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I replaced my stabilizer bushings and Tie rod ends at 70K miles but now at 80K I notice my front end is just not acceptable. It tracks straight but clunks at every bump. Is the local Jag dealer going to charge me $200 for diagnosis? Is an unknown Indy in my area going to give me good advice? It seems to boil down to upper and lower control arm bushings, shocks and shock mounts. Should I just put the front up on jack stands, buy all the parts for $1500 - $1700, and hope a breaker bar will bust everything loose as I dont have a torch...? Do the upper and lower control arms from Jaguar come with the bushings installed? It seems like the $140 premium (each arm) to insure compatibility and not have to figure out how / whom to press them out and in might save a lot of time and trouble? Are there other pads / bushings that I am overlooking? I know this is a lot of money to spend but I am envisioning Jag quoting me $3500 to do it...
First, the price of the parts depends on how fast you want them. I would guess that at least some of your bushings need replacing, and if you like driving the car...and plan to keep it awhile...you should look at replacing everything that is questionable.
1- the shock bushings can bereplaced, and there is a source for about $40 each, shipped. But since you can get a whole new Bilstien shock with new bushings and top nut for just over $90 each I don't think it's worth the trouble to get them out and back in. That's a potential $100 cost difference, but you get new shocks...and no hassle.
2- the upper control arm bushings can vary from $30+ to almost $100 EACH. I know -- absurd! I haven't actually seen the less expensive ones yest, but I'm thionking of getting a set for future use just because they are so much cheaper.
3- the upper shock mounts are a killer. MCLtd sells a rebuilt polyurethane mount for $185 exchange. They also sell a DIY kit for about $156 each. I have not heard anyone rave about them or the price. I went with the OEM Jag mounts from the dealer at $210 each. Why? Because no one had them on hand and I wanted them now. However, if you can wait, I would check the dealers that do have them (was told by San Jose Jag that there are several sources in Texas) and see what you can get them for. All the folks that advertise them for $185 or a little more didn't have them, and didn't really know when they would get them.
Thanks to this forum and some really great members you can DIY if you have the tools, a place to lay up the car for awhile, and have the physical ability to do the work. A little help from a friend goes a loooong ways on this project.
broad stroke suspension bushing replacement, its the only way to be sure.
One of the lower control arms (front) you can buy new from jag with the bushing in it for $270, and the rear is over $400 for the arm. So, I bought the fronts new, bought bushings for the rear, ball joints for the rear, and took those to a local shop to have the bushigns and bjs pressed in an out. The ball joints, he stated, were a beeeotch to get out.
Dont forget your upper a-arm bushings, those are usually the first to go in the suspension, and contribute alot to the alighnment of the front end.
Unfortunately I have a $64,000 boonus question: my front subframe/ K frame / crossmember. My buddy pulled my Upper Control Arm bolts at 65K miles and said the holes the bolts travel through in the subframe are elongated 1/8" on the passenger side and 1/16" on the drivers side. There are a couple of threads on this forum and no fix without Removing the Subframe from the car (!). I can buy a used subframe for around $300 - anyone anywhere near Louisville interested in being paid to make this swap? Any recommendations? I guess if there is no additional elongation I could consider just replacing the bushings, but like most Jag owners I want things done right.
I went to Jaguar and because Ihad an inner tierod that was bad on my 97 XK8.
They wanted 2400 and said they had to order the entire front suspension.
I got on line and on Ebay and found the inner tierods for 100 dollars a pair.
Do not order anything from Culver City CA as they are china or asian parts.
Had the inners put on a local garage 100 dollars and then an alignment.
They tried to charge for rear shocks all it was was bushings and got them 25 dollars a pair.
Try to understand Stingray, that the dealer techs are limited to what they can, and can't do for repairs by corporate. In the instance with your bent inner tie rod, Jaguar doesn't offer the parts separately, only a new replacement steering rack...and your shock bushes -same thing, they're allowed to replace a whole shock, but not the bushing in the shock. It has alot to do with return complaints on work done, liability, and time to do the work.
I had installed new URO top shock mounts, only to find after the first pothole that the substance inside the mount had collapsed causing the rattle! So I found the perfect POLYURETHANE FLEXIBLE material and made my own, I now ship these all over the world!
99 XK8 Clunky Front Suspension
