Remember kids, every screw is a flathead with an angle grinder
this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2026
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A dremel with a metal cutting wheel is easier to carry!
There is a really, really simple solution to this problem. This might sound crazy, but hear me out. Maybe don't buy their cars? Not like there's a lack of competition.
The new bimmers are ugly as sin.
I say that as someone who loved his e90
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I like the PlayStation stylized screw much more.
(Original credit for the image goes to an old reddit post)
It has two Xs lol
The O ones are the hardest to get out.
Haha, nice.
Funnily enough I've been talking to people a lot about screw types recently. My wife was taking some hardware out of the house and cursing the varied kinds of screws used during installation; a friend and co-worker has been obsessed with the varieties ever since I met him; and my six year old found some of the screws dropped by my wife and asked why they were different.
Harbor freight will have these weird screwdriver tips in a kit within 12 months.
As if it wasn't enough to stuff the whole fucking engine bay so that it gets harder to fix.
Has BMW *ever done anything for the consumer?
No biggie. In less than a week we'll have thousands of Chinese Amazon sellers providing these tools to everyone for lose to.
It's almost, as if the article answers that question with a resounding "no, that's not going to help either."
But the novelty wears off the moment you consider the physics. Because this head prioritizes branding over utility, neither the bit nor the screw head can withstand the torque of a standard Torx or Hex fastener. The result? Broken bits, stripped screws, and more time spent on what would otherwise be a simple task.
neither the bit nor the screw head can withstand the torque of a standard Torx or Hex fastener
Which "standard" Torx head? Maximum torque of 0.43Nm of a T5? Or maybe 10.5Nm of a T20? 132Nm of a T50? T60 is rated for 437Nm.
If you need a bolt that can handle 50Nm, you put a head that's sized to that on the bolt.
If it's a Torx, you put a T40. If it's Hex, you put an 8mm on it. And if it's a stupid BMW one, you pick the size that can handle 50Nm. The shape doesn't matter.
Yes, but. If they add enough "special" things you need, that will reduce the number of average people and independent mechanics that will go through the trouble of getting all the "special" tools. Thier goal isn't to stop you. It's to inconvenience enough people so that they won't bother. Which drives more business to thier shops, which in turn makes them more money. And since they are publicly traded, it doesn't even have to actually make them money. Just make the market think it might.
Its all a plan. People think I'm a conspiracy nut when i explain it. I think they're dumb for not seeing it. Capitalism is the best planned scam.
I tie it all into how a public company's board has a fiduciary responsability to the shareholders legally. Which means they can (and often do) get sued for doing whats best for the customer over the shareholders. It sometimes clicks with people.
And many who don't see it aren't dumb per se. They are more or less refusing to see it because they would have to realize that they are the slaves or pawns, or cogs in the machine. And they are not in control of thier destiny. Thats a hard thing for a lot of people to swalllow. Especially since there isn't much they can do about it.
This is the only focus on the ultra wealthy market, let the wanna be people pay too much, and fuck the rest of the low profit margin people.
Good news is this how you get a French/Russian Revolution. Eventually.
Yeah, security screws are security theatre. I had an electronics screw driver set that came with a bunch of the rarer screw bits by default. Actually ran into one I didn't have, then noticed another set with that one (plus other features like the long bendy bit for hard to reach screws) next time I was in the tool section and just bought it.
That said, I won't be needing this one. Driving a BMW would go against the image I'm trying to cultivate of not being an asshole.
BMW drivers have this fame of being douchebags (most absolutely are) , which makes me wonder, how the hell do we describe Tesla drivers then?
Supercilious
In my head that sounds like what they actually want to be called, not what they are. I'm pretty sure those drivers actually want to come across as arrogant.
Until you're halfway through putting in new brake pads and realize you need a specialty bit and now you're stuck without a working car until you get that Amazon package.
At that point that bolt is getting destructively removed and replaced with a different bolt from the hardware store. Unless they have custom thread pitches, there's going to be an easy replacement.
Edit but I don't own a BMW and never will, my first car was the bargainest basement commuter car and my next one will be too.
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Well, it will prevent me from ever considering purchase of such a boobie trap.
Looks like a future stripped screw nightmare waiting to happen
Perfect opportunity for another $400 in labour from the dealership!
"specifically intended to prevent BMW drivers from fixing their own cars."
Give me a break.
I hate to break it to people but every manufacturer has a lot of brand specific tools. You need a special socket for Toyota head bolts, 10 point sockets for Honda suspensions, a special multipoint socket for Audis, a special socket for Mercedes lug nuts and it's good to have a 21.5mm for Fords. 5 point security torx are starting to pop up on GMs.
That's just an example of a few sockets, the deeper you go into a car, the higher the possibility that you need a $400 special tool or kit for a specific manufacturer, or even specific year or engine.
Why do manufacturers do that, do you think? Why would car manufacturers design the vehicles such that they require proprietary tools? Surely they can just use commodity parts and fixings?
I also highly doubt this screw is made with intention to keep users out of repairing their cars. I guarantee they are dress ups for engine bay/ interior. Having the bmw logo along panel screws looks far more puff than a bunch of torx screws. Every car requires either special tools or special software to work on, NO exceptions in modern vehicles. You cannot truly clear error codes from a Chrysler without a subscription to their gateway and internet access. You can go in limp mode where there's no service and ur 3k autel scanner won't help you without wifi as it cannot connect to the gateway. I don't give a crap about special fasteners that's the name of the game, my gripes are what they do on the computer side of things to lock you out. Right to repair just means you have the right to pay dealer networks thousands a year for the privilege of accessing your own modules on ur car with your scanner. What a fucking racket.
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As soon as the rollout for BMW dealers starts, Chinese toolmakers will churn out compatible bits and screwdrivers. They might even be on the market before the BMW dealers have them in the mail.
Ifixit does this with apple’s fasteners. I bet they have plans for the BMW ones now too.
Every dollar store has a variety pack of “security screw” drivers
You could almost manufacture it based on this image, granted that's a 1/4" impact bit. All it would take is one bolt being smuggled to their factory or one photograph of a spec sheet.
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How exactly is this going to prevent people from fixing their own cars? I think it is pretty neat to have bolts with your brands logo. It's genuinely trivial to get drive bits. To act like it isn't is stupid as fuck. Reactionary horseshit.
If BMW truly wants to innovate, they should work on fixing their turn signals. They must always be in a state of disrepair, because I rarely see a BMW driver use them....
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Why is it repost weekend this weekend? Feels like half of my feed sorted by active is reposts.
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