Do car engineers deliberately make things difficult ?

Hi

A simple question really. I want to change my oil and find that I need a T 45 key to do it ( used to borrow from a friend who is no longer there ).

Now this plug does not need a great deal of torque , so why a T45 ? Do engineers rate these things to the diameter of the plug - or, as I suspect - do they specify them to push more customers into the dealers ?

The torque required on this plug does not need a T45, it could easily be done with a T40 which is a part of most Torx sets, but they make it a T45 which is not*. Is this to push the people who would do their own oil-change until they find that they don't have the tools, into the dealerships ?

I don't know about the numbers, but I'm sure it will have some effect.

* From my isolated mountain abode , I had to make a 65 mile round-trip to get one ( although I also needed to source a nasty little triangular-headed security-screwdriver at the same time )

 

A T45 is £3.50 on ebay just buy one.

 

Probably the same reason why Stihl use a TX 27 for their gear.....a degree of exclusivity!
Mind you it’s a long time since I’ve come across a tri-wing screw, although I do have the drivers!
John

 

Yes! No different to hex head, Allen, Phillips etc, there's set sizes to use depending on the head type and thread...



So, a T45 would be an M8 thread if it were a pan head, should never be found in a countersunk, M8 again for cap head, M10 for button head, etc.

What thread is the sump plug?!

 

If that picture's not working... now?

 

back in the day car designers/engineers built the car with servicing in mind, nowadays they build the car around regulations and passenger comfort, servicing is an after thought (much the same with boats, especially pleasure boats).

Manufactures use different fasteners as an aid in there build process, using torx screws on items means better packaging (as you dont have to allow for a socket) it also reduces the chances of superficial damage that can be caused by using a socket on paintwork for instance.

 

lamchams : Doesn't address the question
Burnerman: John, the triangular bit was for something electronic/domestic.
rsgaz: Thank you. Unsure of thread-size.
sxturbo:Servicing can indeed be difficult, but the competition for space is fierce.

 

Once I had to change front discs and pads on my old golf mk2.
Went to my friend's garage and he was just about to do the same on a bmw 3 series rear brakes, not new, i think it was a 2008.
I finished in an hour or so, made tea, drank it, had a fag and the mechanic was still on first wheel.
Never touched a bmw but apparently they're a nightmare.

 

Not for a DS Lite is it?

 

EddieM

It's actually the controller for an electric blanket. Nights are now intermittently minus temperatures and we had out first big snowfall at the end of September, so got to maintain comfort !!

 

You should move to a country with a functioning postal service.

 

When you get to the latest generation of engines special tools will be the least of your worries. An oil filter change will require a visit to the main dealer to register the inbuilt chip within the filter to the ECU of the car. Failure to do so will leave the car in limp mode. The motor industry wants all of your money!

 

When I think about the reasons I live here - the stunning natural beauty, wonderful skiing and hiking, the charm of life in rural France - that tiny inconvenience equals a fly hitting the window. Meditate on that, Grasshopper !

 

Well, I think that particular point can be ruled out for most cars. I believe I read in the last few months that VW ( or maybe VW Group ? ) said it was not going to develop any new IC engines, so I maybe won't need to buy a chip-reset device as was necessary with my Epson printer.