Question over tyre noise and buffeting

[Jamie Brookes]

Hi all,

I have wanted an SC 430 for years, and finally have the readies to buy one. I looked at a black '06 plate car for sale recently and was slightly underwhelmed in a couple of areas during my ever first drive in one, which has rather put me off. I'm hoping those more knowledgeable than me on this forum can enlighten me. The car is a face-lift model but still with the lower tax.

1) The ride comfort was ok, but there was more tyre-noise than I was expecting from a luxury car. The tyres are fairly new and are Falcon Azenis I think. Would anyone know if these are especially noisy tyres for this vehicle and whether there are other brands that could appreciably reduce the tyre noise?

2) With the roof down (and the windows up or down) there seemed to be a lot of buffeting. More in fact than a Z3 I owned previously. I have seen a wind-deflector for sale for about £300. Does anyone have any experience of these devices and if so, do they work?

Also, with this particular car, the service history is patchy, with a gap in the service record between 10k miles and 55k miles, over 4 years. After that there seem to be some sketchy stamps in the book (independents) but no associated paperwork. There is a cambelt change sticker on the engine but the owner doesn't know if the water pump has been changed. Should I worry about the lack of servicing in its early years? Car and engine look solid and tidy and there are no untoward noises, no leaks, and the oil and coolant both look fine.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Jamie

[Bob King]

I can try look up the tyre ..so it's a Falken Azenis does it have some letters and numbers after the name ? FK or PT ?

I’ve had 3 SC’s and never found the buffeting that bad…normally wear a cap to keep my hair in place 😉

These cars command the better prices with full or semi-full service history, if it’s been neglected it could have burnt oil carbon built up inside the engine…and its now difficult to check .

Dip stick will tell if it been changed recently but not if it’s been done on a regular basis.

If almost no history this must reflect in the buying price and budget for a full service plus water pump and timing belt .

   If you’re not happen then walk away ….new cars coming up for sale regular now the weather is getting better.

[Jamie Brookes]

Thanks for your quick response Bob. Very helpful.

The tyres are Falken Azenis FK510, and the car is on standard 18" wheels.

[Bob King]

Just found the advert, does say pump and belt have been replaced…does he have a bill for the work ?

This is a tyre review..can’t see a mention of noise but over review is good.

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Tyre/Falken/Azenis-FK510.htm

[Jamie Brookes]

Thanks again. Think you may be looking at a different advert. This car's ad only says cambelt changed, and the owner doesn't know if the WP has been changed too. Sadly no invoices in the paperwork.

I really want one of these cars but must try and not to let heart-rule-head until I know what other owners think of these 'issues' and whether they can be improved. I will try and get a test drive on another car this week to do a comparison.

[Bob King]

Right car misread advert ☹️

 

[Nigel Coleman]

Hi Jamie,

My SC430 came with 19" alloys fitted with a brand new set of budget tyres fitted which it seemed a shame to replace with a better brand yet but road noise is NOT an issue.

With the the roof down and windows up I don't experience much buffeting although with the windows down there is some. There is an aftermarket kit that keeps the rear quarterlight windows up with the roof open which might improve things for you? but personally I would not bother.

It's always best to buy a car with a complete service history if possible (also check its MOT history and advisories). I bought a high mileage example but with a full history. The main work required was cosmetic which was to recolour the interior which I did myself (see my post on this) but otherwise the car was mechanically sound with these engines being good for 700,000 miles if serviced and maintained properly.

 

[Jamie Brookes]

Thanks for the info/advice Nigel. I will test drive another one and then see if I need to lower my expectations. I drove an XJS convertible some years ago and I was hoping for similar levels of refinement, although perhaps my memory is failing me.