I have so much appreciation for our trusty daily drivers. Starting, running, and getting us to our destinations on these cold days (comfortably with heated seats and steering wheels in some cases).
appreciation for our daily drivers
- Thread starter autokunst
- Start date
x_atlas0
Well-Known Member
I can tell you the engineering trips to test and validate all these conditions are generally awful. Several OEMs use International Falls, Sweden, and New Zealand for cold trips. The only thing worse than the cold trips are the hot trips.
As I recall, the coldest cold start condition I had to test back at Hyundai was -40C.
As I recall, the coldest cold start condition I had to test back at Hyundai was -40C.
Autokunst, you forgot the most important option of all for frigid weather starts(and sweltering New Orleans days). The Remote Start App! The Hyundai version allows you to se the tempeature! And you can start the car from anywhere on the planet using the app. We had one on a 2017 Chevy Cruze we leased for three years. I would tell people I could be in LA and start my car in Maine.
Absolutely! Our 2007 & 2014 BMW X3s have tested the depths of cold without fail, yet.
And man did those weather testers fail back in the early 00s with soft touch plastic that MELTS in Florida's humidity. It's like they didn't even care. Nothing like the dash and console and steering wheel of your 200k+ Ferrari melting onto your hands. I had that problem with BMW E60 buttons. They'd blame it on anything except themselves. And to think how many customers these companies have in places like the hot Arab world, Florida, Hong Kong, or all that oil money in Houston!
x_atlas0
Well-Known Member
That's partially because most hot/cold trips are focused on powertrain components, and even then, the trips rarely extend past 2 weeks. During development, most programs get 2 pairs of such trips: one to find issues, and one to check that issues have been resolved. Otherwise, you have to use a climate chamber, which is expensive.
Most times when a hot/cold interior durability issue crops up, the company does a cost/benefit analysis and decides if it is worth making the plastics/materials better for everyone at some cost, or just paying to replace the parts for the affected people. It's a brutal calculus, but one that is made over and over again with the car.
I can appreciate that, although I question whether soft touch plastics were ever worth a darn to start. I replaced the soft touch stuff on the door grabs of my M4 with something aftermarket because it is still a problem. At least they fixed the buttons.
Good post. That would be my 1998 E36 318i. Logan just refreshed the front brakes plus fluids, and the car is eager to rev and cruise highways. Poor thing sleeps outside and puts up with many drivers. Not only a daily driver, a survivor, as you do not see them around anymore.