I have had my 04 xjr for about a year, (60K miles) and I love the car, but I am getting pretty tired of the front end rattle and vibration coming through the steering wheel. I already replaced the left air spring with an Arnott unit because it was leaking, I also replaced the front facing lower control arm bushing, and sway bar links and sway bar bushings.

I have been reading up on some threads with the brembo brake pads rattling, and will do that next. It just sucks because they have 50% life left.

The whole car vibrates when going over rough surfaced roads. I have a feeling that the 20 inch BBS wheels might have something to do with this.

1) For all of you with 20 inch wheels, does your car have a rough ride?
2) Any input on the front end rattle?

This is my second XJR and i love the car, but I drive 80 miles a day, and I am getting pretty tired of this stuff.

 

Dump the 20" wheels and get 18". 20" are OK on a race-track, but no good whatsoever on rough or badly surfaced roads, (which is almost everywhere these days !!). Looks ain't everything, I'm afraid, there has to be comfort too.

 

I've got the same problem, as it sounds, on my 2005 VDP, and I've seen occasional similar complaints on this board. Over washboard type surfaces the front end shudders and gets loose. There is also a rattle that sounds like a muffled piece of wood beating against metal. Steering wheel vibrates in extreme cases and frequently jerks one way or the other.

An indy Jaguar shop drove it around and thought both shocks need to be replaced, which means replacing the whole spring assembly. I asked about sway bar bushings and tie rods, also control arms. They looked at all these suspects and declared them sound. I'm on stock 18" wheels.

I'm not sure that's it, but nobody has given me a definite answer. Most complaints about suspension are leaking air springs, but my air system is working fine.

Arnott springs do NOT replace the shocks, just the spring bladder, so if the Indy shop is right I'd stay away from them. May just keep the same problem. I'll either get another spring assembly with new shocks, or spring for the full coil-over replacement suspension. However, before going that route I'd like to be sure it solves the problem!

 

HI i wanted to know if you figured out what it was because I have the same problems and its driving me crazy I had bushings done wheels swapped alignment done and still have it
Before I get into changing shocks and really getting into money I wanted to hear if anyone figured it out yet
Thanks

 

No, I'm waiting to pull the trigger on throwing any money at the suspension.

If I replace the shocks it's probably $1500. But as you can see in the threads here, other parts of the air suspension system can and probably will go bad, in particular the compressor. Then I'm approaching the ~$2500 it'll cost for an all new coil-over suspension that will be rid of the troublesome air suspension.

Since I'm not certain it's shocks causing the vibration & rattle, I'm inclined to wait for something else to go wrong before replacing the suspension entirely. Until then I'm enjoying the following:

 

Had the same problem (rattly noise over bumpy surfaces) and it was indeed the brake pads on my end. The installer had not replaced the anti-rattle springs/shims when the pads were swapped. Check the pads first and see if you can push them back and forth with your finger. If so, you just found your front end rattle

 

Hi had everything checked and did full brake job done in from

 

I am going to do the brakes soon, I will keep you guys posted.

 

I ordered front shock lets hope thats it
I did notice that it does go up when I start the car but it could be just a leveling thing but when I push down on the front corners the passengers side is weaker then the drivers so I believe that is giving me a sign that the shock is on its way out

 

Great that you're moving forward! Did you get the Arnott units or something else? Keep the thread posted when results are in, also what it cost you to get it all done. Then was can


To earlier poster, I don't think it's the same thing as his loose brake pads. It's not just rattling noises, and I can't see brake pads causing the front end shudder.

 

Figure after I got brakes done rotors and pads in from and I replaced 2 not bad wheels and I go lower control arm bushings and alignment and front end checked and still have the annoying noise in front
Yes I ordered a Arnott shock I had to get a rebuilt because I don't like the idea that the one that sells in pairs is for both (comfort & sport) I don't get it so I just went ahead and got the one for my car which is the sport to be safe and going to change out the passenger side and hope that takes care of the issue
On my S-type it was almost the same noise but it was the stabilizer links twice in a row till I changed out all four at once from Jaguar not after market and it worked
But this issue is a little more crazy to pin point
But I still have the light flicker problem which Im not going to do nothing about till I correct the noise because one never knows if it can be hand and hand with cars like this
Ill keep you up to date

 

My rattles on the 04 vdp [149k miles] didn't go away till I changed the curved lower front contol arms. I had someone turn the wheels when I was under the car and I could see lots of play even though the bushings looked fine. I went ahead and replaced the curved arms as well as the straight arms at $100 apiece sourced from a 25,000 mile car. No rattles now but I know I have to probably change the ball joints in the steering knuckle. I see there was a rebuild kit from someone on ebay in texas. If I can't find it, I will source the steering knuckles from the same car and be done for the next 100,000. Previously I did swaybar links, bushings, inner and outer tierods, upper control arms and none of that solved the problem.

 

So I changed to passenger side shock I have to say the car drives much better and I can tell Im going to have to change the other side also because the right side feels awesome and at this rate change all four but any way back to the noise
It didnt cure it 100% and yes my mechanic and I both agree its going to be the sway arm bushings that may correct the problem which I hope because its driving me crazy besides the money
I will keep you updated
BTW between the change and the bad gas I think I got somewhere, when I was driving around the dash gave me engine light and restricted performance check the codes it was P0171 P0170 P0174
after sitting over night everything went away
Very moody ..... Deff a girl LOLOLOL!!

 

I have an 06 VDP with 19" rims. As it gets hotter, the dash rattles on the passenger side on the freeway, by the air vent. At 75mph side wind gusts make it rattle worse. I'm baffled. Have brand new tires, brakes, 54k miles total.
Does anyone know how to remove the air vent?

 

Check around the pollen filter housing for loose plastic?

 

Good news for my freeway, wind dash rattle.
It was the black plastic "tray" at the bottom of the windshield (this is attached/near the pollen filter intake-so the rattling sound came through the passenger side vent). At the very outside edge it nestles against the front quarter panel, but it's not supported in any way! So it was being pushed down by wind gusts/freeway speeds and rattling against the 1 inch metal seam that is on the front quarter panel, under the sides of the hood. I added 2 pieces of dense foam insulation on the bottom of the black plastic tray, on the driver and passenger sides, and that problem is solved.
I still have a small buzz at 75mph or greater in the passenger side door. I'm replacing warped front rotors and hopefully this will be gone (prior owner only replaced pads, not rotors!).