Driving my wifes '97 318ti, I noticed this weird noise when going over bumps and potholes (we have lots where I live). At first it sounded like the brakes were ratteling if the anti-rattle clips had come off, but its makes the sound even if I press on the brake as I go over potholes. Could it possibly be the shocks, but it only makes the noise when the suspension is jarred and not when the car goes over a dip. Anyone hear this before?

That could be from any part of the suspension, but the most common causes (in the absense of other misbehavior) are problems with the sway bar or end links or with the upper shock mounts.

As an FYI, the usual life of OE shocks is somewhere around 60k. They may not be producing noticable symptoms at that point, but the difference is quite noticable once they are replaced. So if you have mileage in excess of that and you have to pull the shocks/struts to check the upper shock mounts you should replace the shocks.

Yea, the car has 126k on it. I remember mentioning the shocks to a bmw tech that I bring the car to which does work on the side and he said they felt fine at 90k. I suspect the mounts need changing but the rattle noise is new. Thanks.

Shock life is very dependent of road conditions as driving style. Yours could be okay at 90k, but then they could be a lot worse than is apparent. The wear on the shocks is gradual and they'll "feel fine" even when pretty bady worn (as in when doing a "bounce test"). It isn't until you replace them that you find out just how bad they really were.