wishbone bushes

[GrandTourer]

Well done, Dave

[jagdaveh]

My n/s/f shock absorber bush has also been flagged as an advisory on the last MOT. Are there any hints & tips you can give to replace it, for example does it need a big press to remove it or just more commonly available DIY type tools? I've managed to separate the ball joint tapers so I know that part of the job is doable.

Cheers

Dave

[bt965]

Hi ya , done mine couple of weeks ago, i needed the press at work, made the tool to press it in and out took about 3000 psi to get it shifted,if your in the midlands area and struggling, i,ll do it for you
Bob

[bt965]

Forgot to mention. The pivot bolt on the upper wishbone can be bit of a pain to remove , tip is to clean all the crud off the bolt thats exposed between the two pivots, a bit of time, wire wool and WD40 here can save a lot of time and frustration ,me and me mate found. And note where the alloy shims came from when you do remove the bolt. The shims are different for nearside and offside wishbones
Hope this helps, Bob

[jagtech]

Hi i sympathise with all you guys because the suspension certainly is a week point on our XK's. i am a jaguar technician and have become somewhat a master at replacing bushes (i do it most days). If any of you would like some assistance or are reluctant to pay dealership prices ring me on 07988 613963. look forward to hearing from you

[MarkyM]

An old post but one I thought worthy of responding to.

I've had all of my bushes (on a 96) replaced with polyurethane ones, I'm in the UK and Kevin @DesignXKR did mine supplied and fitted at a very reasonable price.

I've had other cars fitted with these previously but they were invariably lightweight models (MX5's & Lotus's) and they make a world of difference to the handling and road manners.

He's apparently dropping the car back tonight with replacement shocks and 2004 springs, along with tensioners and 120k mile service. I have no doubt it will drive a little stiffer until the settle in but hopefully (given that my car had original bushes) they'll never have to be replaced again.

Regards

Mark

[GrandTourer]

Hi i sympathise with all you guys because the suspension certainly is a week point on our XK's. i am a jaguar technician and have become somewhat a master at replacing bushes (i do it most days). If any of you would like some assistance or are reluctant to pay dealership prices ring me on 07988 613963. look forward to hearing from you

Hi jagtech,
where abouts in the country are you based?
Bye for now
Karl

[jagtech]

Hi Carl im in swindon

[MarkyM]

Jagtech I'm inclined to use you in the future.

Can you advise what you charge for a standard 10k service (if it's not breaking this forums rules)?

Also you ever fitted a set of polybushes to an XK8 and do you know a decent place to have my tracking done between you and Bristol?

Advised that a full alignment is not necessary as there's nothing really to adjust.

Or email me at marktmorgan@yahoo.com

Regards

Mark

[Lisa]

I had a bit of a scare with the worn out bushes on my 2002 XK8 last week. All fixed now though and it's handling even better now then when I bought it last Dec.

Rybrook Jaguar had pointed out the excessive play in the bushes during it's 6 year service in Jan 2009, but wanted £356 to replace them and do a four wheel alignment (on top of about £800 of other work they found).

I was a bit skint by now having just bought the car & having been relieved of £441 by Rybrook for the service itself (no he wasn't carrying a bag marked "swag") so decided to leave it & so booked it in at my local independent garage for a couple of weeks time.

But then the car beat me to it, 45 miles from home on a work site visit. It started handling very weakly & I got out to find the wheel arches sagged to such an extent they were almost touching the tyres.

My local independent garage advised me over the phone that it probably wasn't safe to drive home & to call the AA. But luckily for me I was only 4 miles down the A6 from Preston Jag Centre. So we limped up the A6 and the lovely Arthur admitted us into the Jaguar equivalent of A&E!

I was bowled over by the service by Arthur & his mechanics. I have never met anyone with such an enthusiasm for Jags. They fitted me in a short notice (even though they were clearly very busy) and only charged me £173 for the job - less than half of what Rybrook wanted. The car handles superbly now, better than ever and I am delighted.

Arthur advised that I didn't actually need the 4-wheel alignment; perhaps it's a professional difference of opinion between him & Rybrook, I am sure you experts know whtehr that was the right decision or not. But I feel like I trust him a lot more than I did the rather cold and unfriendly main dealership, who were so very expensive.

Although I'm new to the world of XK8's, I'd strongly recommend that if you suspect your bushes of being worn, get them looked at sooner rather than later! Or else they might suddenly "go" on you like mine did!

Lisa

[MarkyM]

Wow Lisa that's a bit of sad story, glad you got it sorted though.

Incidentally how many miles did your car have on it at the change? My 96 had 100k miles and the bushes weren't too bad (would have passed an MOT)

Sitting on new shocks, springs and (polybush) bushes my car now rides about an inch higher that before which for me is great for me and speed bumps and high kerbs (when you park head on)

I just wish my fitter had told me he'd lowered my tyre pressure to 20 psi all-around to compensate for the harder ride. Took some getting used to when I put it back up to 32 all round and had to wear a tooth-guard before I got used to the jarring until they settled down

Mark

[Lisa]

It's only done 49000, so it's a bit early for them to have gotten so worn:( Still, all fixed at the front now & handles loads better. There's still a clunking noise going over bumps which apprently is the rear shock absorber so we're booked in with Arthur to get that sorted next week.

Must have been a shock to find only 20 PSI in your tyres! I'd have been worridly looking for rusty nails on the driveway. I am a newbie to this but wouldn't 20 PSI have had pretty deleterious effect on tyre wear & fuel economy? (not that we pick XK8's for their fuel economy...but the tyres are pretty expensive!)

There's a lengthy article on TDI's new polybushes for the XKR in Jaguar World this month (March - Phil Weeden). Bizarrely the new bushes are bright purple. Somehow that seems a bit wrong - how can a classy cat like the XKR be wearing plastic purple underwear?

It sounded like he was impressed overall with the tighter performance but reckons not everyone will like it - it's a bit harsh over manhole covers etc. As you found Glad yours has settled down a bit. Finding an NHS dentist a nightmare sometimes!

[Nik]

Hi Lisa ,
It's not particulary unusual to change the front bushes every 10,000 - 15,000 miles , the bushes are quite soft and as such wear quickly with a heavy car , personally I prefer a soft ride so the "poly bushes" would not IMHO do anything for me especially as I run 20" Sepangs with little in the way of "sidewall suspension" ,

Best Wishes ,

Nik

[mike020150]

Hi Lisa,

I agree with Nik. If I'd wanted a bone shaker, I'd have bougt a TVR or similar. It's the Jekyll and Hyde nature of a Jaguar which is an essential part of its appeal, super soothing one day and an iron fist in a velvet glove when desired. It seems quite a sacrifice to turn it into a permanent pot hole magnet. Mike.

[MarkyM]

No bone shaking? Then I wonder if that's the feeling how Jaguar managed to sell suck a high percentage of cars with 'supersport' suspension at a cost premium? I think my car now would still ride 'softer' on it's 18"'s than a supersport with 20" rims and standard bushes (if that helps put things in perspective)?

Mark