Anyone see "Inside BMW" on MSNBC last night?
07-14-2011, 01:29 PM
#1
Anyone see "Inside BMW" on MSNBC last night?
After watching BMW's approach to designing/building cars and their commitment to the customer I have to wonder if Porsche devotes as much effort to the same. If there is a repeat of this one-hour show it's a must-see.
07-14-2011, 03:04 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
It was a good show. On funny thing about the design part of it (how extensive it is, etc...), is that I think the last BMW desgins were absolutely horrendous. That's why Audi and MB has taken marketshare away from BMW (although overall they all grew). Although this year BMW has improved their design quite a bit.
There were some series of shows on Speed a few months ago that covered Audi, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, and Jaguar.
They were all GREAT and really showed you get what you pay for with any of those brands. Rolls Royce being incredibly **** to quality control and I totally developed a lot more respect for that car.
Porsche does a lot of research into may aspects of the car, although they mostly showed the assembly line.
From my personal tour of factory, I can say that for instance they pay A LOT of attention to picking a PERFECT piece of leather for the car. First they only get the leather hides from Austria that doesn't have barbwire fences, so there's no marks on the leather.... then there's an expert inspecting every inch of the hide and marks the *imperfect* sections with a digital marker... then it goes to a cutting machine that cuts difference pieces of leather with high pressure water (only method that doesn't damage) while skipping the imperfect parts that was marked earlier. Now that is called attention to details!
There were some series of shows on Speed a few months ago that covered Audi, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, and Jaguar.
They were all GREAT and really showed you get what you pay for with any of those brands. Rolls Royce being incredibly **** to quality control and I totally developed a lot more respect for that car.
Porsche does a lot of research into may aspects of the car, although they mostly showed the assembly line.
From my personal tour of factory, I can say that for instance they pay A LOT of attention to picking a PERFECT piece of leather for the car. First they only get the leather hides from Austria that doesn't have barbwire fences, so there's no marks on the leather.... then there's an expert inspecting every inch of the hide and marks the *imperfect* sections with a digital marker... then it goes to a cutting machine that cuts difference pieces of leather with high pressure water (only method that doesn't damage) while skipping the imperfect parts that was marked earlier. Now that is called attention to details!
Last edited by alexb76; 07-14-2011 at 08:42 PM.
07-14-2011, 03:09 PM
#4
Three Wheelin'
I could only take about 10 minutes of it. BMW Corporate Communications really scored (for the part that I saw) - it was pretty Rah-Rah, aren't we great. Maybe I missed some in-depth reporting that someone will will tell me about.
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07-14-2011, 06:09 PM
#8
Drifting
From my personal tour of factory, I can say that for instance they pay A LOT of attention to picking a PERFECT piece of leather for the car. First they only get the leather hives from Austria that doesn't have barbwire fences, so there's no marks on the leather.... then there's an expert inspecting every inch of the hive and marks the *imperfect* sections with a digital marker... then it goes to a cutting machine that cuts difference pieces of leather with high pressure water (only method that doesn't damage) while skipping the imperfect parts that was marked earlier. Now that is called attention to details!
07-14-2011, 08:41 PM
#9
Rennlist Member
07-14-2011, 09:21 PM
#10
Rennlist Member
First they only get the leather hides from Austria that doesn't have barbwire fences, so there's no marks on the leather.... then there's an expert inspecting every inch of the hide and marks the *imperfect* sections with a digital marker... then it goes to a cutting machine that cuts difference pieces of leather with high pressure water (only method that doesn't damage) while skipping the imperfect parts that was marked earlier. Now that is called attention to details!
07-14-2011, 11:18 PM
#11
Racer
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07-14-2011, 11:30 PM
#12
HA. Well here's a data point:
On my '06 3-series, the seat bolster on the driver's seat started to split at the seam after maybe 1 year. It was a widely reported complaint on the forums. My local dealer basically said "too bad, not covered."
The front passenger weight-sensor had failure problems, causing the passenger airbag to be disabled permanently. BMW issued a half-assed recall that covered perhaps only half the affected vehicles. Mine had a 100% identical defect, but my local dealer basically said "too bad, not covered." BMWNA also said "too bad, not covered."
How's that for durable upholstery and customer support?
On my '06 3-series, the seat bolster on the driver's seat started to split at the seam after maybe 1 year. It was a widely reported complaint on the forums. My local dealer basically said "too bad, not covered."
The front passenger weight-sensor had failure problems, causing the passenger airbag to be disabled permanently. BMW issued a half-assed recall that covered perhaps only half the affected vehicles. Mine had a 100% identical defect, but my local dealer basically said "too bad, not covered." BMWNA also said "too bad, not covered."
How's that for durable upholstery and customer support?
07-15-2011, 09:11 AM
#13
Have had 4 BMWs. The trend is unfortunately toward heavier vehicles and more complex technology, which not only don't I need, but also can be downright counter-intuitive. Their latest AT requires one to push forward to engage reverse. That's ridiculous.
I would never hold a recent model BMW past warranty. All that technology (IDrive and the like) will be very expensive to fix or replace.
Quite simply, I don't find BMWs much fun to drive anymore. The current 3 Series is as large as the 5 Series used to be and word is the next generation 3 Series will be even larger.
Count me out.
I would never hold a recent model BMW past warranty. All that technology (IDrive and the like) will be very expensive to fix or replace.
Quite simply, I don't find BMWs much fun to drive anymore. The current 3 Series is as large as the 5 Series used to be and word is the next generation 3 Series will be even larger.
Count me out.
07-15-2011, 11:36 AM
#14
Three Wheelin'
Have had 4 BMWs. The trend is unfortunately toward heavier vehicles and more complex technology, which not only don't I need, but also can be downright counter-intuitive. Their latest AT requires one to push forward to engage reverse. That's ridiculous.
I would never hold a recent model BMW past warranty. All that technology (IDrive and the like) will be very expensive to fix or replace.
Quite simply, I don't find BMWs much fun to drive anymore. The current 3 Series is as large as the 5 Series used to be and word is the next generation 3 Series will be even larger.
Count me out.
I would never hold a recent model BMW past warranty. All that technology (IDrive and the like) will be very expensive to fix or replace.
Quite simply, I don't find BMWs much fun to drive anymore. The current 3 Series is as large as the 5 Series used to be and word is the next generation 3 Series will be even larger.
Count me out.
07-15-2011, 12:11 PM
#15
Rennlist Member
Fun factor aside, I would put BMW fit and finish up against Porsche ANY day. The paint and sheetmetal on BMW's are near bulletproof too, while Porsche paint is as soft and vunerable as it gets. Tiny rock + Porsche = chip or dent. tiny rock +BMW= no problem.