It's anti-consumer as hell, but is it really enough to keep servicing only to dealerships? Seems like someone can machine a tool head for this in like two seconds, it's just two prongs. What's stopping a manufacturer from selling tools for it and individuals/mechanics from buying the tool? Can they patent the tool and not sell it to anyone?
Which happened over and over again in past attempts. Like "TR Torx" or "Tamper Resistent Torx", the star bit with the hole in the middle. You can find matching bits in any decent bit set.
I feel like BMW charging a monthly subscription for the heated seats in the car should’ve been enough to stop anyone from buying their new cars, but they continue to sell!
Not only that but the recent disgusting design language and the lowering of interior quality and the reliability issues, none of it seems to affect them? People really only see the badge and nothing else.
The type of people who buy BMWs and the like don't do it out of concern for any practical considerations. It is a status symbol, and membership card, and sexual posturing all in one. The fact that they have to pay extra to have it serviced because the dealer has the only magic wrench that doesn't void the warranty is part of the allure.
And as stated elsewhere, by the time the thing is out of warranty and is on the third or fourth owner they'll be using hacked tools to do what should be easy but is made much harder by this shitfuckery.
Coming from the position of "I'm not sure it's possible to protect the source of a space frame chassis"
Things like the Locost 7 have plans in the wild, and quite a few have been built.
You kind of have to pick your poison in terms of "off the shelf". Does buying a BMW steering column or a Chevy crate engine count? The feasibility of casting and machining a block or head is way beyond most. (To the point where developing an open source engine would struggle to go beyond design phase without a company backing it IMO) a donor car is a good place to start, of course.
EVs may improve this, which would be good, though fucking with high voltage battery packs would be a negative.
Chassis is relatively straightforward so long as you stick to box section or tubing.
Body panels are tricky too, something like the Locost isnt too bad. Even more complicated is within the grasp of a dedicated home gamer - but we're talking big 3D printers/serious clay or polystyrene modelling skills/CF or GF moulding etc. high expense high skill.
If you're talking at the level of open source chassis produced by a few companies, few different companies do EV motors, few do trims, few do body work etc and then integrators put them together - I could see it working, it's not that dissimilar to how say VW/Audi/Skoda/Seat operate.
I do like the idea of PC style integrators and you spec the car you want, probably pricey though.
Why would someone design a car that anyone could copy? Even worse, how do you handle certain legal issues where the designer and manufacturer don't have a legal agreement with each other?
How many open source projects include safety guarantees of use? I can legally sue car manufacturers for faults in design of the car that I or others purchase. Who do I sue with open source projects if the crash is due to a flaw in design?
I'll admit having your logo on the screws is, in itself a neat idea, not a good one, but I see why it's cool. making it propertary and control the production of who can remove it, is a terrible idea. and looking at it's design, it seems trivially easy to make a screwdriver for it.
I the part is not user serviceable, that means you have a lifetime warranty on service, and need to prove the price you charge for parts is reasonable.
38 Comments
chisel@piefed.social · 36 pts · 244d
It's anti-consumer as hell, but is it really enough to keep servicing only to dealerships? Seems like someone can machine a tool head for this in like two seconds, it's just two prongs. What's stopping a manufacturer from selling tools for it and individuals/mechanics from buying the tool? Can they patent the tool and not sell it to anyone?
Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io · 19 pts · 244d
Get ready for black market socket sets. lol.
Treczoks@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 243d
Which happened over and over again in past attempts. Like "TR Torx" or "Tamper Resistent Torx", the star bit with the hole in the middle. You can find matching bits in any decent bit set.
cassandrafatigue@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 242d
Fuck yeah, just adding more waste metal! Best economic system!
a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 242d
It prevents a portion of the population from bothering.
They will be available.
jqubed@lemmy.world · 35 pts · 244d
I feel like BMW charging a monthly subscription for the heated seats in the car should’ve been enough to stop anyone from buying their new cars, but they continue to sell!
Geth@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 10 pts · 244d
Not only that but the recent disgusting design language and the lowering of interior quality and the reliability issues, none of it seems to affect them? People really only see the badge and nothing else.
laranis@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 242d
The type of people who buy BMWs and the like don't do it out of concern for any practical considerations. It is a status symbol, and membership card, and sexual posturing all in one. The fact that they have to pay extra to have it serviced because the dealer has the only magic wrench that doesn't void the warranty is part of the allure.
And as stated elsewhere, by the time the thing is out of warranty and is on the third or fourth owner they'll be using hacked tools to do what should be easy but is made much harder by this shitfuckery.
witty_username@feddit.nl · 26 pts · 244d
BeardedGingerWonder@feddit.uk · 6 pts · 244d
Coming from the position of "I'm not sure it's possible to protect the source of a space frame chassis"
Things like the Locost 7 have plans in the wild, and quite a few have been built.
You kind of have to pick your poison in terms of "off the shelf". Does buying a BMW steering column or a Chevy crate engine count? The feasibility of casting and machining a block or head is way beyond most. (To the point where developing an open source engine would struggle to go beyond design phase without a company backing it IMO) a donor car is a good place to start, of course.
EVs may improve this, which would be good, though fucking with high voltage battery packs would be a negative.
Chassis is relatively straightforward so long as you stick to box section or tubing.
Body panels are tricky too, something like the Locost isnt too bad. Even more complicated is within the grasp of a dedicated home gamer - but we're talking big 3D printers/serious clay or polystyrene modelling skills/CF or GF moulding etc. high expense high skill.
If you're talking at the level of open source chassis produced by a few companies, few different companies do EV motors, few do trims, few do body work etc and then integrators put them together - I could see it working, it's not that dissimilar to how say VW/Audi/Skoda/Seat operate.
I do like the idea of PC style integrators and you spec the car you want, probably pricey though.
HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club · 0 pts · 244d
Why would someone design a car that anyone could copy? Even worse, how do you handle certain legal issues where the designer and manufacturer don't have a legal agreement with each other?
witty_username@feddit.nl · 3 pts · 243d
HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club · 0 pts · 243d
How many open source projects include safety guarantees of use? I can legally sue car manufacturers for faults in design of the car that I or others purchase. Who do I sue with open source projects if the crash is due to a flaw in design?
BeardedGingerWonder@feddit.uk · 1 pts · 243d
The manufacturer? Why would that change.
HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club · 1 pts · 243d
Why would the manufacturer take on liability for a design issue they didn't design?
BeardedGingerWonder@feddit.uk · 1 pts · 242d
They built the thing and sold it as safe, the liability is implicit. If you produce something you need to produce it to established standards.
HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club · 1 pts · 242d
And what if the established standards get people killed? Open source doesn't provide a person or organization who is liable for design faults.
muhyb@programming.dev · 18 pts · 244d
Chinese subindustry manufacturers:
--- Hold my pork bun!
Gsus4@mander.xyz · 15 pts · 244d
Wait, so they don't want people changing their own wheels if a tire blows out? What kind of crap patent is that?
HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club · 8 pts · 244d
Locking lug nuts are a thing already; this just sounds like they don't want to give the key to the end consumer.
EtherWhack@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 244d
Those, in my book, are single-use only, ready to have real screws/bolts replace them
altphoto@lemmy.today · 8 pts · 244d
I just patented BMW! Only the dealer can buy and keep the car.
IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 244d
I'll admit having your logo on the screws is, in itself a neat idea, not a good one, but I see why it's cool. making it propertary and control the production of who can remove it, is a terrible idea. and looking at it's design, it seems trivially easy to make a screwdriver for it.
Brutticus@midwest.social · 6 pts · 244d
The Nazi mobile is anti consumer? Say it aint so!
Didn't they run slave labor camps at multiple points in their history?
caboose2006@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 244d
Home machinists "Bet"
fionn@digitalcourage.social · 5 pts · 244d
@rssbot
Great! One brand less I need to consider when deciding on my next car.
#enshittification #bmw #screwyou #german #cars
bluGill@fedia.io · 3 pts · 244d
I the part is not user serviceable, that means you have a lifetime warranty on service, and need to prove the price you charge for parts is reasonable.
PattyMcB@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 244d
https://a.co/d/co56qgB
Just saying...
Bad_Engineering@fedia.io · 11 pts · 244d
As someone who used to turn wrenchs for a living, I can objectively say that those are the worst tool ever made.
IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 244d
thanks for your comment.
I always wonder if those are great (for the advertised reasons), like not as good as the exact bit you need, but good enough to be useful.
or complete shite.
now I know
shalafi@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 244d
I've got two. They're only for if I'm in a desperate pinch.
PattyMcB@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 244d
I didn't say it was good, but it could do the job
miked@piefed.social · 1 pts · 243d
Coming soon to Harbor Freight.
velindora@lemmy.cafe · 1 pts · 244d
They are really screwing the consumer
Sam_Bass@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 242d
Wouldn't hold my breath on that one (edit) not to mention the massive cam-out risk of that shitty design