BMW I8 - wow.. that's some shitty engineering right there!

[omar]

But it isn't really the bonnet, it's just a body panel that happens to have a release mechanism. The petrol engine is at the back and fiddling with the high voltage electrical drive system is about as sensible as sticking a screwdriver into the airbag module while your face is resting on the steering wheel...

The door handles will surely get modified under warranty if they really are such an issue. Teething trouble isn't the same as bad engineering. I think the wider problem is that hybrids aren't the answer unless battery technology can be significantly improved.

 

[sk93]

But it isn't really the bonnet, it's just a body panel that happens to have a release mechanism. The petrol engine is at the back and fiddling with the high voltage electrical drive system is about as sensible as sticking a screwdriver into the airbag module while your face is resting on the steering wheel...

The door handles will surely get modified under warranty if they really are such an issue. Teething trouble isn't the same as bad engineering. I think the wider problem is that hybrids aren't the answer unless battery technology can be significantly improved.

There's no high-voltage system under that bonnet.
There's things like your washer fluid, the 12v battery, power steering reservoir and coolant reservoir.
you know.. things you're supposed to check at least once a week according to the highway code

 

[Maniac]

Personally, I think you have entirely the wrong perspective. This is a hyper car. They are highly strung and not for your average owner. No hyper car is made for your requirements. Don't buy one. Don't even think about it, never consider it, never comment on it again. They're not for you.

 

[pvr]

I can not see the engine in my 911, but when I open the tiny cover that I can access, I see the washer and oil filler. I agree that is all I need to see really, but I did see some reservoirs under the front bonnet of that i8 which would mean you would have to access it though?

 

[-Tom-]

There's so much hate for this car on this forum, totally baffles me. I've spent a fair bit of time with one, and my mate drives it a fair bit (belongs to his dad's "collection") and it is a superb car. If you drive it in electric mode a fair bit, round town as designed, you will get obvs huuuuge mpg! Open the taps up and sure the MPG is going to drop, it is a performance car after all that is not all electric. It is an extremely complex car, and one that you can rock up to BMW in and they will look after it for the time being when ever it needs it, including fluids. Sure, as they get older it will be a ticking time bomb, but for now it is a road going concept.

Until you spend some "normal" time with one, and not just a test drive, you can't appreciate it. :worshipbmw: :worshipbmw: :worshipbmw:

 

[sk93]

Personally, I think you have entirely the wrong perspective. This is a hyper car. They are highly strung and not for your average owner. No hyper car is made for your requirements. Don't buy one. Don't even think about it, never consider it, never comment on it again. They're not for you.

umm.. what's the view like up on that podium bud?

I don't see these sort of problems with the Maclaran P1?
I also don't see them with the 918, nor with the CLK GTR AMG.
Maybe with the Reventon, but I've not been in one to have a look, and you kinda expect Lambo to be a bit.. odd.

also.. the I8 isn't a hyper car.. hyper cars are 200mph+ beasts.
The I8 is a hybrid supercar, and the competition in that category is much harder:

Audi R8, Nissan GTR, Merc SLS, Ferrari 458 (yes, it used to catch fire, but Ferrari admitted that was a fault and fixed it - it wasn't DESIGNED to catch fire..)

Plus, at £100k, it's not even close to hypercar "exoticness"... hell, you can get EIGHT of these for the cost of a P1, ten or more for the various flavors of Veyron..

And honestly, I'd have a Reventon in a heartbeat - because I EXPECT a hypercar to have problems, and I EXPECT a Lambo to have issues - they always have had.
But if I bought an R8, I'd be exceptionally pissed off to find out that the bonnet could break if you closed it "wrong", or that I needed to take it to dealer every time I wanted to check the coolant level...
So why is it so wrong to expect the same from a manufacturer that has built it's entire reputation on design and engineering excellence?

 

[-Tom-]

Personally, I think you have entirely the wrong perspective. This is a hyper car. They are highly strung and not for your average owner. No hyper car is made for your requirements. Don't buy one. Don't even think about it, never consider it, never comment on it again. They're not for you.

umm.. what's the view like up on that podium bud?

I don't see these sort of problems with the Maclaran P1?
I also don't see them with the 918, nor with the CLK GTR AMG.
Maybe with the Reventon, but I've not been in one to have a look, and you kinda expect Lambo to be a bit.. odd.

also.. the I8 isn't a hyper car.. hyper cars are 200mph+ beasts.
The I8 is a hybrid supercar, and the competition in that category is much harder:

Audi R8, Nissan GTR, Merc SLS, Ferrari 458 (yes, it used to catch fire, but Ferrari admitted that was a fault and fixed it - it wasn't DESIGNED to catch fire..)



Plus, at £100k, it's not even close to hypercar "exoticness"... hell, you can get EIGHT of these for the cost of a P1, ten or more for the various flavors of Veyron..

And honestly, I'd have a Reventon in a heartbeat - because I EXPECT a hypercar to have problems, and I EXPECT a Lambo to have issues - they always have had.
But if I bought an R8, I'd be exceptionally pissed off to find out that the bonnet could break if you closed it "wrong", or that I needed to take it to dealer every time I wanted to check the coolant level...

Hmm beg to differ I'm afraid. They're not hybrid supercars... The i8 is one of a kind, and for the money isn;t actually so bad if you have that kind of cash to throw at a "gadget". And until you pop those doors up and see people's jaws drop as you jump out to put your mcdonalds wrappers in the bin, then you realise it has the attraction of an exotic at a pretty good price point :bonk:

 

[Geezah]

Its a BMW, nuff said!

 

[sk93]

Personally, I think you have entirely the wrong perspective. This is a hyper car. They are highly strung and not for your average owner. No hyper car is made for your requirements. Don't buy one. Don't even think about it, never consider it, never comment on it again. They're not for you.

umm.. what's the view like up on that podium bud?

I don't see these sort of problems with the Maclaran P1?
I also don't see them with the 918, nor with the CLK GTR AMG.
Maybe with the Reventon, but I've not been in one to have a look, and you kinda expect Lambo to be a bit.. odd.

also.. the I8 isn't a hyper car.. hyper cars are 200mph+ beasts.
The I8 is a hybrid supercar, and the competition in that category is much harder:

Audi R8, Nissan GTR, Merc SLS, Ferrari 458 (yes, it used to catch fire, but Ferrari admitted that was a fault and fixed it - it wasn't DESIGNED to catch fire..)



Plus, at £100k, it's not even close to hypercar "exoticness"... hell, you can get EIGHT of these for the cost of a P1, ten or more for the various flavors of Veyron..

And honestly, I'd have a Reventon in a heartbeat - because I EXPECT a hypercar to have problems, and I EXPECT a Lambo to have issues - they always have had.
But if I bought an R8, I'd be exceptionally pissed off to find out that the bonnet could break if you closed it "wrong", or that I needed to take it to dealer every time I wanted to check the coolant level...

Hmm beg to differ I'm afraid. They're not hybrid supercars... The i8 is one of a kind, and for the money isn;t actually so bad if you have that kind of cash to throw at a "gadget". And until you pop those doors up and see people's jaws drop as you jump out to put your mcdonalds wrappers in the bin, then you realise it has the attraction of an exotic at a pretty good price point :bonk:

But you get exactly the same with a Merc SLS - definitely one of a kind, yet that's not a hypercar, nor does it appear to have similar design "issues"?

but even with that said, it still doesn't really detract from the theory: When you buy BMW, you get design and engineering excellence.

If Lada put out a super or hyper car, I'd not really complain about the shoddy engineering, as tbh, that's what Lada is known for.
It can be said for all the makers of exotic cars - they each have their brand 'rep':

Chevvy: poor build materials
Ford: big bang for your buck
Maclaran: Racing pedigree
Porsche: German excellence
Ferrari: Italian electrics, phenomenal driving experice
Lambo: Bonkers in every aspect (well, at least they were before Audi..)
TVR: Great looks, not so great reliability

BMW: Design and engineering excellence.

You EXPECT that from those manufacturers, and i'm hard pushed to find exotic cars from those other manufacturers where they don't really follow those theories?

 

[omar]

There's no high-voltage system under that bonnet.

Erm... except the motors and associated "electrical machinery electronics" as a particularly matter of fact German has christened them.

If there's a reservoir under there that needs attention more often than the service interval then clearly that's plain stupid, but if not I don't see it being all that different to the PITA that changing headlight bulbs through the wheel arches is. Didn't have to worry about that with my good old E30

 

[sk93]

There's no high-voltage system under that bonnet.

Erm... except the motors and associated "electrical machinery electronics" as a particularly matter of fact German has christened them.

that's not under the bonnet.. thats under the engine cover, which is another plastic panel, held down with plastic screws, located under the bonnet.
there is NO high voltage system accessible directly under the bonnet - to get to any of it, you need to start taking bits of plastic off after opening the bonnet.
the only voltage system accessible is the 12v battery.

NONE of what you see here is actually accessible under the bonnet directly: