppliers, they’re crap but, they’re cheap and readily available.

 

https://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/20...ock_mount.html

 

I think I need to do the same thing. Right shock plate has some orange dust, left seems intact and pliable, but might as well do both in one pass. I have clunking over bumps, though my hearing aid-assisted hearing isn't acute enough to tell while driving just where the noise comes from. At least I know some must come off the front upper shock mounts.

Question: is there a forum consensus as to which is the better, longer lasting product, the URO ones or the Mehle ones?

Many thanks.

 

I don’t know if there is a consensus, but I can share my experience. I originally went with Jaguar branded ones, which were really expensive, and they didn’t last very long. I then went with cheap ones, which also didn’t last very long.

So then I realized that I must be doing something wrong, and here is the key: you can’t tighten the upper shock nut very tight. I think the torque recommendation is something like 25 ft pounds, maybe even less. Armed with that information, my third set has lasted a long time, which are aftermarket ones I bought from parts geek, I think. They’re probably all made in the same sweat shop in China, so there probably isn’t much difference other than the brand stuck on them.

The key is the correct torque of the shock nut. I had been tightening them way too tight, and it evidently smashed the bushings and caused them to grind themselves into powder much too quickly.

 

On my previous, I had Mehle on the right and Uro on the left. I thought Mehle was better. Current car has had Uros from Parts Geek, working great so far and affordable.

 

One thing that makes any of the foam mounts last a lot longer is to not lift the car off the ground where the suspension is hanging. The bushing takes the entire grunt weight of the hanging suspension if the car is lifted off the ground. I change the oil in all 3 of our XJ’s while they’re on the ground. I do have two 2 X 6’s that I drive up on for a little extra ground clearance.

Oh, and if you pull it in the garage after you drive it, open the hood to let the heat out so it won’t cook the foam mounts.

 

For a few bucks and shipping I'll send you two sets of shock mounts and bushings. PM me.

 

Thanks for the offer. I have a set coming today and hope to get them on the car tomorrow.

 

Ordered a URO set off Amazon. Install took less than 20 minutes and both fit perfectly (all holes aligned). The only strange thing is the elastomers were a different color (one yellow, one orange). There is now less noise from the front suspension and it feels great. Thanks for all of the assistance!