Comment on BMW’s Newest “Innovation” is a Logo-Shaped Middle Finger to Right to Repair
RattlerSix@lemmy.world 2 weeks agoI don’t really know. I purposely picked the things I mentioned because they’re similar to the BMW bolt, but the tools required are cheap and simple for all of them.
Part of my point was that there are other, more complicated and more expensive tools that are brand specific too. I think a lot of it is really just the nature of the beast. Brands do thiings differently, so a special shaped tool to get into the nook and cranny of a certain car won’t work on a different brand that has different nooks and crannys. And you can substitute “brand” with “engine,” “model,” or even “year.”
bearboiblake@pawb.social 2 weeks ago
Right, but the article suggests a potential motivation - adding friction to dissuade motorists from repairing and servicing their own vehicles - which seems very likely to me. I was wondering why you dismissed that claim.
RattlerSix@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I don’t see how it could be effective. The brand specific things I mentioned are almost identical and none of them stop people from repairing their car. The BMW design is simpler than the ones I mentioned. A flat screwdriver with a gap cut down the middle would work.
bearboiblake@pawb.social 2 weeks ago
Sure, I agree that it wouldn’t pose an insurmountable barrier for people, but it absolutely does cause friction - someone might have taken a crack at fixing something themselves, seen that it needs some proprietary tool, and decided “meh, fuck it, i’ll take it to the dealer”.
I can’t think of any other motivation than that.
RattlerSix@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
What if it’s a torx instead? People have to buy torx bits to work on their car.