Why are the interior fixings so crap in a Porsche?
Discussion
I have tried to do as much work as i can on my gen 1 cayman to keep the costs down and have taken quite a bit of the interior apart, including seats removed, radio removed etc, and today i had to change a window regulator. One of the things that drives me up the f****** wall is the crap fixings that hold the various bits of interior together which seem purposely designed NOT to be taken apart. For e.g. the trim pieces either side of the radio have stupidly tight plastic male connectors that get brittle and it seems no matter how careful its hard to avoid breaking them on removal. When i took the door cards off today there are these completely stupid pop in fixings that again almost all snap when you press them off. It must be a nitemare for the mechanics to work on these cars at an opc or indy as i can't see how even having special tools breaking trim fixings can be avoided and I would sweat buckets knowing how some owners are precious about even the slightest marks.
Why can't they just put a simple recessed screw to hold parts together that doesn't involve cursing and covering your hands in blood each time you work on the car?
Why can't they just put a simple recessed screw to hold parts together that doesn't involve cursing and covering your hands in blood each time you work on the car?
We ask the same questions; and have the same worries when it comes to removing and refitting interior parts.
I try to make sure the interior is warm prior to removing anything - the flexibility of the trims increases with a higher temperature - especially in winter.
The strength of the clips is not only for cost - consider the door panels on the 9x7; the airbags have to burst through the panel in the event of an impact, they wouldn't function well if the panel came off at the same time.
A lot of the issue is the order that things have to be removed - it can sometimes seem illogical. In a Cayman, to remove a Rear trim means removing the A, B and C pillar trims beforehand - once the order and the location of the clips is known it makes things easier - that said, the Workshop Manual states 'replace broken trims/clips as required'; great on a £1400 door panel that was coming off for a buzzing trim........
I try to make sure the interior is warm prior to removing anything - the flexibility of the trims increases with a higher temperature - especially in winter.
The strength of the clips is not only for cost - consider the door panels on the 9x7; the airbags have to burst through the panel in the event of an impact, they wouldn't function well if the panel came off at the same time.
A lot of the issue is the order that things have to be removed - it can sometimes seem illogical. In a Cayman, to remove a Rear trim means removing the A, B and C pillar trims beforehand - once the order and the location of the clips is known it makes things easier - that said, the Workshop Manual states 'replace broken trims/clips as required'; great on a £1400 door panel that was coming off for a buzzing trim........
Pope said:
We ask the same questions; and have the same worries when it comes to removing and refitting interior parts.
I try to make sure the interior is warm prior to removing anything - the flexibility of the trims increases with a higher temperature - especially in winter.
The strength of the clips is not only for cost - consider the door panels on the 9x7; the airbags have to burst through the panel in the event of an impact, they wouldn't function well if the panel came off at the same time.
A lot of the issue is the order that things have to be removed - it can sometimes seem illogical. In a Cayman, to remove a Rear trim means removing the A, B and C pillar trims beforehand - once the order and the location of the clips is known it makes things easier - that said, the Workshop Manual states 'replace broken trims/clips as required'; great on a £1400 door panel that was coming off for a buzzing trim........
My 997 had developed a slight rattle after 8 years of rattle free ownership which seems to be from somewhere behind the PCM Unit or maybe even from behind the air vents above it. Do you think it may cause more rattles trying to fix it hence best to leave it alone? Can't hear it with radio on!!!I try to make sure the interior is warm prior to removing anything - the flexibility of the trims increases with a higher temperature - especially in winter.
The strength of the clips is not only for cost - consider the door panels on the 9x7; the airbags have to burst through the panel in the event of an impact, they wouldn't function well if the panel came off at the same time.
A lot of the issue is the order that things have to be removed - it can sometimes seem illogical. In a Cayman, to remove a Rear trim means removing the A, B and C pillar trims beforehand - once the order and the location of the clips is known it makes things easier - that said, the Workshop Manual states 'replace broken trims/clips as required'; great on a £1400 door panel that was coming off for a buzzing trim........
PR36 said:
I have tried to do as much work as i can on my gen 1 cayman to keep the costs down and have taken quite a bit of the interior apart, including seats removed, radio removed etc, and today i had to change a window regulator. One of the things that drives me up the f****** wall is the crap fixings that hold the various bits of interior together which seem purposely designed NOT to be taken apart. For e.g. the trim pieces either side of the radio have stupidly tight plastic male connectors that get brittle and it seems no matter how careful its hard to avoid breaking them on removal. When i took the door cards off today there are these completely stupid pop in fixings that again almost all snap when you press them off. It must be a nitemare for the mechanics to work on these cars at an opc or indy as i can't see how even having special tools breaking trim fixings can be avoided and I would sweat buckets knowing how some owners are precious about even the slightest marks.
Why can't they just put a simple recessed screw to hold parts together that doesn't involve cursing and covering your hands in blood each time you work on the car?
If you think interior materials are cr*p , just try to dismantle some suspension bits from a recent generation car that's seen a few winters...the use of unlubricated steel bolts in alloy castings just sieze solid , you swear they were welded together.....similar to your problem ...a case of cost over function....Why can't they just put a simple recessed screw to hold parts together that doesn't involve cursing and covering your hands in blood each time you work on the car?
otolith said:
Nobody gives a crap about how well engineered what they can't see is, they judge build quality on the superficial basis of what they can see and touch. Modern German approach vs Japanese approach.
This is why most car manufacturers have a perceived quality department, as well as a regular quality department. Gassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff