Hello,

I just purchased a 2002 XK8 Coupe with 79K miles. When I had a pre-sale inspection done at a local Jag dealership, they said that that front end needed an alignment. Indications are some wear on the inside of the tires and the front wheel is off center a little. I asked if the suspension components are good, knowing there can be issues there, and they reassured me that everything was tight and in good condition.

So, my question: Assuming that everything is in good condition, is important to have a Jaguar dealership do a basic front end alignment on these cars, or is this something that a reputable independent mechanic or tire place can do?

Thanks,

 

Just be sure that you use someone that has experience in Jaguar alignments. They can be difficult.

 

I had my done on my 2001 XK8 at an Air Force base that had the specs for a 4-wheel alignment. They did a GREAT job and they let me watch the readouts for each wheel. I think that any good 4-wheel alignment shop with the Jag specs would be OK. See my post on rear wheel alignment, if you are interested.... Ron

 

Here's my experience. On some cars, proper alignment requires that the front end be weight loaded somewhat in order to get a proper setting. There are some special tools needed to do this. For the more common cars requiring this (models of BMW's and Mercedes) the guy at the counter knows if they can or can't do this, but the XK8 is relatively unusual.

So, a good shop that knows about the process and has the tools will do fine. A shop that doesn't mention it when questioned or dosen't know about the process at all is out. These guys can do the aligment, but the unweighted settings will present problems later on...

I went to 3 shops. The first said they didn't have the gear to do it, the second had no idea what I was talking about and the third knew to do it and had the tools. It was a local place that only does alignments.

Good luck!