RXSF

Rominl was being sarcastic. The mechanical override is already so small and fragile, as the guy explained that people were pulling too hard past the stop, and the whole thing snapped off

TangoRed

Why? I have NEVER understood the internet outrage over this.

Why would you create a heavier release mechanism for the hood when the customer have zero reason to access what's under there and it won't even be opened the vast majority of the time it visits the service department?

In a car that so heavily focused on weight reduction you're going to see comprises like this that are essentially inconsequential to the owner.

LeX2K

So the mechanical safety override latch breaks OFF super easy, how is this car legal for sale? You get in an accident where power is cut, you go to open the door and SNAP you can't get out. Bloody ridiculous and dangerous, even potentially fatal.

RXSF

really, how much weight could the standard hinges have added? 3-5 pounds? You have to choose wisely where to reduce the weight but you shouldn't have to make compromises that make mundane things into huge issues.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Well said

spwolf

that just looks like horrible cut cost engineering.

What happens when your battery is out, you tow it to nearby 24/7 BMW dealer? Your AAA guy will not know how to open this hood, and there need to be 2 guys or this carbon fibre hood might crack according to the video.

Needing to insert screw drivers to keep the hood open is just lack of attention to detail. What did they save with not providing some way to keep it at position, 5-10 grams?

As to door release, that just seems like it might get recalled since it could be a safety issue.

RXSF

Just like the emergency trunk releases in various Lexus sedans

rominl

iTrader: (4)

in the case of emergency, you better make sure you don't panic and break that thing off otherwise you can really go oh s......

exactly. i am glad my sarcasm worked



i have no problem on the hood pop. it's either that little string or a little latch. if that's going to save that 2oz and you call that important then by all means. again i have no issue

but in order to open up the hood correctly, you need two persons to do it at the same time, and only in certain steps so you don't scratch the front bumper. whereas a better more coherent engineering design that requires a simple movement to achieve the same result WITHOUT adding any significant weight? that's simply poor engineering. there is no other way around it.

and the battery is in there, and i assume some fluids might be under there. so yes, people do open it. just because it's hardly done doesn't mean it has to be a rocket science

i think i should be able to come up with a few weight saving techniques that can make it living hell for everyone

LeX2K

One of these is not like the other.

RXSF

Why? both are emergency back up releases. One is for the trunk, one is for the door. I was simply pointing out that Lexus was forced to recall those trunk releases because they would break if pulled incorrectly, so I agree it would only be a matter of time before BMW would have to do the same.

TangoRed

I'd say cutting weight in an area that has no bearing on the consumer is the right place to be cutting weight. The hood will not need to be opened more than ~20 times during the cars lifetime based on the service schedule. And you're right, it probably would've added 3-5 pounds. In these lightweight car projects manufacturers are obsessive about weight. Cadillac has been sitting there bragging about saving 1-2 pounds in certain areas.

You allow a few overweight components over the thousands of parts that make a car and you end up with an overweight mess which will ruin the car and prove that you're a ****ty engineer. Now the brake guys need to redesign the brakes because they counted on a 3,600 lb car, not a 3,900 lb car. The battery guys are pissed because their 23 mile range is now 15 miles. That's how vehicle design works. You are an engineer- you are given weight, design, use, and failure criteria. You use those to produce the design. If user friendliness isn't one of the design requirements, wasting one cent (or one gram) on that attribute is not wise.

All dealers have off-hours drop off. With this cars hybrid system you are not supposed to have anyone touch it besides BMW roadside assistance.

This hood was designed to be opened by NO ONE besides a BMW tech.

Don't be so quick to assume. The washer fluid is accessed under a separate, easy to manipulate flap. What other fluids is the consumer of a BMW i8 going to need to tend to? Owners will not be performing preventative maintenance on these suckers. There's nothing mechanical under this "hood" anyways, as all the drivetrain elements are in the back under a cover that can be opened normally and will be accessed much more often.

The only people we're talking here are BMW techs, in which case the engineering team clearly was not prioritizing. Any other suggestion to "fix" this "problem" would've been heavier and more expensive for too little of benefit.

In all, we don't know the hidden design constraints behind this decision other than the fact that one of most important priorities was to cut weight as much as possible. Yes, for a BMW M4 this would be an excruciatingly stupid design decision. For the limited production i8? Not so much, especially since this will never inconvenience the consumer.

LeX2K

You really have to ask? People don't generally ride in the trunk!

rominl

iTrader: (4)

you can slice it however you want, but designing a emergency release latch that breaks easily and a hood that can scratch bumper easily and requires 2 technicians to open together can only be results of bad engineering, period.

pman6

bmw designing cars to protect the cars from their owners.

this is being sold off the truck only because people want to be the first for anything.

car isn't even that good looking. But silicon valley is probably eating it up

1QWKGS4

iTrader: (3)

Well, the car doesn't seem to be owner/user friendly from manually opening doors and hood, thats one thing, but how is living with it on a daily basis..??

I saw a real world review of i8 a few months back and its not that great as daily driver neither.. You Decide..

http://www.carscoops.com/2014/11/tes...is-nearly.html