Hatch or Gate?

[KSNeptune]

I've used my Vibes tailgate probably every day I've had the car, but only today discovered I only needed the lift glass to open for putting arms full of groceries in my cargo box.So out of curiousity, I thought I'd which access was more useful for the masses. Gate or hatch (glass)?KSNeptune

[Sputnik]

The glass does pop open if you hold down on the key fob for a couple of seconds.

[Vibe]

The majority of the time I just stick stuff through the glass. Larger object --then the whole tailgate must be used. My 2000 GMC Jimmy did not have the glass or tailgate option -----which I sorely missed. James

[KSNeptune]

My glass unlocks with the key fob, but does not open up. I have to lift the glass myself. If it sprang all the way open once unlocked it would be much more useful in my opinion.KSNeptune

[NovaResource]

quote:My glass unlocks with the key fob, but does not open up. I have to lift the glass myself. If it sprang all the way open once unlocked it would be much more useful in my opinion.Oh NO! You actually have to lift the glass yourself?! How horrible!Oh please! Would it be easier for you if the driver door sprang all the way open once unlocked? How about if the hood sprang all the way open once popped? Or if the whole tail gate sprang all the way open once unlocked? Maybe the Vibe should have power folding seats like the Ford Expedition.Have you ever see the motor that operates the power lift-gate on the Chrysler minivans? It's huge and take up space. It even blocks some rearward visibility. No thanks.If your hands are free enough to press the button on the fob to unlock the glass, they should be free enough to open the glass.

[KSNeptune]

OK, Nova. Time to think a bit before reacting.I'm smart enough to keep my keys in my hand when my arms are carrying two or sometimes more bags of groceries. I can easily press the keyfob liftglass button to get the glass to unlock while still holding the groceries. What I don't have is a tallented elbow or chin that can pull the little lever up to lift the glass when my arms are full. Sure, I DO prop enough between my knees and the bumper to free one hand, leaving the freed one to lift the glass. It would just make me appreciate the liftglass a little more if it sprang open. And frankly I can't see why the designers overlooked that capablility.Now there are several ways to make the liftglass more useful to me. One would be if it simply had better springs that would spring it open once unlocked. Of course you could throw a bulky motor at the task, but the glass doesn't weigh anything near the weight of a Minivan's gate, so shouldn't need power assist. The best solution would be if the car had sensors that could evaluate what I was carrying as I approached the car, then open the appropriate access door/hatch/gate/etc. What? Me? A dreamer? A lazy a--ed ba-tard?Nope. I'm a product designer. And part of my job is to make things easier to use. A spring-open lift glass on the vibe is one suggestion. Hell, you might even enjoy the feature. Would you refuse to use it, just on egotistical principle? Would it make you somehow lazier? Nope. You'd just like it better.KSNeptune

[NovaResource]

quote:OK, Nova. Time to think a bit before reacting.Think before reacting? OK. Let me think....hmmmmmmmmmmm........................................................Don't mind the smoke.hmmmmmmmmmmm........................................................Hold on. Let me wipe and flush first. Don't forget to wash my hands.I do my best thinking in here.Sorry about the smell. It must have been that Taco Bell I had for lunch.OK, I got it. How's this:The glass opens higher than the roof of the car. If there was something on the roofrack and the glass sprung open all the way it could hit whatever was on the roof and shatter. Plus, spring-loading glass isn't a great idea. It would make the glass hard to close and would put alot of stress on the glass while closed.

[KSNeptune]

"OK, I got it. How's this:The glass opens higher than the roof of the car. If there was something on the roofrack and the glass sprung open all the way it could hit whatever was on the roof and shatter. Plus, spring-loading glass isn't a great idea. It would make the glass hard to close and would put alot of stress on the glass while closed."_______Just so you'll know, the lift glass is already held up by compressed air springs. It's not hard to close, and not under any stress.Now dig a little deeper (try to use a greater percentage of your brain). Springs come in all sorts of specification. Combine the right spring with an air damper/cylinder (which the lift glass already has) and the glass could lift slowly, stop against any obstruction, and be easy to close. Just because you can't imagine it being any better doesn't mean it can't.Now why is it you seem so threatened by the possibility? KSNeptune

[NovaResource]

quote:Just so you'll know, the lift glass is already held up by compressed air springs. It's not hard to close, and not under any stress.Compressed air springs? Not really. They are gas charged shocks, not springs. Plus, they don't exert force against the glass while at rest (if they did, they would spring the window up like you want). They just resist force. The force needed to compress the shocks is greater than the weight of the window so when the window is up it stays up because the weight isn't enough to compress the shocks. Add the force of your hand to the glass and it closes with little resistance.What you want is a spring that forces the window up once the latch is unlocked. For that to happen you would need a spring exerting force against the glass while closed so when the latch opens, the glass pops up. Either that or a motor that lifts the glass for you.Exerting force on glass is not a good idea so the only good option is for a motor to open the glass. However, if you gonna spend the extra money on motor, you should make it the whole hatch, not the glass portion.

[Sub-Vibe-R]

I think the glass does not lift for some safety reason. If you unlock the hatch by mistake (which can be hard but no impossible to do) and it lift up, it will be easy for a thief to get acces to your car. The way it is built, it is very hard to see if the glass is locked or not.

[Shadow Realm]

I think we are all forgetting if you had hydraulic shocks on the car you could have the car raised or lowered to your specific load size ( and I don't mean what goes in the car ) But seriously, I agree with Nova about the safety issues on the glass hatch and the stress on it. It would be nice to have if it was safe, but it will probably not happen.Maybe we can all put remote control sensors in our Vibes so when we come out of the grocery store the Vibe can meet us at the curb

[LocDog]

it would be nice if it opened automatically... its kinda hard to open the lift glass while driving...

[LocDog]

I'm sayin it would be nice to be able to open it while drivin. For those occations when I feel like broadcasting my bass.

[KSNeptune]

Just a little warning about opening the hatch window while driving... It may suck exhaust fumes into the car.If you've got bass worth broadcasting, I suggest mounting your sub box on the roof rack. That way you won't have to listen to the eardrum-killing thumping you'll be subjecting anyone around you to. Save your ears. Save your life. Keep the rear hatch closed when the car is running.KSNeptune

[B_artman]

i could be wrong here, but a gas shock/cylinder pushes out, it wants to be open, hence if it is perpendicular to the glass plane, it will put stress on the window, however, if it is parrallel to the window plane when the glass hatch is closed, it would be pushing down along the line of the glass, and into the mounting bracket, not the glass itself. now imagine if the lock mechanism when popped, the glass hatch now moves outward away from the parrallel line of the force generated by the shock, the shock now pushes at an increasing angle against the glass hatch. this will make it push the glass further away from the parrallel and into perpendicular, and so upward away from the frame and thus into open position. by choosing a proper spec shock or shocks on both pillars, you can get the glass to open fully and safely. check out the hatch on minivans which when released with the handle spring open all the way to the top. for example look at another pontiac product, its called the montana. the only thing that prevents the entire rear to open upon unlocking is that you need to pull the handle to release the locking mechanism. its not very hard for designers to make that mechanism release by the touch of a button. hence, no this is not a stupid idea, nor is it an idea that would require major reworking of anything to complex. to avoid hitting objects hanging off the back end of the car, you simply think before you decide to open the glass, or better yet, have the designers use such a shock that only gives enough pressure that it opens the glass slowly and not in a swift jerking motion, thus stopping on the handing object rather then slaming into it. thats my 2.5 cents

[LocDog]

When I open the rear glass I usually have all my windows down on a hot summer day...

[Triton]

I use the privacy cover right now, and I have mostly been carrying groceries up to this point. So for me, it has been easier to lift the whole gate.