We're not talking windshield wipers here. Ball joints attach the wheels and brakes to the suspension of the car. If a ball joint breaks, as in breaks apart, the wheel flops to the ground like a horse with a broken leg.

IMO that part number will fit your car. The listings I looked at ranged between $50-$60. Its your call, but I'd certainly spend more than $22.

 

Jagbits.com #MNC1350AA-OE and $20 for machinist worked for me.

 

Thank you HDpartsman, Fatcat (Gordocat) and Barden for your input. Barden, that was JUST was I was hoping for - confirmation that the part actually works! Gordocat, you may be right about price. Prices on eBay range from $18 plus shipping to over $70 apiece plus shipping. I'm a skeptic and think prices there have less to do with quality than with opportunism of the sellers. I think I'll ask a few who manufactures their part to see what I can find out. Some of them (at very different prices) sure look like they are manufactured by the same company. (Some don't.) I'll be buying SOMETHING today.

 

Nothing wrong with URO parts, they supply Jaguar and many others with Factory SPEC. parts at a real World price...
Jaguar Vanden Plas XJ8 Front Lower Suspension Ball Joint Same Day Free Shipping | eBay

URO parts NEWS....Show News

 

@Dragman: Thanks so much for the info on Uro parts and the link to the eBay auction. I think I will take your advice and buy them!

 

I disagree. I am looking at a brand new URO motor mount for our cars that is leaking while still packaged in its plastic bag!! Now the project is stalled another couple of days waiting on a replacement part.

So while your experience w/ them may be OK, mine is most definitely not.

 

Well , I will say do not buy OEM, my originals did not last 50k miles, but the joint is so SMALL that I find it hard to believe that one, some IDIOT designed such a small part for such a heavy car and that any part, whether chinese junk or $100 OEM will last long.

 

@RandyB: I have to agree w/you on that. This car is a tank and some of the parts are just too small. I think they started with a low curb weight, and the car got heavier and heavier as the design went along. Some parts never caught up to the final production heft.

 

OK, after much thought, I am going to settle for the URO parts. When I got this car, some 8 years ago, I put Pirelli tires on it. Next set was Michelin. Recently, I had to replace 2 tires, which were worn unevenly due, no doubt, to the ball joints, and I chose an inexpensive Korean brand. My thinking was: IF I even own the car a year from now, it will be driven on terrible roads, which will doubtless cause further tire (and other) damage, so why invest in expensive tires? That is now my attitude about other parts. Furthermore, considering that I'll probably drive it about once per month here, I'll take my chances. (If I move back to the US with it, I may regret this lline of thought, but I'll deal with that later.)

Thank you again, everybody, for solving my problem!

 

PS: The Uro ball joints I bought were $22 apiece, including shipping. The same Uro parts were offered by other eBay sellers for substantially more money.