Oh Mighty Forum Members, I need your wisdom.

Yesterday while installing WhiteXKR's Remote Control Convertible Top kit (which is on-going and another story), I pulled the LF wheel well liner as required by the installation procedure.

I noticed the liner was wearing through at about the 10:30 position and at first I thought it was just normal wear (rocks and stuff bombarding it) and ascribed it to yet another maintenance and patch job to be performed before reinstallation. I did however, blast it with a hose to get some of the surface grime off before I would take another look at it today.

Well, it has dried off and taking another look I realize it is actually wearing through from the tire rubbing on it. Over the last couple of years I've heard a slight sound coming from that area during slightly hard right turns or when going through the bottom of a whoop-de-doo at some speed. Thought maybe it was a shock or something, but now I know what it is.

I do not have this behavior on the RH side.

I have the correct size tires on 17" Jaguar rims.

Question: I do not believe this to be normal. What should I do to determine the cause?

Question: I'd appreciate some suggestions regarding a method to patch and reinforce the rubbed-through spot on the existing liner. Photo attached.

Thanks to y'all,
Scott

 

Very unusual on 17" rims, if you was lowered with 20s then some scrapping does occur..... measure from the centre of the wheel to the top of the fender arch and compare with the other side to check you dont have a sagging spring...

One way or another you do have an issue

 

Assuming you haven't rearranged your front suspension components when speeding through those Whoop-de-doos, it sounds like the liner is missing one or two securing items, allowing it to flex into the tyre.
There should be three plastic nuts on metal studs, one screw to the front of the sill and four expander peg type retainers - two at the top just in from the fender edge and two at the front bottom edge.

 

As your signature illustrates, !

I'll measure today! Thank you.

 

Thanks - I watched Reverend Sam's video on liner removal yesterday. He was missing some parts. I was surprised to see I had them all. I will double check for sagging anyway.

I don't speed through the whoop-de-doos intentionally! Here in Tucson we have a phenomenon called flash flooding. Sudden monsoon rains in the summer can cause them. All that water has to go somewhere, creating gulleys and washes as it does. Not all our back roads have bridges over these features so we can get some pretty exciting rides if not paying attention, especially at night. It's even more exciting if one ignores the Road Closed signs during the floods.

 

The Jag XK is not the ideal vehicle for driving through high water, as I am sure you have found out.

 

Actually I haven't found that first hand. Rushing water is extremely powerful and pushes the largest of vehicles downstream. There's a law here in Arizona affectionately called the "Stupid Driver Law" wherein if a driver has to be rescued because they attempted to cross a closed wash, they have to pay the costs.

However, wifey was once caught in the middle of town at a stop light (not in the XK8 but a Chevy Corsica) when the water suddenly rose very quickly. I received a call at work telling me the water rose up almost to the windows and that the car still was able to get out of there. I thought it was exaggeration until I got home and saw the high water mark right below the window! I had a new respect for that cheap little car. Maybe it had a little bit of Land Rover DNA in its engineering.

 

While you're measuring your ride height, use this chart and check all four. My front springs were sagging badly as well as the spring pads being shot. I also have the 17 inch rims and have wear scars on my fender liners. Before I replaced my springs and pads I was over an inch too low. I always had to be very careful on known bumps and dips. That's no longer a problem.
Mike

 

Thanks Mike, I'll do that this afternoon.
BTW, love the colors of your car (just like mine of course).

 

Well, there ya go. Both fronts are reading 15" from wheel center to top of the arch, which is just a bit low even accounting for the 0.59" tolerance. The gas tank is full - well, almost.

Both rear readings are at 16" which is within spec.

BTW, during a more detailed inspection I realized I'm missing the access cover in the wheel well liner! Now I've got one on order - will this ever end? I know, it won't.

Now should I just pop for new springs and pads or just wait for things to get worse?

 

You might want to check the upper wishbone bushes. I had similar wear patterns on the wheel arch liner and it turned out the Upper Wishbone bushes were shot. Seven months later, it was the lowers that were shagged out.....

Good luck,
Hamish

2001 MY XK8
2008 BMW X3
2004 Saab 9-3
2001 Dodge Grand Caravan - 245,000 miles and counting.....

 

With 17s I'm guessing you have a '97. If you're like me and like working on these I would start by making sure your upper spring pads are anything but perfect (they won't be unless you've changed them recently). I did my spring pads first to see if it made enough difference. It made up some of the droop but not enough and I still would scrub the tires once in a while.

Your springs are 15 years old. Time takes its toll just like the rest of us. This is what my springs looked like compared to new ones (new spring on the left, old on the right ). With new springs it felt like a new car, and I already had new shocks on it.

Mike
Jag owners-..in for a penny, in for a pound ...