Adafruit: From Ultimate Driving Machine to Ultimate Rent-Seeking Machine: The BMW Logo Screw Patent.
If you haven’t already heard, BMW’s R&D teams have been busy “innovating.” Unfortunately, they aren’t focusing on the things that actually matter—like stellar engine performance or the legendary driving dynamics that gearheads love. Instead, the C-suite execs decided that the best use of their engineering budget was to design a proprietary security screw specifically intended to prevent BMW drivers from fixing their own cars.
If you didn’t already know bmw had lost their design edge, you clearly haven’t seen the XM or their ugly ass plastic grills on electric vehicles that don’t even need grills.
I guess though I could see these being a novelty security feature for hubcaps that you don’t want to be removed too easily. Beyond that it’s just hostile and or dumb.
Idgaf about car design in general, but I definitely noticed when beamers started to look like Angry Birds pigs, they look sooo stupid.
This is what happens when leadership now chase stock price over value to customer.
Have they actually used it anywhere or just have the patent? Because I expect they won’t actually use it anywhere, like with Sony’s (IIRC) patent where you have to shout “McDonald’s!” after watching an ad. Though I wouldn’t be too surprised if they actually use it
That’s what’s often missing from stories about patents: big companies churn out patents in case they ever need to use them in patent warfare against competitors. For the sole reason that the competitors are doing the same thing.
However, I doubt it that BMW would ever have a chance to use this particular patent on a competitor.
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.
Ugh.
That was my first thought as well. I love torx bolts. I worked on BMWs professionally for a few years and never in all that time did I ever strip a torx bolt. Not even 1.
Of course, the bolts themselves snapped frequently without touching them due to galvanic reaction to the magnesium block, and the much weaker in general aluminum bolts, but that’s a different problem.
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…
BMW turn signals are only decals.
Apparently it’s by subscription only…
If you can afford a BMW in the first place, you can afford the blinker fluid subscription…
BMW drivers use blinkers to signal other brands to clear the left lane of the Autobahn for them.
$1.49 on temu
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Innovation under capitalism will always benefit capital. Any benefit to consumers is incidental.
I mean, yeah, it does look kinda cool. Not sure why they think that all I do all day is stare at screws, but that’s just me.
“Hey mate, got a new car today”
“Wow, that’s awesome. How does it drive?”
“Dunno, I just bought it to look at the screws. Look, they’re shaped like the BMW logo!”
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.
Unless im missing something about the design, theres a fairly common bit already on the market that works for this, and Id assume most auto shops already have laying around. My dewalt 50 piece came with one…
Bit looks like ( https://share.google/KHdg0HfO6zC9bab9O)that’s not the only issue, it’s also just a plainly worse design that will likely lead to lots of broken screws and bits.
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.
Every dollar store has a variety pack of “security screw” drivers
I’m sure they will but that requires owners to go out and buy a kit of specialty tools for that one job, which may be too much investment. And many people are just not savvy enough to do that, they see “specialty tools” and throw up their hands.
It’s a special bit, that’s it. Do you have any idea how many bits/sockets/adapters I already own that only fit one vehicle? TONS. That’s just the nature of vehicles and maintenance. And I’m pretty sure if you own a BMW, you can afford a $5 bit. This is a nothing burger. It’s just people jumping on the BMW hate, which if you were smart, there’s plenty of actual things they overcharge up the ass for. This isn’t one of them. You might as well complain about locking lug nuts as a whole because that’s really all this is.
BMW driver’s can’t even change a tire in my experience.
Not to defend BMW here but it’s likely a very specific part that this screw is used for and 99% of home mechanics probably are never going to encounter it. Most likely having something to do with the high-voltage system which you shouldn’t be messing with anyway.
It’s not their right to decide if I get to work on my own property.
If you cant figure out how to get past this screw you shouldn’t be working on things. Mechanics have a million speciality tools, what’s one more little bit, doesn’t affect us the slightest.
Well, they don’t in this case either - they just add an extra step to it. You can buy a bit like that off eBay.
It’s more nuanced. If even 1 of these screws is used for something that might ever need repairing, BMW mechanics will need to get the tool to be able to provide full support. It might even be possible that official BMW mechanics will be required to use the proprietary tool and are not allowed to use knock offs.
I see they’re taking notes from Apple.
That’s shitty.
Didn’t R2D2 have one of these?
I went looking for a screenshot of that scene but got distracted by all the shop-vacs painted as R2D2. Off to buy white and blue paint.
Oh no. Another reason to not buy a BMW.
looks like it can be opened with a pair of needlenose pliers
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