What is the bonnet made of?

E

eurgain

Member
 North-East Wales
Hi

I noticed that the bonnet of my Z4 is not steel - neither the skin nor the frame. I also noticed that that skin is supported on the frame by a multitude of little "studs" projecting from the frame.

What I cannot figure out is what they are made of. The frame looks to me to be metal, but it is non-magnetic, so I assume it is some alloy. Is that right? The skin is more of a mystery. I cannot figure out whether it is some thin metal alloy or some sort of composite, plastic-based material.

Any ideas?

A
 
Forget about the spelling - I like to laugh hearing 'merkins say Aluminum :poke:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium#Present-day_spelling
 
banger said:
Say what you want about the way we speak, at least we drive on the "right" side of the road!!!
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Explanation here! :P

http://users.pandora.be/worldstandards/driving%20on%20the%20left.htm#history
 
20ducks said:
You ought to hear how we murder Warwick or Hereford for that matter.
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Leicester Square and Southwark are another couple of great ones :P

I spent some time in Minneapolis a while ago and loved how they pronounced Albertville.
 
banger said:
Say what you want about the way we speak, at least we drive on the "right" side of the road!!!
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That UK law requires us to drive on the wrong side of the road is a real pain.

Most good cars are engineered to have their drivers on the left, and the RHD cars can be compromised in many ways, some obvious (like huglely long throttle cables or brake pedal linkages) and some less so (like the direction of engine cant or tortuous steering columns). Some cars (most unfortunately, the E30 M3) just cannot be effectively converted because the packaging does not work. (In the M3's case, the special exhaust manifold was incompatible with a steering column at the right). We also have compromised lighting and overtaking visibility when driving in most other countries. Manufacturers can charge more for RHD cars, which are a comparative rarity.

In most countries, trains run on the same side as cars drive. A major exception is France, presumably because the first main line (Paris-Rouen) was built by British engineers. Belgian trains run on the left too. When railways cross from France to Germany or Belgium to Netherlands, sometimes there are huge flyovers to allow trains to swap sides. In the French region of Alcase, trains still run on the right. This is because the railways were built there when the territory was under German control, and it has never been worth converting to the French norm.

It is like the bigendian and littlendian arguments from Swift. There is no right or wrong, but sometimes being part of the majority has its advantages.

A
 
Yeah, right side--left side stuff is always great for debates and discussion. The real truth of the matter is that the British, collectively speaking, are forced to learn how to drive before given a licence. In the US it is mostly a joke as the standards for test approval are low and farcical.
 
20ducks said:
You ought to hear how we murder Warwick or Hereford for that matter.
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I was born and brought up in Herefordshire, we used to have some American friends come over from Ohio, they just could not get their heads around pronounciations or the accent for that matter :rofl:
 
RustyZ4 said:
20ducks said:
You ought to hear how we murder Warwick or Hereford for that matter.
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I was born and brought up in Herefordshire, we used to have some American friends come over from Ohio, they just could not get their heads around pronounciations or the accent for that matter :rofl:
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I go through that here in Kansas <well, almost>. I was raised on the South Side of Chicago. :oops:
 
20ducks said:
You ought to hear how we murder Warwick or Hereford for that matter.
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Oh so true - Today I had to listen to an American explanation of a facility being established in 'war wick' funny but to pronounce the host 'Bernard' as 'burn ard' creased me.
 
Now, now, now, there is always that other side of the coin.

UK ~ burgle
US ~ burglarize

UK ~ one goes to hospital
US~ one goes to the hospital (why we use an article in that sense is beyond me, but we do)

Then there is the Black Country where one can go 300 feet and get a different dialect. God's truth, eh?

The list is endless.
 
RustyZ4 said:
20ducks said:
You ought to hear how we murder Warwick or Hereford for that matter.
Click to expand...


I was born and brought up in Herefordshire, we used to have some American friends come over from Ohio, they just could not get their heads around pronounciations or the accent for that matter :rofl:
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Hi Rusty

What part of Herefordshire did you come from?

I'm Herefordshire born and bred myself but never felt the need to leave. :thumbsup:
 
cj10jeeper said:
Oh so true - Today I had to listen to an American explanation of a facility being established in 'war wick' funny but to pronounce the host 'Bernard' as 'burn ard' creased me.
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Sounds good to me. How should these be pronounced?
 
Norwich is the same way...silent W.
However, Colwich (a village I lived next to) the W is pronounced.

How about the surname Cockburn? There is embarrassment potential with that one.

Aberystwyth
Edinburgh
Coventry
Loughborough
Wemyss
Derby

Got to love the Welsh names the best though.


Burrrr naahhrrd
 
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