radical innovation. proprietary screws. un-standardization. de-industrialization.
this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2026
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Alright, we'll just buy Chinese electric cars instead.
Ding ding ding, we have a winner!
VW made these funky triangle topped bolt on TDi injection pumps ( or maybe it was Bosch who cares). My buddy who's a mechanic said "don't mess with those ,you need special sockets".
I took 12pt sockets and used a dremmel to grind out every other two points in the socket and had my own set to mess with the bolts they didn't want me messing with.
I'll never buy a car that has subscription features
Until they force you. Like how pretty much all new housing developments have oppressive HOAs now.
The day when the only options are subscription based cars will be the day jailbreaking your car is as common as jailbreaking an iphone.
I am so happy to live in a non-HOA neighborhood...
It's a choice to live there. And you have a choice on how you spend your money. No one is holding a gun to your head making you buy a shitty car.
it’s your choice to live there
I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not because that is an awful argument. The housing market isn’t this perfectly liquid thing where there’s always another house to choose from that fits all your requirements a reasonable distance from your workplace.
Especially when private equity is fucking everyone
I would like to get my hands on those Engineers. Do we have a term for engineers who design pro-capitalist enshittification tech ?
Enshitineers?
Nice catch lol
Depending on their place in the chain of command, either a capitalist or a wage slave
As an engineer, I second this. Unfortunately, many engineers fail to ever acquire a conscience.
Clippy would never do that!
Remember kids, every screw is a flathead with an angle grinder
Or they can be replaced
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Harbor freight will have these weird screwdriver tips in a kit within 12 months.
Proprietary security screws have existed for a long time. There's a reason they're using their logo, and its not vanity, its a weaponization of trademark law. Recreating the tip would mean recreating a trademark without authorization.
Few reputable companies will be willing to take that risk.
Sega tried this back in the 90s and already lost in court. The court ruled that by making the use of it's trademark a required element in order to perform an otherwise lawful activity, any resulting trademark confusion was the fault of Sega.
Aliexpress will have one in about 2 weeks.
And they won't be worried about BMW's lawyers when they do it.
I'm not entirely sure some Chinese company that neither of us has heard of is worried about that risk.
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Ebay definitely will
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.
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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.
But these screwdrivers will be illegal, due to copyright infringement. Checkmate!
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