Hi everyone. I have a lot of hours on an X308, but the X350 is fairly new to me... and I have some front end 'noises'.

I learned with the X308 to do research before asking questions, but if there's one thing I cannot find an answer to on the X350, it's the lower front ball joint! I have searched for the correct parts, but I keep coming up against which type of ball joint it is... interference fit, or bolted on with 4 bolts and nuts. Mine is a 2006 Jaguar Soveriegn TDCI 2.7 diesel.

I have to admit here, that I am a disabled person, so getting the car jacked and whipping the weel off could pose as an almost mammoth task. Usually in the UK, we just give the car's registration and much more often than not the correct parts are listed. Using this, I was supplied with a pair of new joints that have the 'nut and bolt' fitting. However, checking (only by feel without the car jacked) I couldn't feel any bolts holding the orignal joints on? Can anyone throw any light on wether or not there are two or more different fitings for these ball joints please?

Thank you in anticipation... I know this all sounds a little bit unusual, but disability would mean I am stuck without transport, and that's a difficulty I could do without. Thank you for your understanding
Paul

 

You've been sold the totally wrong parts for your car if it is the X350 all-aluminium saloon built and sold from 2003. The front suspension is all-aluminium, with ally top and bottom wishbones, each one of which is secured to a balljoint on the allly hub carrier. The upper ball joint is pressed into the wishbone, which is a single casting, (or may be a forging), the lower and larger ball joint is pressed into the hub carrier.
Here's what the top wishbone looks like: -
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204497616...IaArzbEALw_wcB
and the uppright with its balljoint: -
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401257412...AaAo64EALw_wcB
The above is a used one.
And here is the lower ball joint: -
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/355861528...AaAsDeEALw_wcB
Apparently it is an absolute PITA to press in, easier to press the old one out. The new one has to be pressed in from the top, and if you look at the casting, you'll see there is no way for a straight press, one has to use a special tool.
These uprights complete with ball joint as new items are eye-wateringly expensive, see here: -
https://www.sngbarratt.com/English/#...SPENSION(14714)
Of course the ball-joints do last a very long time, it's just your bad luck if they wear out during your ownership !

 

Having personally pressed in a set of ball joints on the uprights (AKA Vertical Link) on my 20 ton press and I can confirm its a real pain in the !@#. I had to jury rig all sorts of fixtures to both press-out and press in. To do it all over again, I would have gotten the ball joints and found a good machine shop with a serious professional press to remove and install. You can purchase just the ball joint from several sources, check FCP Euro or Berkshire Jag.

The attached should help you identify parts by the Jaguar P/N