Is replacing the front shock bottom bushes a big deal?
Got round to having the new Bilstein front shocks fitted a couple of weeks ago and my mechanic couldn't do it because he said it needs new front, "lower rear suspension arms". (The straight ones). Long story short and after some edging around the problem, it turns out that the bottom bushes on the shocks need replacing.
Now the arm's cost at the cheap end of the scale £140 each ! No way am I paying that just for two worn bottom shock bushes.

Hence my question, is there some big deal about replacing the bushes?
Can the bushes be replaced without removing the lower suspension arm?
I've bought 2 x new bottom shock bushes and going to buy a set of new OE bolts for the arms each side. £40 worth from Jaguar.

If he did fit new arms, then the old arms would have to be removed anyway. So remove them if necessary and replace the two bushes.
I just need a clear picture on this before he has the car again to do the job of fitting the new shocks.
Thank you.


(By the way I've found a company that sells just the individual driver side tailored fit car mat. Cool for people like me who wreck the drivers mats and don't want to keep buying a full set.
Let me know if anyone is interested and I'll post a link?).

 

I think that these lower shock bushes come in a steel housing and are not just a rubber bush, but I could be wrong??
If I am correct they will need to be pressed in and getting the original housing out may be a bit difficult as well.
This is for an XKR but it does give you an idea:

 

Hi Busa, I had the same problem s0 bought a set of new bushes (Kit) with the intention of pressing the bushes out myself (I have a press currently loaned out). But when I started it, I had an issue with the long bolt ..sub-frame end in trying to remove it it snagged the sub-frame...it seemed like I needed a magician at that point!. I eventually ran out of time.. gave in came to the form and asked the question... https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...l-arms-201719/

As yet, I haven't gotten back to the job (mainly time related) and in addition Im trying to source a 68mm internal diameter receiver to drive into the larger of the two bushes.

If its only the bottom bushes on the shocks that need replacing for you, you may be able to use a couple of sockets (to push and receive) and a threaded bar but that depends on how tight the original bushing is in there. I elected to (try) remove the whole arm to do all three. The kit was £51 each side from Ebay (as pic). Hope that helps?

 

That is very useful, thank you. Very much the same arrangement on my S type except the lower shock bush is in the suspension/control arm and not in the shock. The shock has a square "U shaped" end on it and it sits over the arm and bolts through the bush. The bolts are pretty badly corroded apparently, but to be expected.
Yes these bushes are steel centre and steel outer casing.

I have replaced bushes in shocks before and never had any issues, so I don't see there is a problem. The mechanic said the bolts have seized in the bush and turning the bolt just turns the bush in the housing. The bushes are loose/worn.

This is one of the arms which are £140 each at the cheapest for new.
The middle bush is the lower shock bush.

 

Exactly the same arrangement here. That's a really useful shot and I wish I had seen that before, so thanks for posting. I spent hours looking for a photo or video showing the front lower rear arm on the car. With the old rusty bolts I think its best to cut them off which is what the mechanic does on my car. He has asked me to get a full bolt kit from Jaguar which Jaguar priced up for me at £40 the lot for the 2 x lower suspension/control arms.

So £30 for the 2 x lower shock bushes (there are cheaper), £40 for a set of OE bolts and £140 for two Bilstein shocks. Plus labour.... maybe £100. Still quids in !

 

Ive got the hang of the terminology now.
The arms are called the front lower rear and the front lower front suspension/control arms. The lower front are curved and the lower rear are more straight. The S type lower rear are similar to several other Jaguar models. But a minimum of £140 each side just for two front lower rear arms is a bit rich.
I am not even going to try and guess what 3 arms each side costs.

 

These are some of the cheapest pattern parts for the lower front and lower rear arms. Even so its a bit steep.


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOR-JAGUA...kAAOSwVKtZsV90


Yes they have all the new bushes but you still need the OE bolts.

 

I have now finished the job and tbh. If id spent a little more time in better light i would have seen that the offending bolt is on a cam which i should have known. Doh.
If you turn it... it comes out easy....Grrr. I have now put it all back together and there is marginal improvement but im still getting a jolt noticeable when in reverse when applying the brakes (although its much less than before). "Banana arms" is the next place ill visit which are the front lower ones to see if that cures it.

 

when you do the job will you get/post up some pictures?

 

Regrettably in several ways I shalln't post any photos because I'm not going to be doing the work.
It grieves me greatly but I'm paying someone to do these kind of jobs because of my ill health and mobility limitations. Long story involving a nightmare bike smash years ago including an appointment with death.
I am very lucky to have found a mobile mechanic who is very cheap on labour costs and he's fast.
Ive got new bottom bushes for the front shocks and I just need to order the bolt set from Jaguar next week which is £40 all incl.

I'm looking to get a spark plug change done ASAP as well.

 

I get a moderate kind of lurch when putting my car in reverse but I've never had an automatic which doesn't do that to some degree. I find that using firm pressure on the brake pedal and doing the gear change slowly and giving it time to settle helps alleviate that lurch a lot.

 

I've also just discovered that my front shock lower bush has gone. I was starting to get a metallic clicking sound when hitting bumps and the not so deep holes in the roads so decided to investigate yesterday. The nearside (uk) lower shock bush looks ok, but when you remove the shock and clamp the bush tube in the vice you can feel and hear the metal on metal knocking. So new bushes ordered this morning, i'll do the job over this coming weekend. As if I've not got enough to do at the moment......................

 

Hi stevep10, The dreadful condition of our roads takes its toll on these things even if you don't cane it.

I reckon I've got a rear wheel bearing gone by the sound of it.
The car has a continuous low level rumbling which starts at about 40 mph and then increases up towards 60mph when the noise is quite intrusive.
I think its the rear left hand side because its displayed some odd characteristics since I bought it.

Since I got the car when its warming up and sat at a fixed 40mph going slightly uphill, there is a slow throbbing noise from that same corner and it feels as
if something is binding on and off but much slower than wheel rpm. The noise and sensation quickly disappear when the car is warmed up and doesn't occur again
until driving it the next time from cold. But its done that slow throbbing noise and binding sensation on warm up since I bought it.
Because I only drive local miles at below 40mph I didn't notice the continuous loud rumbling from that corner until I went down a dual carriageway last week.
Took it down the same smooth surfaced dual carriageway this weekend and it doesn't sound good. Can't hear it below 40mph, the car drives fine.

This will have to take priority over fitting the front shocks.
Its not the brakes because its got a brand new caliper on that side and its had new discs and pads all round.
The timing of this binding feeling and noise is not at wheel rotation speed. Its always been a slow almost surge like sensation but it feels like
something is binding when combined with the sound. It only happens for a very few seconds and only if I drive uphill while its warming up.

So its got two separate items I can identify on what sounds like the same corner. But the continuous deep loud rumbling above 40 mph I only noticed last week.