I spent some time searching thevarious types and manufacturers for Air Suspension Shocks for the X350 and soon discovered the choice is severely limited.

• Bilstein B3 or B4 £540 - £850 each UK
• Arnott AS-2888 £440 each from US or £650 each from UK
• Reconditioned units from China £350 - £500 each
• Second-hand with probably more miles and wear on them than your ones.
• If you are rich then say hello to your dealer, £1200 each and upwards.
  
  I sent to US for a set of Arnott’s for the X350 and including post were a total of £430 each.
  Got money returned as were out of stock from company so searched the UK.
  Rip-off prices as they tried to charge £5-800 each for the Arnott unit in the UK.
  
  I opted for a pair of B3 Bilsteins for the X350.
  Total cost £1070 delivered. (£535 each).
  
  I also had an MOT this week which needed two sets of rear linkages changed.
  Anti-roll bar linkages and both tracking/sway bar linkages.
  Rubbers on ball-joints were solid and cracked so past it.
• Jaguar price for and including fitting all 4 bars £860, and my price, £140 for all 4 bars and zero fitting costs.
  
  A new rear P/S calliper as the hand-brake mech was NOT seized,but mangled inside, so the cable pulled on nothing. Jaguar price for new calliper was £440+VAT.My price for same calliper from Pagid £112.98, then I got refunded £23.99 formy old unit which goes for recon.
  So total new price £86.98
  

I used the braking system getting touched to flush out the entire brake-fluid, so two birds with one stone on this repair. I used a vacuum bleed system so it took no time to replenish the system with new fluid.

 

This is the bits I've bought so far for the front suspension in the picture below.


I started out hoping for about £1000 but this soon turned to wishful thinking.


The four shocks have only all done 58,000 and are totally knackered. Teach me for buying a car from a big city with severely ruined roads, London. I have to drive on some bad roads around here at 30 lately, instead of 60 as the shocks are bouncing constantly on springs.


I see Milton Keynes is the nearest Garage ramp rental to me so will go one day soon and get the front shocks swapped over. I do not want to do these with the car on the floor as I want to use the ramp to start letting them activate before I start to put full weight on the new units as is meant to be done.


I still have to make up my mind whether to replace entire arms for bottom new or swap out the bushes. I am leaning more to swapping out the three on the rear straight arm as the new arm is a lot of money compared to the other bits.


I might have said in previous posts it'll take me days to get things done, but owing to me being slightly faulty this end, turns out it is taking me weeks or months

 

Hmm, you sure of that mileage as I've had nothing like the need for work that you seem to have. The air spring units (shocks) should have lasted way longer than 58k miles, although the lower shock bushes will have already worn out, of course, but these are cheap to buy and replace.

On the front wishbone arms it is a fairly easy swap-out for the trunnion bushes. The rear lower wishbone bushes are available and DIYable, (you can even get Polybush ones), but if a shop is going the job the labour charges for swapping tend to add up to the price for fitting a new wishbone.This assumes an aftermarket or OEM part is fitted, not a dealer-priced one.

The one thing that can cause real expense is the ball joints on the upper wishbones, These cannot be replaced so a new ones are is needed if these are knackered. The ball joint on the hub carrier is available but very awkward to swap out.

As you have found out, if you buy off the internet, the parts prices are fairly reasonable.

 

Thanks Fraser on the reply.
Mileage is correct as I checked before I bought the vehicle.
I got a mint condition body and interior but lost out a bit on the running gear.
Definitely not an old lady owner car.


I had to use gunk on the left P/S front as when I was doing the new brake discs I noticed the air-shock was seeping/damp and this would fail an MOT.
Hence I cleaned it to look like new and the drivers side also.
I knew they cannot tell at an MOT station if the air shocks work correctly or not as the MOT is not strick enough for then to tell on this part on most air-shock vehicles. You have to drive the vehicle on the road to really know they are knackered.
Stationary they give one bounce and settle which is all the law of an MOT requires to pass them.


I am not annoyed they are knackered at only 58k as they are meant to be replaced every 50k anyway.


I've been in too many cars over the years to know that owners don't see the need or inclination to change their shocks when they are well past their usable requirements. No shock lasts a 100,000 miles and is still safe, even if the owners seem to think they are. Too many cars on the roads world-wide have this problem of the shocks never getting changed which means if I wind the car up the car is not going to corner very well and sway all over the road at high speed.


I bought new upper wishbones which have new bushes and ball-joints fitted.
The wheel knuckles I tracked down are new original jaguar ones which have new ball-joints. I don't know if I was lucky to get them at £126 each side as I'm sure Jaguar would try to charge £400 each no doubt.


I have a slight judder/knock on some pot-holes on the passenger side from the front which I feel in the steering wheel and rather than see which bush or bearing is beginning to show signs of a fail I am replacing the entire lot in one go. If one is failing or getting weak then they are all the same as they were all fitted the same time and done the same miles.


False economy to change just one and leave the rest and not very good for the car as the new joint or bearing is then taking the strain of all the other worn ones and has to work harder so will wear out quicker.
This then gives me hassle free motoring and pure comfort for the next 50k, as if the car has just rolled of the production line. Thus is has not had 10 years of constant use on the road.


I bought a 12 tonne Hydraulic bench press very cheap from a friend who owns a classic car restoration garage not far from me so this steered me in the direction of may-be just swapping out the three bushes on the lower rear front arm that the wheel knuckle sits on.


He has refused every time to take my car and do the work I want as he knows I'm severely disabled with brain damage and he forces me to get angry so as I force myself to do the work. He does this deliberately to get me to try to do things that are getting beyond me. I was a qualified mechanic along with a few other things in life but recently suffered a severe accident that has restricted me entirely in what I can do movement wise now.


It takes me days to do what it takes others basically minutes but I do get it done. I have a bunch of girl/woman carers, 5 different ones over a month daily and I've used them to help me as some are great at getting stuck into spanners, but one girl is so tiny, she would not be able to even lift a wheel stand and her nails would get ruined.
I'll post pics as I start changing out the parts.


If anyone near my area in this forum wants to change their rubbers or bushes then simply turn up and use my garage and tools. I can steer and show you what to do but any actual work you do yourself. It can save you hundreds on garage time and labour.


You can spend a day or a few days this end as plenty of spare room so no rush where the longer it takes the more a mechanic charges you.
So if you want to get away for a week-end or few days to the country-side and do your suspension at leisure then the offer is open.
You can cook for yourselves and do your own thing with-in the house, like you do at home as not going to bother me this end. Or cook outside on barbies if weather is fine.
Just message me as this is seriously no problem my end and no hassle to me.

 

I have to say, frankly, I think your saying air spring units must be replaced every 50k miles is a council of perfection. These things will last a lot longer than that. What you're saying is that if I do 10k miles a year then after five years, I need to spend £2660 on the units then they have to be fitted. I don't think many people on here are going to follow your recommendation !

 

We are still waiting for pics of girls with spanners.

Well I am anyway! lol

 

Given that various items appear in the maintenance schedule as due for replacement at 105,000mi and 150,000mi (or 10yrs) but that suspension units don't appear at all ...

 

Funny thing is though the new units have a shelf life, it's hard to believe but

I presume it is because of the rubber bladder (for want of a better word).

 

I think that's because they are pressurised to about 30 psi to keep the bladder in place (there's a valve inside that prevents them completely depressurising, below 30 psi, when the airline is detatched), and they have to go back to Bilstein to ensure they haven't leaked (too much) and be topped up to 30 psi again.