R56 Some quirks ive noticed with my new 2013 R56
#26
08-01-2014, 11:12 AM
from what I've gathered so far, the only "authority" who says it was designed intentionally to hold the buckle in place is an MA from your local MINI dealership. MA's may have the benefit of hearing from a variety of Mini owners about common issues, and they do have a working relationship with BMW/Mini service techs. However, they are not trained on design minutia, and I'm led to believe this information was picked up from owners' experiences with their cars, and not written in chapter 87-b of their R56 textbook. If it were so, perhaps by now someone would have figured out what the indented channel that runs down the side of the door panel cubbies is for. But it seems the MA's all skipped that chapter.
generally when something is specially designed to tackle a common issue, the design intent is visibly obvious. you don't want people complaining about something that you've already "fixed" and thus, you tend to "point out" the solution through its design. the opening in the B-pillar is not indicative of this, being that it is a completely different shape than the belt buckle. however, the cutout IS indicative of the need for the swivel mechanism behind the pillar to allow the belt to exit at any number of positions, while maintaining a clean appearance.
another reason i don't believe it was intentionally designed to hold the buckle is that it doesn't fully encapsulate the buckle, or provide any positive grip whatsoever. if it truly were designed to hold the buckle, then it would HOLD the buckle, not just allow it to gently rest in its recess. after all, it's unpredictable wind levels we're trying to manage here, so why wouldn't they go all the way with their design and add a small clip or something that actually grasps the buckle in an acceptably secure manner?
I hope you don't get the impression that I'm being rude or argumentative, but if this truly were Mini's solution to the flapping issue, they did an absolutely horrible job. and it does nothing to prevent the nylon belt from flapping against the panel, only the metal buckle.
generally when something is specially designed to tackle a common issue, the design intent is visibly obvious. you don't want people complaining about something that you've already "fixed" and thus, you tend to "point out" the solution through its design. the opening in the B-pillar is not indicative of this, being that it is a completely different shape than the belt buckle. however, the cutout IS indicative of the need for the swivel mechanism behind the pillar to allow the belt to exit at any number of positions, while maintaining a clean appearance.
another reason i don't believe it was intentionally designed to hold the buckle is that it doesn't fully encapsulate the buckle, or provide any positive grip whatsoever. if it truly were designed to hold the buckle, then it would HOLD the buckle, not just allow it to gently rest in its recess. after all, it's unpredictable wind levels we're trying to manage here, so why wouldn't they go all the way with their design and add a small clip or something that actually grasps the buckle in an acceptably secure manner?
I hope you don't get the impression that I'm being rude or argumentative, but if this truly were Mini's solution to the flapping issue, they did an absolutely horrible job. and it does nothing to prevent the nylon belt from flapping against the panel, only the metal buckle.
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