Jaguar Shocks Buyer's Guide
Your Jaguar’s shocks play an important role in giving you a comfortable ride and keeping your tires planted on the road. Like all moving car parts, your shocks will wear out and need to be replaced. As a Jaguar owner, you can easily replace your shocks without needing to bring your car to a shop.
If you’re not sure where to start, this buyer’s guide will help you. Here, you’ll find all the information you need about shocks and how to install them correctly.
1. What are Shocks and Why are They Important?
A shock is a long metal hydraulic tube that mounts to the control arm right behind a wheel. The top part of a shock is attached to the body or frame.
Shocks help control the wheel and tire as they bounce over potholes and bumps. Shocks also help smooth out the ride to make driving as comfortable as possible for you and your passengers.
For more information on shocks and how they work, this article is just what you need.
2. How Do I Know if My Shocks are Bad?
The first indicators of bad shocks are pretty obvious. You’ll notice some vibrations, swerving, or nosediving while braking. You’ll also notice longer stopping distances and uneven tire wear.
The simplest way to tell if your shocks are bad is to do the bounce test. In other words, push down one corner of your Jaguar with your body weight and then observe how it bounces. If that corner bounces more than once or twice before retuning to at-rest position, then the shock at that corner is bad.
You can also visually inspect your shocks for leakage, or any damage.
Here’s a comprehensive diagnostic guide for Jaguar shocks.
3. Should I Get OEM or Aftermarket Replacement Shocks?
A lot of Jaguar owners wonder if it’s a good idea to save a few bucks on aftermarket shocks. According to this comparison guide, using aftermarket shocks comes with a lot of risks. Ultimately, you’re running the risk of having a set of aftermarket shocks fail early. Even though OEM shocks may cost a little more than aftermarket shocks (not always - you can buy deeply discounted OEM shocks from us), they’re well worth the investment. Compared to aftermarket shocks, OEM shocks offer much more value. For example:
- OEM shocks are built to model-specific tolerances
- OEM shocks are built with high quality materials
- OEM shocks fit your model perfectly without any issues
4. Can I Replace My Shocks at Home?
A lot of car owners are intimidated by the idea of replacing their own shocks. It’s a job that’s actually not as complicated as it sounds. You would just need a way to lift your Jaguar safely, a lug nut wrench, basic hand tools, and this tutorial.