Screw Heads That Would Force You to Visit a BMW Workshop

 

On the list of services and items whose costs have exploded in recent years, you can add visits to mechanical workshops. At the dealerships, the hourly rate is no longer just high; it sometimes reaches the stratosphere.

• Maintenance costs are already very high across the industry

• Mercedes-Benz wants to reduce repair costs for its models

• Specialized garages don’t always have access to diagnostic tools

So much so that a simple visit for minor maintenance or a small repair can result in a bill of several hundred dollars.

That’s why a growing number of consumers are turning to specialized mechanics, independent garages that can perform certain repairs. Let’s be clear, nothing is cheap there either, but comparison is consoling; it costs less than going to the dealership.

The latter, of course, wants to see you more often, just as the manufacturer prefers to sell its original parts rather than see its vehicles receive aftermarket ones.

But independent shops can’t do everything.

Thus, all strategies are good to keep you at the dealership workshop. Often, it’s simply necessary to connect your car to a specialized machine to obtain a specific code indicating the needed repair.

But now at BMW, they’re exploring another way. According to recently published patent documents, at least that’s the takeaway from a screw concept that could only be tightened or loosened using a BMW-specific tool.

It’s going too far.

What we see is a head featuring the BMW logo, with two of its quadrants hollowed out to accommodate a specialized tool. The letters BMW are even visible on the head. We admit it, it’s beautiful, but as for the practical side of things, we’ll pass.

In fact, this could suggest the manufacturer’s intentions, and that’s what’s more troubling.

Fortunately, we’re only at the patent stage, and not all such concepts necessarily end up on models. For now, note that the screws are for structural use, such as seat mountings or specific body parts. Nevertheless, it can open the door, and that’s what’s worrying, especially since the patent is clear about one thing: “preventing loosening or tightening using generic tools by unauthorized persons.”

Ultimately, if implemented as described, this might lead to higher maintenance costs.

The irony is that Mercedes-Benz recently declared the opposite, essentially wanting to make its vehicles easier to repair.

Let’s hope this philosophy prevails and forces direct competitors, like BMW, to rethink theirs.

After all, everything is already expensive enough.

And let’s be clear. We are not accusing BMW of any intentions at this point. We are just pointing out something of concern. And it’s been done before, and not only in the auto industry.