Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

I've never been that impressed by Koni products. They had a good rep in the 90s, but not sure how well placed that rep was.

Bilstein definitely make a superior product, that's why they're OEM fitment for some manufacturers.

FAO Car doctors: any pointers on diagnosis for a low pitch whirring noise.
Only seems happens above 35mph and increases in frequency with higher speeds. Fuel consumption doesn't seem affected, which makes me discount an issue with the brake(s). No apparent tracking issues either, so I'm thinking it might be a worn wheel bearing. Does that sound reasonable?

Yeah, wheel bearing, esp if it changes tone during rh or lh cornering (might need a long faster corner to make it noticeable).

Got them as was pretty much only thing available that wasn't just another B8. Never had Koni before on anything as they are renowned for rusting through or leaking within a very short time, credit card on these maybe give me some more help if they rot through and leak within the 2 years.

Sample of one but...a friend bought a VW Tiguan on Cazoo and was very impressed. Everything exactly as described, excellent comms and the car is great. Very happy customer.

Yeah, wheel bearing, esp if it changes tone during rh or lh cornering (might need a long faster corner to make it noticeable).

Cheers dude. Any way of determining which wheel is affected, or would I be right to assume I should take the opportunity to replace both fronts and/or rears?

If it is noisier on a right hand bend, then it will be the left side bearing as it is under more load, likewise on a left hand bend if it is noisier then it will be the right side bearings, of course if it is the same it might still be both :)

You sure ;) My Jag moans quite alot when turning right, as changing lanes on the motorway.

Supposedly if you lift the wheel off the ground, turn the wheel and should be able to feel the rumble when holding the spring.

As Fixedwheelnut says, gives you an idea. But can be a rear too. Check that the wheel bearing is replaceable or could be a complete hub arrangement. Or a CV joint, or a mid drive shaft retainer bearing

A youtuber 'M539 restoration' fitted some koni actives to his E46 estate. He loved them until the rears leaked within 1000 miles. Not sure what he did but I notice he now only fits bilsteins onto his other projects.

I removed Bilsteins and fitted Ohlins, I think B6’s, which were basically ok (they were brand new), but the Ohlins were a totally different league.

Selling my xc60 as getting a new car at the start of September. What’s the best place to sell. Where best equals a combination of value + ease. Never sold a car before. Thanks 😊

What’s the price difference tho. Ohlins bike stuff is a serious step up in price compared to competitors.

What would your choice be on an e46 touring suspension change/upgrade? Mechanic rates his cheap eBay coil overs, half tempted but need it to be reasonable as a daily family wagon still.

There's a 3rd requirement here and that's speed of sale. I'd say Autotrader is a good combo of getting a good price and not too many dickheads, but it might take a while to go.

Obviously have a look at the WBAC price but acknowledge that they're going to knock money off at handover.

Motorway and Carwow offer similar services so have a look at what sort of money they're offering.

BMWs usually handle OK on the standard suspension, but ride like shit, so my choice of an upgrade would be softer springs and smaller wheels with more tyre sidewall.

I appreciate this is probably not your intended direction, however :-D

I was very happy with selling my Shogun via Motorway, quick, easy and a reasonable enough price.

Few friends have had a pretty good experience with Motorway in the past 6-9 months. Not used them personally, YMMV.

Please no.

If you don't need adjustable height, Bilstein shocks and springs, if you do want adjustable height I'd say get KW coilovers.

Motorway.com

Very easy transaction when I sold my RR. Got more than I expected too.

Lol, it’s annoying enough at the saggy height that it is! Definitely not going lower. As @bq said, i feel like it handles well, but the ride leaves something to be desired. But I also need to remember that I need to not treat it like some money pit classic.
Just had a full brake refresh with pads and rotors all round, full system bleed, handbrake tighten, and the mechanic managed to sort the loose pin on the handbrake assembly which has been causing an enraging intermittent squeaking. It’s something to do with a tiny retaining pin that always snap off, but with a bit of ingenuity and some long nose pliers you can swap in a bolt, some washers and a nylock nut - which saves having to take off the backplate to sort it out (a complete shitshow that requires most of the wheel assembly coming off IIRC).

Also very fortunate to have a mechanic pal who did the whole lot: f+r pads with wear sensors, f+r rotors, full brake system bleed, sorted out the handbrake assemblies and replaced that bolt, tightened the handbrake and MOT’d it for £350. I’m not really sure on market prices but it seemed like a pretty good deal to me!

I'd agree with BQ then, smaller wheels and bigger tyres will do wonders for comfort. Going for a softer sidewall non-UHP tyre will be a nicer ride, but it's hard to find reviews that focus on comfort, everything is performance or "eco", but I was impressed with the Goodyear Eagle F1 Assimetrico 5 when I had those.

They don't look like they come in 16s though so maybe the Kumho Ecsta HS52?

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Tyre/Kumho/Ecsta-HS52.htm

I’m already running 16s -Goodyear efficientgrip performance 2 or something, and I bought them as a fresh set to replace the mixed bag they came with, so unlikely to replace. And they do seem decent tbh. I do actually have a set of e36 15s in the shed, but they’re destined for the e39 banger with grass track tyres on.

Had a hire Corolla hybrid estate the other day for about 1200km off Finish roads. Drives like most modern things, non interesting, however was comfy (apart from steering wheel and pedals not being straight to the seat) and tyre/suspension combo was defo at the 'was that even a pothole' end of the scale. Something to be said for comfort thats for sure.

I recently sold via Motorway, money was in my account 3 days after details were submitted. Very slick process, a little bit of time required to take photos and I needed another 30 min phone call as a couple required retaking, but apart from that, all good. Got 15% more £ than WBAC quote.

Maybe just new standard dampers and bushes will be all you need? It's amazing how much improvement from changing shocks just comes from replacing worn-out with new.