Inside BMW’s Factory: How the New 7 Series is Manufactured

[BMW5and7]

Originally Posted by julienjj

You're there counting about saving on changing the brakes every 3-4 years.
You know what happens when a manufacturer find out they last 66% longer ? you bet they give you 66% thinner rotors.

Those modern BMW are filled up with disposable electronics; brake replacement is sooo far down the line of potential headaches.

BMW headlights are like 4K$ each and they turn yellow in 4-5 years now requiring a full replacement.

Am not counting anything, in fact I barely keep my daily to do the 2nd oil change or annual service… but am surprised by your statements: “BMW headlights turn yellow in 4-5 years!? And they give you 66% thinner rotors”??!! Hmmm…

Sorry but I must clarify that this is entirely incorrect. The 760, 740, and i7 all share the same rotor part number. They are not thinner in the i7. These rotors will last longer (almost exceeding the car lifetime) in the i7 variant because they are rarely ever used. They are the same rotors that last long enough in the 760/740 variants and are simply theoretically capable of lasting indefinitely in the EV.

Regarding BMW headlights yellowing, no bad intentions here, but how many 4-year-old modern BMWs have you owned recently that also had yellowing headlights? I have personally owned nearly 10 modern BMWs probably even more just in the past 10 years alone, 6 of them are 2020+ model years in the past 5 years, and none of them showed even a sign of yellowing. Also, I have never encountered any yellowing headlights in dealership lots, including those that are 5-8 years old. Note that yellow-ing headlights can be fixed with a $10 lights hand-polishing kit from AutoZone in 5 min.

Just trying to understand your point. None of that anyway is going to save dealerships from a projected decline in revenue that service departments will be, and are already, experiencing. It’s their words not mine.

[Wolfman64]

EV’a have less parts and require less maintenance.
More importantly with the exception of tires it has less consumables.

I am not sure which owner would have any issues with that.

Tech is also moving forward quickly, solid state batteries with less weight and double the range, motors that can do all braking, eliminating the need for rotors altogether and inductive charging pads (Porsche Cayenne) that doesn’t require the need to plug in overnight.
Lots to like IMO.

I am definitely not missing the long lines at the Costco gas station, or the smell…

[GOLFFRR]

the factory engineering of these things always blows my mind.

[SW17LS]

Originally Posted by BMW5and7

That's very unfortunate. I thought the impact of EVs is yet to reach service dept, or yet to show a real impact. I agree that anyway the core argument holds true long-term. Fewer moving parts means less service and maintenance for dealerships. On the positive side of things for the consumers, this means less warranty coverage cost for OEMs. I wonder if that will help with car prices in the future. OEMs always account for warranty repair projections in the price of their cars (so we were already paying for it in advance).

It hasn't really had a big impact yet, but he saw it coming and decided it was just time to hang it up. He's in his 60s.