2005 Jaguar X-Type Alignment

Tiny
TALFRED
  • MEMBER
  • 2005 JAGUAR X-TYPE
  • 6 CYL
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 35,500 MILES
I recently had a 4-wheel alignment done on my vehicle at a Jaguar dealership. When I received the car back. I didnt notice any difference in the steering. I thought the alignment would fix the "pulling to the right". My car will not travel a quarter of a mile without pulling or drifting to the right on an even surface. I am scheduled to take it back to the dealership. What else could be causing the vehicle to not be aligned correctly? I have already check the tire pressure. Also, I am beginning to hear a bobbling noise in the front of my vehicle whenever I roll over a slight bump. Could this be the result of a bad strut?
Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 AT 2:40 PM

8 Replies

Tiny
JAMES W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 2,394 POSTS
The bobbling noise you are hearing may be a strut or something loose in the front suspension. The most common cause cause of pulling to one side, if it's not allignment, is cord seperation on a front tire. By looking at the tire it may appear normal, but the weight of the car and rolling of the tire can cause it to track to one side. You can test this theory by moving the rear tires to the front and vise/versa. A tire that pulls on the front, won't even be noticed on the rear unless it gets really bad. Hope this helps. Note, this type of tire problem wouldn't even be noticed by an allignment shop.
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Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 AT 3:14 PM
Tiny
TALFRED
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Thanks James, I will request that they inspect both struts on my vehicle. You mentioned "cord separation" on the front tire. After performing the tire rotation test and I dont notice the difference, would simply replacing the bad tire suffice?
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Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 AT 3:24 PM
Tiny
JAMES W.
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When you have your struts checked, you may want whom ever to look at sway bar bushings and anything else that would rattle or thump. On the tires, by your description of the pulling, I'm 90% sure, moving the tires front to rear will solve the problem UNLESS, one of rear tires also has a cord problem, but that's not likely. The mileage on the tires comes into play here also. If the tires have a lot of miles left on them, and the rotation solves the pulling problem, I wouldn't worry about changing them. Run them as they are. Hope this helps, and have a nice Christmas.
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Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 AT 7:30 PM
Tiny
TALFRED
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Thank you. I really appreciate your help. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

-T
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Wednesday, December 17th, 2008 AT 8:34 AM
Tiny
DANS1
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
I also have an alignment problem that the Jag dealer can't quite solve. The car pulls to the left. I have rotated the tires from the front to the back and had the car aligned twice at the dealership. A left front bushing was replaced. They now tell me it may be a steering problem that will cost $1,300 for the parts. Something does not seem right with this. Anyone have a suggestion?
Dan
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Sunday, December 28th, 2008 AT 7:10 AM
Tiny
JAMES W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 2,394 POSTS
Looking at your problem from a "purely" mechanical point of view, I have to believe it must be something in the rack and pinion itself. You have eliminated everything else. If you had, had the alignment done at "uncle Joes' backyard alignment shop", I would say to take it elsewhere, but you didn't. If, and I mean IF, the power assist in the rack and pinion was favoring on side it could cause your pulling problem. But, I have to admit, I have never heard of this before on an import or a domestic. If this theory is correct, at a high idle, vehicle in park, the steering wheel should almost try to move itself to the left. With the car standing still, is it easier to turn the steering wheel one way than it is the other? Also, $1300 is a little stiff for a solution that might not solve the problem. Let me know what you find.
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Sunday, December 28th, 2008 AT 12:23 PM
Tiny
TALFRED
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  • 8 POSTS
Guys, after having the front tires rotated to the back, I do not have the pulling problem anymore. The mechanic tried to make me believe that the pulling was normal, but after the rotation, even he had to admit that he was wrong. As suggested earlier, I mentioned to the mechanic at the dealership to check my swaybar bushings. I even let the mechanic drive the vehicle with me along for the ride so that I could let him listen to the bobbling noise I was hearing. He said he wanted to look at my swaybar "inlays" (which may be the same thing, not sure). The parts had to be ordered, but should be in this week. Hopefully this will fix the noise. My car is still under factory warranty, so I am not expecting to pay a dime for parts. Thanks again for all of the suggestions. It was a big help.
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Sunday, December 28th, 2008 AT 1:32 PM
Tiny
JAMES W.
  • MECHANIC
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Glad we could help. That's what we're here for.
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Sunday, December 28th, 2008 AT 2:01 PM

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