Leaking Koni strut

[Traian]

Anthony, I know this is a bit OT, but do you mind telling me how you've found the Konis so far? Both performance wise, and in particular, is the ride much rougher / stiffer / noisier than stock?

[632 Regal]

replace both shocks, dont go with Bilsteins http://www.bimmer.info/~regal632/Bumpstops.htm
you dont need to mess with the stops unless lowered like mine. the only advantage with bilsteins is the removal of the stock bumpstop. their warrantee is worse.
The Dinan shocks as far as I know are revalved and not the same as a stock one, thats why I would recommend replacing both.

[BigKriss]

Many Koni shocks can be rebuilt by an authorised Koni agent for a reasonable cost. Koni tend be a little sensitive about their reputation so if you can prove the failure was not caused by any abnormal abuse then they may a least meet you part way.

Yeah, thats what I was thinking. Go get the shocks rebuilt, should be cheap. I was thinking around aus$150 for two shocks. Koni's are the best shocks out there right? So if you buy some other brand your downgrading the "performance". Did you run the shocks on full soft?

http://www.toperformance.com.au/why_fs.html - click on faq

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

Many Koni shocks can be rebuilt by an authorised Koni agent for a reasonable cost. Koni tend be a little sensitive about their reputation so if you can prove the failure was not caused by any abnormal abuse then they may a least meet you part way.

Re-building may well be an option - I'm exploring this one.

On the question of "abnormal abuse" - beyond bending the strut rod from accident impact or a wheel ripping pot-hole, how would they know? I've only driven the car on the street and have not subjected it to anything unusual nor have I ever hit a large pot-hole. The roads in Calgary are not billiard table smooth, but they don't have craters.

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

Anthony, I know this is a bit OT, but do you mind telling me how you've found the Konis so far? Both performance wise, and in particular, is the ride much rougher / stiffer / noisier than stock?

I like the Konis, they ride well and are firm enough for my needs on such a heavy car. Having said that, one man's firm is another's "need Viagra".

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

Something doesn't make sense. First, let's assume for a second that Koni agrees to provide you with either a brand new replacement or rebuild.

You think one new Koni shock is going to be *worst* than a new set of bilstein shocks, which you readily admit will be firm (if not harsh) AND will raise your car up?

Unless your other 3 shocks are also leaking or have ALOT of miles, e.g., in excess of say 100,000, I would stick to a new one.

As for Dinan, supposedly they have Koni or whoever built shocks to their specs. But who is to say that its not just a regular old adjustable that you can tune. In any event, I would have Koni rebuild or provide a replacement that is to Dinan "specs".....

btw, I'm not bashing Dinan cuz I really like their albeit pricey suspension systems for the street, but I would have gone straight to Steve Dinan if my shock leaked. Good Luck with this!

For the record, I'm not bashing Dinan either. I'm just surprised by the warranty of only two years (as stated by my supplier) where Koni's warranty is lifetime for the same basic part. As for going straight to Steve, that is no different than dealing with the supplier I bought them from, the same supplier that said the warranty was 2 years and void if not installed by an authorized shop.

On the question of one new part in the car, yes, wear is a concern and there will be a difference between the two sides after 35,000km. The back shocks are not Koni anyway, they are the standard M5 SLS units which work fine and will be staying on the car. An un-balanced suspension is not something I want to mess with and without a suspension dynamometer, "tuning" would not be very accurate - the adjustment knob only affects rebound damping.

One new Koni "worse" than matching Bilstiens? Unknown. I've had Bilstiens on a couple of cars (2002 and 325iS) and they were firm but not harsh. The ride height change is a concern though.

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

Yeah, thats what I was thinking. Go get the shocks rebuilt, should be cheap. I was thinking around aus$150 for two shocks. Koni's are the best shocks out there right? So if you buy some other brand your downgrading the "performance". Did you run the shocks on full soft?

http://www.toperformance.com.au/why_fs.html - click on faq

No, they were never run "full soft" nor have they been excessively adjusted. Usually they are left 1/2 turn from soft for winter and changed to 1 turn from soft for summer driving. As supplied by Dinan, the adjusters were 3/4 turn from soft.

Maybe Konis are the best shocks. It doesn't change the fact that I have to mess with my suspension again and in winter to boot. If I have to take both dampers out and send them for re-build I'll be without wheels as this is my daily driver.