BMW Z8's experiencing structural damage

[Shinigami]

Just saw this: http://www.businessweek.com/autos/co...117_121900.htm

Apparently the all aluminium body may flex and distort, causing structural weakness. A very expensive fix as it requires replacing the whole chassis?!?

Man, that sucks =\

[twboy1999]

hope they honor the warranty and fix it

[RC45]

Yet another major flaw in a BMW... tut-tut... these things are not that reliable are they.????

Speculation that rough driving is behind the damage is off-base, Macpherson insists. "Look, most of us bought these cars as investments, not to go to the race track. Beyond that, we have to deal with several related issues -- a possible collapse in investment values if the car can't be easily fixed, safety questions, and what people are supposed to do with damaged cars. Will BMW buy unrepairable ones back?"

There you have it ... BMW drivers are posers... heheheh

[LotusGT1]

First victim...

[nthfinity]

LMAO

its not like this is a new problem for any chassis :roll:
almost all cars loose regidity over time; particularly if taken to the track. with more maliable metals; such as aluminum.

granted, unless the car has spent 1000's of miles on the track, it should hardly be noticable.

im not so sure a STB would really help or not... it depends on how it the stresses are on the rest of the chassis.

[Shinigami]

nthfinity: did you "read" the article, or are you giving your opinion based on simply... your opinion?

The article (and concurrent discussions on a Z8 forum), state that a simple pothole may cause the a corner of the car to simply bulge out of proportion. This can happen at just about any moment, be it 1000miles or 20 thousand.

[lorbmw69]

is that picture of the Z8 cut in half the Bond car??

[ZfrkS62]

sounds like everyone has been jumping to conclusions. This is like yelling "fire" in a crowded theater. Everyone is immediatley going to panic.

There are a few things that hit me in this article:

A) as the article stated, it's going to take a MINIMUM of a few weeks to determine the issue if there actually is one. The invstigation is going to have to determine as to wether or not conditions outside of usual existed (ie potholes) there has been more than one E39 and E46 that has come through the shop with bulged strut towers because of a pothole, curb or other foriegn object that may have been in the road. And guess what the fix is. Weld in new towers.

B) Audi had a similar issue with their aluminum a few years ago in which the affected cars had to be shipped to a center in California to be repaired due to the welding process involved.

C)

Jürgen Wunderlich, a technical board member of the Z8 club, also is downplaying U.S. enthusiasts' fears that aluminum distortions could weaken or crack the Z8 frame. The Americans seem "much more fearful" about that prospect, he says. "For the structure of the aluminum frame to be compromised, you would need a huge impact," such as a high-speed encounter with a massive pothole.

Wunderlich notes that BMW has been "incredibly open" with the Z8 Club officials, and Hetze described BMW's approach and cooperation as "fair and constructive."

It's not like BMW is ignoring this. They are looking into a problem they had no idea existed. These assholes that are up in arms are the same people that expect 15 hours worth of work to be done in an afternoon. They are extremely mis-informed and think that all you do to fix a car is wave a magic wand over it.

Nonetheless, U.S. owners feel they've been left hanging too long. "This is a serious issue to me, and I'm glad that I forced it," says Macpherson of his gadfly role. "I have met a lot of Z8 owners through my Web board, and I really feel a sense of responsibility to them. I hope BMW comes up with some answers." He'll soon find out.

This cracks me up. This guy thinks that he single handedly did this???? This guy must have an ego of immeasurable mass :roll:

I have a feeling the new strut towers are going to resemble the E60 strut towers which we made so that they wouldn't bulge if hammerd the way the E39's did. The strut brace isn't going to be 2 point bar. It'll be a 3 point like the Z4 and E60. At least that would be the obvious solution.

If i hear anything on this through the pipeline, i'll post it in here. I don't think BMW is just going to let this go.

[nthfinity]

Originally Posted by Shinri_Shiogami nthfinity: did you "read" the article, or are you giving your opinion based on simply... your opinion? The article (and concurrent discussions on a Z8 forum), state that a simple pothole may cause the a corner of the car to simply bulge out of proportion. This can happen at just about any moment, be it 1000miles or 20 thousand.

if by reading, you mean the same kind as reading what you posted... then yes... i read the whole of the article

my opinion is directly related to the inherent weakness of aluminum... which is fact... not opinion.

a pothole, is likeother stresses to the vehicle... a violent event that causes plastic bending... a net force in a direction would yield this... and a catastrophic event shows the weakness in the original design.

track use may not cause such an obvious bulge, but it would very likely fatigue, and show the same weakness... or it requires a minimum force to create the event... whatever is the case... metal fatigues over time; and being that its been what... 6+ years since was produced; this opinion of mine has merrit.

so.. .mabey you did one of two things
read too much in my comment, or didnt read enough into it :roll: