Hello, I had to login as a new member but I have been on and posted in Jag Forums previously, unfortunately my computer did not have my login credentials saved, so I am starting anew. I purchased a 2011 Jag XKR-S convertible in July of 2017. It is white with a beige soft top. It is a beautiful and fun car to drive-well until recently. That is why I wanted to post.

My car needed maintenance and when I took it in (10/24/19) they noted several issues with the suspension and quoted to have the both front upper control arms, rear upper and lower control arms, rear sway bar links, and toe adjustment link. There was also a collapsed transmission mount that they replaced. Once the work was completed they performed an alignment. This work was performed under my extended warranty so I agreed to have it done.

When I got my car back the ride was changed. The rear end appeared unstable-especially when traveling over bumps. There was much lateral movement in the rear end when going over bumps like a swaying motion. This felt very unstable and decreased the joy of driving the car. It was much more noticeable at higher speeds, so much so, that it felt unsafe like the car might go out of control.
I thought perhaps I would drive it a bit more and see if this continued, but with work, and not very conducive weather conditions I did not drive it that much at that time.

When the weather improved I drove it and the problem persisted. I returned to the shop (3/6/20) informing them of what was experiencing after their repairs. They did not have much of an explanation but said there was a little play in the front lower control arms and they needed to be replaced. I did not think this would solve what I was experiencing, but since covered by warranty had them do the work. The only other things they found were that the struts showed some leaking-not very bad -according to them- and they took a video to show me and it did not look like much. Replacing the struts was not covered and was almost $5K quoted so I did not do that. I voiced my concern that the work they had done had not solved the issue of instability, and they advised getting new tires which the car did need and I got new tires put on and surprisingly it did help some, however, the car still has some instability and doesn't feel quite right. Keep in mind I was not experiencing this instability prior to their work. The tires did have some cupping noted when I originally took it in.

I am seeking your knowledge and advice to see if anything else could be done. I thought maybe re alignment now that this work and new tires are on, but don't really know if there is anything else to do. I miss the nice stable ride on the highway. I appreciate your help.
Thanks,
Todd
PS. I am attaching copies of the invoice with notes, also, the alignment results from 10/2019.

 

Welcome back Todd,

As you have already had a previous login and know your way around the forums, I've moved your post directly to X150 forum for advice from members with the same model.

Graham

 

Does the car have any history of a crash/damage?

 

Get car checked over by a independent garage ask them to write a report of their findings

 

Maybe they didn't torque the nuts/bolts correctly? Some of the suspension components need to have them torqued while the weight of vehicle is on its wheels/hubs.

Did they replace the sway bar bushings? I've had issues with the correct size, and I believe the XK, XKR, and XKR-S all have different size bushings.

 

I had the exact problem you are describing with my XKR, I dubbed the problem the "Lane Change Shimmy" because you could really feel the looseness when changing lanes or going thru a turn. I noted everything in the following thread:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...t-both-220673/

I replaced many of the control arms and bushings and did an alignment and it took car of issue. So there is a pretty good chance the shop you took your car to did something wrong most likely or didn't get the alignment right.

 

No official report of damage and a clean carfax, however, the left rear wheel was warped when purchased, so at least had a hard curb hit. That wheel has been replaced and I get a smooth ride when driving normally around town, but as I go faster there is instability. I thought about taking it to the Dealer to see if they can find anything. I am concerned that they may try to up sell things I do not need.

 

I am not certain about the sway bar bushings but I will inquire. That makes sense if they didn't that that could be the issue. I am considering asking them to re-align the car.

 

Unless the bushes are completely gone (and you’d know it) they are unlikely the cause of your concern. Road surface (on/off camber), tire brand, type and pressure can play a role here but alignment geometry can have the most profound impact on handling. I speak from experience. If the alignment is to factory specification the car should handle quite nicely at most legal speed limits. I change the alignment frequently on mine depending on use, track or street, and location (road surface
type). When aligned for the track the car is a bear to drive in daily traffic and while it drives perfectly straight, requires considerable speed dependent steering input.

 

What you describe to me is a clear sign that rear alignment is off. Take it to a shop that specializes in alignments and have them check both front and rear.

 

I may have missed the point. Does ‘They’ refer to a jaguar dealer ? And are the parts jaguar or ZF? And though it wouldn’’t be the cause of the issue, it may exacerbate it: are you sure you don’t need tires?
Sorry, need all the variables...

 

[QUOTE=jahummer;2229542]Unless the bushes are completely gone (and you’d know it) they are unlikely the cause of your concern. Road surface (on/off camber), tire brand, type and pressure can play a role here but alignment geometry can have the most profound impact on handling. I speak from experience. If the alignment is to factory specification the car should handle quite nicely at most legal speed limits. I change the alignment frequently on mine depending on use, track or street, and location (road surface
type). When aligned for the track the car is a bear to drive in daily traffic and while it drives perfectly straight, requires considerable speed dependent steering input.[/QUO


Thanks, I hope that is what it is. I am wondering since I paid $200 for the alignment that I got should I go back and ask them to redo it first? The tires I am running are new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+. Air pressures are good, and as I mentioned there was some improvement with the new tires. Thank you for your input.

 

I have new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+, and the place of repair was not the Jag dealer, it was a shop called Luxury Auto works, and appears to be the only place near me for repairs. The Jag shop closed up over a year ago sadly. And they recommended that I go to this repair shop.

 

I'm going with rear toe is off.