Front A Frame corrosion options / advice

[Jb14]

Hi all

Looking for some advice following a recent service & subsequent advisories by a local independent Jaguar garage (Swallows just outside of Bristol). There were some small issues but the main issue is corrosion on the front A frame "The only thing I am unsure about at the moment is the front A frame corrosion with the non structural part corroded off, it may need a new front A frame". The current plan is for anti corrosion treatment while they find the part number for a new A frame (gulp!). The corrosion looks pretty bad to my eyes (garage pic attached) but I know nothing about car substructures etc. I have also been reading about the SSM74031 advisory and wonder if it is related? The car also had Lanoguard applied post service which hopefully helps. Any advice on whether the anti corrosion treatment may kick the can down the road a few years or will I have to bite the bullet on a ? expensive front A frame replacement? Car is a 2018 year and otherwise i've not noticed any issues with it.

Many thanks for any advice!

 

[RPSN]

That is a bad state of corrosion on the front 'A' frame! Is your car RWD or AWD? Also, if you provide the last 5 digits of the VIN I should be able to get the JLR part number and price for a new 'A' frame to help you decide.

 

[Jb14]

That is a bad state of corrosion on the front 'A' frame! Is your car RWD or AWD? Also, if you provide the last 5 digits of the VIN I should be able to get the JLR part number and price for a new 'A' frame to help you decide.

Thanks, yes I though so. Its a P300 RWD. VIN last 5 digits: 56665. Many thanks for your help

 

[RPSN]

The JLR part number for the front 'A' frame on your car is T2R40660 and the price is £393.72 inc VAT. It is shown as item number 19 (Brace) here... https://parts.jaguarlandroverclassic.com/parts/index/part/id/152.1076.2437.11413/brand/jaguar/

The non-structural part of the 'A' frame which is very badly corroded is there to help protect the fuel and brake lines in that area from debris that is thrown up from the rear of the front nearside (UK) wheel.
Unless Swallows Jaguar can fabricate a new piece to replace it, you should replace the 'A' frame with a new one from JLR or a second-hand good condition one off ebay etc.

The JLR technical bulletin SSM74031 applies to the rear underbody braces. I posted the bulletin details here...
https://www.ftypeforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=51051#p51051

What sort of condition are those rear braces in on your car?

 

[Jb14]

Ah that is very useful thank you. The corrosion treatment costs £343+VAT so £400 + hopefully not too much labor seems a better solution if possible. Hopefully that brace can be modified by Swallow (who seem to do a lot of race modifications so hopefully not afraid to sort something out http://www.swallows-jag.co.uk/). It also makes sense as to why the brake hoses are showing signs of rust and are advised to be changed.

I don't know how the rest of the underside looks unfortunately. The car's due a new set of front tyres next week at the local tyre garage so I'll ask if they can take a picture of anything else that looks suspicious, but assumingly Swallow would tell me if something else was obvious.

Also what are the caster arms x 2 they want to change? Google isn't clear. Is it likely to be related to the corrosion?

Thanks for the help, my car knowledge is pretty dire!

 

[cj10jeeper]

Was this car purchased from a dealer or private sale?
If the former I’d be talking to the dealer about all the issues you seem to have on such a recent purchase.

 

[msdmjb44]

For such a young car that is appalling.
Jaguar should be responsible for making these decisions of using inadequate materials on what were expensive cars. I have significantly older cars that are in much better condition, rust like that should have remained in the 90s.
Sorry not helpful I know, at least it seems that the parts are relatively cheap to replace.

 

[RPSN]

Ah that is very useful thank you. The corrosion treatment costs £343+VAT so £400 + hopefully not too much labor seems a better solution if possible. Hopefully that brace can be modified by Swallow (who seem to do a lot of race modifications so hopefully not afraid to sort something out http://www.swallows-jag.co.uk/). It also makes sense as to why the brake hoses are showing signs of rust and are advised to be changed.

I don't know how the rest of the underside looks unfortunately. The car's due a new set of front tyres next week at the local tyre garage so I'll ask if they can take a picture of anything else that looks suspicious, but assumingly Swallow would tell me if something else was obvious.

Also what are the caster arms x 2 they want to change? Google isn't clear. Is it likely to be related to the corrosion?

Thanks for the help, my car knowledge is pretty dire!

You previously mentioned that your car had Lanoguard applied post service. This is designed to last around 12 months under normal driving conditions and a yearly application is recommended for optimal and continuous protection. What further corrosion treatment are Swallows Jaguar offering you at a cost of £343+VAT and is it for the rear subframe and/or front 'A' brace?

Hopefully they’ll be able to sort out the badly corroded non-structural section of the front ‘A’ brace before fully refurbishing it but if not you now have the JLR part number to either buy a new or good condition second-hand one. To give you an idea of the job I’ve attached a video by Ryan Bengal which shows how he removed and refurbished it.

It’s worth checking the rear braces too. Ask your local garage to put the car up on a ramp next week when you’re there so they can have a good inspection of them!

The ‘caster arms x 2’ relate to the front suspension wishbone arms as shown here https://parts.jaguarlandroverclassic.com/parts/index/part/id/152.1068.2396.11222/brand/jaguar/ and are nothing to do with the corrosion.

Out of curiosity, how long ago did you purchase the car and where from?


https://youtu.be/l1QIx2Hfakw

 

[Jb14]

Thanks for the replies and video much appreciated. It was a private purchase (as detailed here https://www.ftypeforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=93115#p93115). Long story short, the lady I bought it from was selling her husband's car, as he had unfortunately unexpectedly prematurely passed away 2-3 years back. The last few MOTs show about 1 to 1.5k mileage p/a and the Scottish winters + salted roads I imagine take their toll (+car kept outside). I can't imagine she will peruse these forums but safe to say she's had a lot of personal trauma in her life, is straight as an arrow / lovely person and has previously insisted I contact her if any issues with the car subsequently comes to light - but to be frank it's not the way I roll and so I'll just ensure the car gets the close attention it needs from here on in.

The reason for the caster arms switch is Both front castor arm bushes starting to split

She did say the car had regular underbody anti corrosion treatment (of what type/shape i'm not sure) and perhaps understandably the last 2-3 years it seems some parts were missed. Hopefully there won't be anymore corrosion issues noted! At least the labor rates should be low as it looks relatively simple to switch out the A frame if needs be.

 

[cj10jeeper]

Thanks for the replies and video much appreciated. It was a private purchase (as detailed here https://www.ftypeforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=93115#p93115). Long story short, the lady I bought it from was selling her husband's car, as he had unfortunately unexpectedly prematurely passed away 2-3 years back. The last few MOTs show about 1 to 1.5k mileage p/a and the Scottish winters + salted roads I imagine take their toll (+car kept outside). I can't imagine she will peruse these forums but safe to say she's had a lot of personal trauma in her life, is straight as an arrow / lovely person and has previously insisted I contact her if any issues with the car subsequently comes to light - but to be frank it's not the way I roll and so I'll just ensure the car gets the close attention it needs from here on in.

The reason for the caster arms switch is Both front castor arm bushes starting to split

She did say the car had regular underbody anti corrosion treatment (of what type/shape i'm not sure) and perhaps understandably the last 2-3 years it seems some parts were missed. Hopefully there won't be anymore corrosion issues noted! At least the labor rates should be low as it looks relatively simple to switch out the A frame if needs be.

I'd seen you purchased it very recently, but hadn't noticed the post detailing the seller's details. You have limited rights anyway in a private sale compared to trade, but you're right in the approach given the sellers history.
Salty roads and damp location parked outside are sure to have caused the A frame issues, but on the positive side you've not paid a dealer premium, so can afford some renovation work from the savings.

Get your specialist to ensure everything mechanical and corrosion wise is fixed in one go to to save overall labour rates of multiple part jobs and visits. Make sure they check all vulnerable points including the boot floor.

Good luck and I hope no more issues surface.

 

[RPSN]

Thanks for the replies and video much appreciated. It was a private purchase (as detailed here https://www.ftypeforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=93115#p93115). Long story short, the lady I bought it from was selling her husband's car, as he had unfortunately unexpectedly prematurely passed away 2-3 years back. The last few MOTs show about 1 to 1.5k mileage p/a and the Scottish winters + salted roads I imagine take their toll (+car kept outside). I can't imagine she will peruse these forums but safe to say she's had a lot of personal trauma in her life, is straight as an arrow / lovely person and has previously insisted I contact her if any issues with the car subsequently comes to light - but to be frank it's not the way I roll and so I'll just ensure the car gets the close attention it needs from here on in.

The reason for the caster arms switch is Both front castor arm bushes starting to split

She did say the car had regular underbody anti corrosion treatment (of what type/shape i'm not sure) and perhaps understandably the last 2-3 years it seems some parts were missed. Hopefully there won't be anymore corrosion issues noted! At least the labor rates should be low as it looks relatively simple to switch out the A frame if needs be.

That’s jolly decent of you not to try pursuing the issues with the lovely lady (old family friend) you bought the car from, whose had a lot of personal trauma in her life.

The bushes on the front suspension wishbone arms can have issues. A member recently posted one here https://www.ftypeforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=9500 which relates to the AWD front lower wishbone arms ('Banana arms') that are used for adjusting the front wheel castor (see attached TOPIx image).

Yes, as you can see from the video, the front ‘A’ brace removal and refit isn’t too difficult a job.

Hopefully, when you take the car into your local garage next week for tyres and inspection, the rear underbody braces etc don't look badly corroded. It’s worth checking after seeing the condition of the front ‘A’ brace even though you mentioned earlier...“assumingly Swallows would tell me if something else was obvious.”