[deebee]

Due to one of the posts on here about split folding rear seats i wanted to find out if the XE has them as standard as I'm interested in one in a couple of years and split folding is defo something id want and saw this thread

http://www.xeforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=246

Check out the horrendous seat pulls in the boot!

[Dave_3]

Wouldn't bother me. In the slightest.

I would be happy to know they spent the cash on the superior suspension setup.

But if the look of your rear seat pulls is more important to you, then buy an Ultimate Rear-seat Release Machine instead.....

Almost as ridiculous as the BMW Blog finding "flaws" about the vent positions :

http://www.bmwblog.com/2015/07/27/ja...aws-after-all/

The blog was even criticised by other BMW owners.

Or the Autocar review started with a thread in the main Forum, with the OP saying :

"They prefer the XE! Bit of an unfair test in my opinion."

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1157055

The more I see this, the more I know Jaguar are getting many things spot on.

D.

[deebee]

Yeh why would anyone buy a premium brand and expect quality throughout

[....,,,,..,,..]

Originally Posted by The Doctor

Yeh why would anyone buy a premium brand and expect quality throughout

Yeah obviously why BMW get away with low budget plastics and parts.

Some of the plastics used within the car, we would not use as 'customer facing' parts.

Luckily we don't have any issues with our leather seats, alloys, or seat bases....

[creepy coupe]

The thing I'd be most concerned about is the Jags built in the UK and if the last generation Mini is anything to go by (The missus has owned 3) they're screwed together in the dark.

[....,,,,..,,..]

Originally Posted by creepy coupe

The thing I'd be most concerned about is the Jags built in the UK and if the last generation Mini is anything to go by (The missus has owned 3) they're screwed together in the dark.

May be a BMW thing.

Not heard any problems with Nissan, Toyota, even Vauxhalls, Landrover seem rather well built.

Yeah likely BMW thing then..

[creepy coupe]

Originally Posted by Brigand

May be a BMW thing.

Not heard any problems with Nissan, Toyota, even Vauxhalls, Landrover seem rather well built.

Yeah likely BMW thing then..

Have you not heard of all the Toyota recalls. Land Rover. Don't make me laugh

[....,,,,..,,..]

Originally Posted by creepy coupe

Have you not heard of all the Toyota recalls. Land Rover. Don't make me laugh

Let's ignore the 1.6 million recalls over the 3 series ....

Using the same airbag as Toyota and Nissan

[NISFAN]

Originally Posted by Brigand

Yeah obviously why BMW get away with low budget plastics and parts.

Some of the plastics used within the car, we would not use as 'customer facing' parts.

Luckily we don't have any issues with our leather seats, alloys, or seat bases....

Brigand, sorry but my background is in the plastics industry, and I can tell you the plastics used in BMW's is not cheap. It is what I would describe as 'hard wearing'. Yes the finish choice i.e. surface texture is debatable, but it is no cheaper to put a Rhino hide texture on the mould as a generic finish used by any other OEM.......actually probably more expensive as it needs a deeper etch.

Is 'hard wearing' worse than 'pretty'? Again another debate, for sure a 3 series F30 when 10 years old and is now with it's 5th owner will still have a pretty serviceable interior, where the 'soft touch' type used by others would be tired looking, misshapen by the sun and rattling. This helps with BMW residual values, which we as first time owners get to enjoy a portion of.

What I'm trying to say is you can't have your cake and eat it.

[Wills2]

They do look very pre production don't they.

I think that it does come down to the little things with modern cars, most steer the same, look similar, have the same kind of power and performance, so I do find myself picking up on the small details that either please or annoy me.

I still don't trust JLR in terms of quality (everyone I know with an RR or Discovery, Evoque etc...has had loads of issues)

Even their outsourced PR department (Autocar) find when testing and weighing the cars they don't do the claimed performance figures and weigh in some instances 100's KG more than the "quoted weights"

They do not have access to the funding/resources that the big 3 German businesses have and I think that shows when their aluminium cars often weigh more that the Germans steel ones (911 vs. F-type) as an example.

But after all that they are still nice looking cars in the main.

[RalphyBMW]

They are a standard Ford mechanism, same used in Mk1 4dr Focus, Puma, and various others I'm sure. Not pretty, but perfectly serviceable. Won't rattle.

[....,,,,..,,..]

Originally Posted by NISFAN

Brigand, sorry but my background is in the plastics industry, and I can tell you the plastics used in BMW's is not cheap. It is what I would describe as 'hard wearing'. Yes the finish choice i.e. surface texture is debatable, but it is no cheaper to put a Rhino hide texture on the mould as a generic finish used by any other OEM.......actually probably more expensive as it needs a deeper etch.

Is 'hard wearing' worse than 'pretty'? Again another debate, for sure a 3 series F30 when 10 years old and is now with it's 5th owner will still have a pretty serviceable interior, where the 'soft touch' type used by others would be tired looking, misshapen by the sun and rattling. This helps with BMW residual values, which we as first time owners get to enjoy a portion of.

What I'm trying to say is you can't have your cake and eat it.

It was mainly surface finish I was referring to.

Hard wearing and acceptable as customer facing is pretty much a contradiction.

I deal daily / weekly with plastics and major plastics company.

So used to inspecting, assessing parts etc.


One thing that is impacting BMW is previously relatively lower sales expectations resulted in probably a higher cost BoM for each car.

Now they are selling bucket loads of 3 series, they need to reasses BoM costs and supplier quantity.

This usually comes out with cost savings on parts not in direct line of sight.

Plastics for the seat mechanism / switches being an example, the finish is poor.


What is good though is all facing parts are very good, no sink, tooling marks etc.

Although why I chose piano black for the car, when I look at the damn stuff all day lol.

[tjlees]

Merino leather on dashboard solves some of the plastics problem.

To be fair compared to the fiesta and last vag the BMW plastics are good, it's just the interiors of audis and merc look better.

[sygazelle]

Originally Posted by NISFAN

Brigand, sorry but my background is in the plastics industry, and I can tell you the plastics used in BMW's is not cheap. It is what I would describe as 'hard wearing'. Yes the finish choice i.e. surface texture is debatable, but it is no cheaper to put a Rhino hide texture on the mould as a generic finish used by any other OEM.......actually probably more expensive as it needs a deeper etch.

Is 'hard wearing' worse than 'pretty'? Again another debate, for sure a 3 series F30 when 10 years old and is now with it's 5th owner will still have a pretty serviceable interior, where the 'soft touch' type used by others would be tired looking, misshapen by the sun and rattling. This helps with BMW residual values, which we as first time owners get to enjoy a portion of.

What I'm trying to say is you can't have your cake and eat it.

Don't be coming on here and confusing us with the facts!

Seriously, thanks for sharing.

[Ice Man]

Originally Posted by creepy coupe

Land Rover. Don't make me laugh

Confession, I laughed at that statement

[petew]

Originally Posted by Brigand

Let's ignore the 1.6 million recalls over the 3 series ....

Using the same airbag as Toyota and Nissan

I was told that they are product enhancements, not recalls!

[Bricktrix]

Originally Posted by petew

I was told that they are product enhancements, not recalls!

I hope he got a rasie just for the sheer balls of trying that line!!