another quick question. I have a 97 850 auto wagon 160k. when I hit short sharp bumps especially at higher speeds, I get excessive movement and noise transmitting through the dash and steering wheel. It allmost feels like some part of the suspension or body is bottoming out. just replaced the front shocks with bilstein hd, new spring seats, ball joints, strut bearings and kept the original springs. Can I fix this with new springs, body mounts? or the bilsteins just too much. thanks

If it wasn't happening before all those new parts shouldn't have created any problems...unless one of those new shocks is bad?? It may be just increased road feel due the the HD shocks. Is this the "excessive movement" you mentioned? Is the movement suspension movement or car body movement? Many folks have mentioned they don't like the HD Bilsteins due the harsher ride. If it's body movement check the engine mounts. One may be worn and allowing the engine to bounce around. Suspension movement should be less with the HD's.

It's possible that the original springs are too worn. I have an 850T-5 sedan which had the same problem:

New Koni FSD shocks + old springs = shocks hit the bump stop at one particularly annoying section of a frequently travelled road

New Koni FSDs + NEW Eibach lowering springs = problem gone.

I don't know what mileage your wagon has done, but it's a fallacy that some mechanics perpetuate (more often than not) that you don't need to change out springs when you change shocks. If you've done over 100,000km (on these cars more likely than not), the springs ought to be changed as well.

A mate with an 850 wagon (300,000 kms on dying, no make that dead, original suspension!) recently got Bilstein TCs installed. I told him to do the springs as well and he didn't (because his clever mechanic told him it wasn't necessary). Put it this way, I just don't have the heart to tell him that his car's suspension is pretty much only half-assed fixed given that new springs would have been like just $350 more on a $1300 suspension job, and would have made the suspension feel quite nearly brand new. As is, it rides ok but not quite there with the worn springs - i.e., money BADLY spent/saved. The same thing happened when I first put in the Konis.