This ridge would eventually wear away the pad where it was in contact. The only way this could cause vibration shudder in the front end is if the discs were warped or there is runout associated with the disc.

As dutch07xk states, warped brake discs will only be felt when brakes are applied. Runout on the other hand, can cause the disc to wobble while turning which is transferred into the wheel and introduce a pulsation in the steering wheel.

Did they "turn" the rotors (cut them smooth on a lathe) or check for runout? You did not state but I'm assuming they turned the rotors so they were smooth again. Or, they may be to thin to turn and have to be replaced...

 

The rotors didnt have alot left to cut so they beveled the tops of the pads so there wouldnt be any interference. They couldnt find anything else wrong as in bearings or suspension parts so I gave them the go ahead. Knowing the rotors are wearing thin if there is still a problem I will replace them. I doubt they took a dial indicator to them to check runout so they are now suspect as well. The car feels better but once the snow is cleared from the roads I will continue to work on this if it is still there. I think what was happening was the pads were new from the dealer I purchased the car from and he never repaced the rotors to save $ There is no pulsation in the brakes but a large bit of rust buildup was nicking the outer pad and causing it to bounce and transmiting the vibration. I know it sounds doubtful, as you said it would just wear the pads back but I know something was happening in there because when driving next to a barrier with the window down I could hear chirping, it would be there if I jinx right or stay going straight but if I jinx left it would go away. It was a cheap fix and a shot in the dark. We will see when things clear up here.

 

So where are you at on this Caperss?
Issue gone?

Just curious,
Vince

 

Ive been very busy, sorry for not responding sooner. The vibration has been reduced but still there (very minor and the pad cutting did help a lot)leading me to believe it is in the front end. I have ordered new front hub/bearings,rotors,pads and full caliper hardware kits. I suspect a bearing or rotor runout. I could live with the minor vibration but I am a perfectionist so once I get it all installed I will get back to you-all. One thing I have discovered about these cars is the smallest things resonate in these vehicles.

 

I seem to have very similar symptoms, does not really bother me , but I would like to find out what it is Dec 2006 XKR with 35k. Not done any investigation yet, but |I did suspect tyres or wheel balance.

I will over the next few weeks and update to what I find, as I said not a big issue, funnily my passengers can not detect it only me and its through the steering wheel\floor

Regards
Grant

 

I wont be able to pinpoint it because I replaced more than one thing so here is what I did. I replaced the front wheelbearing hub assembles. and rotors and new pads all around and a 4 wheel alignment. The car is like new. I love it! I think one of the front rotors had some runout and the front bearings were shot plus one of the rear wheels was way out of alignment. This rides like a new car very happy

 

caperss, I am glad your vibration problem has been resolved. I have a 2003 xk8 convertible that begins to vibrate at 65 mph, and by 70 mph it is shaking like a washing machine in spin cycle. I have only owned the car since last Saturday, and haven't had time to take it in to a mechanic for a diagnosis yet. But, I have an appointment on Monday to have a mechanic take a look-see. Aside from the vibration problem, the only other thing wrong is that all four (4) tires have inside wear--especially the front tires.

This is the first jaguar car I've ever owned. I feel that I don't have the knowledge and experience to be able to troubleshoot this vibration problem on my own, even with assistance and coaching available from helpful forum members. So, I'm taking my car to J & G Automotive in San Rafael, California. According to their website, their mechanics were trained in Great Britain, and have many years of experience diagnosing, troubleshooting, and repairing Jaguar cars. In my view, if they can fix the vibration issue for $1000 or so, I'll be happy, because I didn't overpay for this car ($8500 purchase price). Actually, I can live with the inside tire wear if need be, because it isn't severe. But, if the mechanic can fix that issue, it will be "icing on the cake".

 

Dean,

Congrats on your 2003 XK8, but you're in the wrong Forum. This is the X150 Forum, for 2007-2015 aluminum body XK/XKR models. Your 2003 XK8 is the previous version, known as an X100, and that Forum is here:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xk8-xkr-x100-17/

Do you realize that you resurrected a 9 year old thread?

There's nothing special about your car's wheels and tires. Before you take your car to a $$$pecialist, save some money and have a local tire shop check your wheels for roundness and weld repairs and your tires for age, cupping, belt damage, balance, and signs of excessive suspension bushing wear.

Good luck!

Stuart

 

Hi Stuart, I appreciate the friendly guidance. I used the Jaguar Forums advanced search feature to search for key word "vibration". The search results came back with a list of threads with that key word, and I didn't notice that this particular thread does not pertain to my 2003 xk8. So, thanks for pointing that out.

 

An easier way to search is to use Google. To find threads that pertain to your X100, preface your Google search with these exact words: Jaguar X100 Forums followed by several key words that describe what you want to know.

The Forum's Advanced Search function is useful if you want to search by the name of a Forum member. Otherwise, I prefer Google.

 

Stuart, thanks for the search advice. I will try to keep that in mind for future searches. Have a great day!

 

As Stuart said don’t assume the wheels are perfectly round. The concern you describe’s universal and not Jag specific. Vibration can be caused by unbalanced wheels, bent or damaged wheels, damaged tyres, problems with wheel hubs and suspension components. Uneven tyre wear can be caused by suspension issues as well or poor alignment. Should be easy to sort.

 

jahummer, thank you for clarifying that. I do take your advice to heart. Being informed is always preferable to being uninformed. I appreciate your generosity in giving me the benefit of your knowledge and experience. And when I meet with the mechanic on Monday, I'll be in a better position to deal with him by knowing that vibration can have myriad causes. For that reason, I will be expect the mechanic to take measurements and perform tests to diagnose the cause of the vibration, and to use a process of elimination to isolate the specific cause(s) of vibration in my car.

 

As long as the process of elimination isn't done by simply swapping parts, you should be good. A good tire shop would be my first stop. They can balance the wheels and in doing so can tell you if a wheel is out of round. They can also tell you if the tires are an issue. I use Discount Tire because that's all they do. They don't try to up sell on parts.

You can do this simple test to identify several issues and all you need is a jack:

 

I’ll second taking it to Discount Tires, they showed me one of my fairly new tires on my other car, was out of round, the wheel was fine. They didn’t charge me for that visit either.

 

Sean, thanks for the advice. It sounds like good advice to me. The only reason I'm not taking the car to a tire place first is that the tires are 90% worn. The tires themselves may "tell a story" to an experienced mechanic about possible alignment and suspension issues. I don't really want to have a tire shop do wheel balancing at this point, because I plan on replacing all four tires before it rains in November. The way I see it, replacing the tires would be "disturbing the crime scene" as it were, and a tire shop will want to sell me four new tires. Tomorrow the mechanic will write up a list of recommended work to be performed with estimates for labor and material. I don't necessarily plan on authorizing all the items in the estimate right away. After I get the mechanic's estimate, I might decide to go buy new tires, and get an alignment. Then, I can road test the car, and see if the vibration problem persists. If new tires and alignment job make the vibration go away, then I probably will forgo suspension repairs at this time.

 

Tires that are 90% worn out could be the cause of your vibration problem. I would replace those tires before taking the car to J&G Automotive, as that's probably the first thing they'll tell you to do.

That would eliminate wheel and tire problems, as they would be checked by a competent tire shop like Discount Tire.

 

Yes I agree to start with checking tyres and wheels first. Once that’s sorted, move on to hubs and entire suspension components, quite easy for ANY mechanic to do. Hopefully your specialist’s able to supply, fit and balance new tires and inspect wheels for any roundness or structural issues so you don’t have to do a lot of back and forth between shops.

 

Stuart, you are correct. When I got to J & G Automotive this morning, I was surprised to find out that they no longer exist. Another firm, House of Brakes, now occupies their old location at 633 Irwin St. in San Rafael, CA. I checked online on Yelp and Google for reviews of House of Brakes, and there were nothing but positive reviews. The proprietor, Armaund, took my car on the freeway, and confirmed that the steering wheel shakes above 70 mph. After inspecting and driving my car, he diagnosed these problems that need attention:

1. Tires are worn out. Four (4) new 245R45 18 tires are needed. Also, wheel balance and alignment.
2. Front brake rotors are warped. Need new rotors and pads on front brakes.

Armaund raised the car up on the rack, and showed how two rubber boots on the front suspension were leaking grease. He also showed that one of the bushings of the stabilizer bar (?) had been damaged and was out of position. He also determined that the small amount of oil leakage on the bottom of my engine was coming from the valve cover at the top of the engine, caused by a leaking gasket. He told me my engine and transmission are good. He also stated that "rack and pinion steering systems are very expensive to get repaired", so he recommended that the work be done in stages. I asked him if the damaged suspension bushings, etc., were causing the vibration, and he said, "No--the vibration is caused by the worn tires. And, also when you brake at high speed, it vibrates, because the rotors are warped."

I had been having a problem with the passenger side window failing to retract when closing the door. Armaund told me that the window interlock is in the door handle, and he showed me how to close the door while releasing the door latch at the last moment. In other words, instead of just pushing the door shut, I need to pull up on the door handle when closing the door, and then the window retracts as it's supposed to. Then, when I release the door handle, the window pops up into fully closed position. Bingo!

 

jahummer, you are correct. The worn tires were the cause of the vibration >70 mph, according to the mechanic. Turns out, J & G Automotive is out of business, and the certified Jaguar mechanics that used to work there have moved on.