Door Hinge Damage Question

Technical question - I've noticed that some people (for whatever
reason) aren't too fussed about using quite some force in throwing open
their doors all the way, until it hits the retainer, before getting out
of their BMW.

If, say, a previous owner had been repeatedly doing so over a number of
years, is it possible to overstress the door hinge?
What would be the symptoms - I'd imagine the door alignment would get
out of what after a while, or even the actual door hinge might start to
crack...?

"Class 1" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Technical question - I've noticed that some people (for whatever
> reason) aren't too fussed about using quite some force in throwing open
> their doors all the way, until it hits the retainer, before getting out
> of their BMW.
>
> If, say, a previous owner had been repeatedly doing so over a number of
> years, is it possible to overstress the door hinge?
> What would be the symptoms - I'd imagine the door alignment would get
> out of what after a while, or even the actual door hinge might start to
> crack...?
>

Yes. E34's are especially prone to having hinge sheet metal damage from
years of operator abuse. There are kits that add some reinforcement plates
to the mounting area for the door brake (metal mechanism that is the door
restraint) to help prevent damage to the sheet metal.

http://www.koalamotorsport.com/mall/doorbrake.asp

MaltHound

"Class 1" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Technical question - I've noticed that some people (for whatever
> reason) aren't too fussed about using quite some force in throwing open
> their doors all the way, until it hits the retainer, before getting out
> of their BMW.
>
> If, say, a previous owner had been repeatedly doing so over a number of
> years, is it possible to overstress the door hinge?
> What would be the symptoms - I'd imagine the door alignment would get
> out of what after a while, or even the actual door hinge might start to
> crack...?

This problem applies to most North American cars, not a BMW. (-;

I have seen a few bimmers that had a crack in the metal on the inside front
edge of the door where the rod enters the panel, under the rubber boot. This
is a result of what you describe. Somewhere on the Internet awhile back I read
a way to reinforce this area, but I couldn't locate it now.

Dick Schneiders

>Technical question - I've noticed that some people (for whatever
>reason) aren't too fussed about using quite some force in throwing open
>their doors all the way, until it hits the retainer, before getting out
>of their BMW.
>
>If, say, a previous owner had been repeatedly doing so over a number of
>years, is it possible to overstress the door hinge?
>What would be the symptoms - I'd imagine the door alignment would get
>out of what after a while, or even the actual door hinge might start to
>crack...?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

"Dick Schneiders" > wrote in message
...
>I have seen a few bimmers that had a crack in the metal on the inside front
> edge of the door where the rod enters the panel, under the rubber boot.
> This
> is a result of what you describe. Somewhere on the Internet awhile back I
> read
> a way to reinforce this area, but I couldn't locate it now.
>
You're talking about Brett Anderson's repair plate:

http://www.koalamotorsport.com/mall/doorbrake.asp