• vapeloki@lemmy.worldEnglish
    25·
    6 months ago

    Just as a friendly reminder. Here in Germany, BMW would have to provide access to the required tools. After all, we have a right to repair over here in Europe.

    And if you are american: fucking fix your government

    • BoycottTwitter@lemmy.zipEnglish
      15·
      6 months ago

      And if you are american: fucking fix your government

      I try everyday and I will not give up until it’s fixed.

      Your government could end up more like mine if the AfD takes power so I urge you and all Germans to fight that with everything you got. It’s terrifying here and I really don’t want other people to have to go through what we’re going through so please take action now.

      One threat that I believe people in Europe are not taking seriously enough is foreign interference in your elections from our Oligarchs like Elon Musk and our government. Trump’s so-called National Security Strategy explicitly calls for interfering in EU countries and the Heritage Foundation (the organization who planned much of Trump’s second term) has explicitly called for eliminating the EU.

      Please consider these actions to immunize yourself and your country from us:

      1. Stop using Twitter, Meta products, TikTok and Reddit. These companies all have owners who are sympathetic to the Trump regime or in the case of Twitter it’s way worse. I’m personally a big advocate for Bluesky for replacing Twitter and of course goes without saying I really hope Lemmy can fully replace Reddit.

      2. Educate people on how to recognize disinformation and propaganda. This should be taught in school along with classes to mitigate the harmful effects caused by social media. Classes should hopefully cultivate skills like emotional regulation, critical thinking and conflict resolution because cognitive warfare is more successful against people who are weak in these skills.

      3. Try resolving people’s frustrations and social differences without them turning towards the far-right. This is part of how Trump got into power some people feel unhappy and vulnerable so the far-right takes advantage of them. I don’t understand this well but I’ve read that part of the AfD’s popularity has to do with unresolved differences between East and West Germany. If I’m wrong here or misunderstanding I apologize.

      4. If applicable campaign finance reform especially to restrict foreign money. I suspect Germany is way better than America here but if this is a risk please fix as soon as possible.

      5. Consider simulating what would happen if the AfD were to take power almost like the way a pentester tests software. Figure out what vulnerabilities in your government the AfD could exploit and solve them before they take power. This is really important because for Trump you can think of him almost like a hacker except he’s not breaking into computer systems, he’s exploiting vulnerabilities in both humans and our government doing things like declaring fake emergencies.

      Obviously this is by no means a complete list. I’m sure there’s a lot to do.

    • Azal@pawb.socialEnglish
      4·
      6 months ago

      And if you are american: fucking fix your government

      I live in a red state where our last two Attorney Generals used the position as a ladder to go to the senate. The first one on the whole Jan 6 attack ran like a coward after fist pumping to the crowd of rioters. The state loved it so much they elected his clone.

      Some states are just choke holded by a cult. This isn’t a top down thing, no matter how much the President thinks he is. No, down to the grass roots we are fucked to a level that I don’t see how we come back from.

      The worst part, the state I’m in now is an improvement from the last one I escaped.

    • daggermoon@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      6 months ago

      Someone will just make the required tools. You can buy the keys for TSA locks on Amazon. I think we’re past fixing this country. Once the American empire falls, hopefully we’ll fall in line with the rest of the world. Though I’d like for someone to fix this country.

      • BanMe@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        6 months ago

        Slotted spanner would handle this, I’ve got several sizes in my toolbox right now.

  • markovs_gun@lemmy.worldEnglish
    8·
    6 months ago

    This is frustrating but anyone dumb enough to let this be a major hinderance to them working on their own cars deserves to get scammed by the dealership. $30 on a knock off set of these screw heads vs thousands of dollars at the dealership. The main problem with BMW cars is that they’re designed to be difficult to work on even in spite of stuff like this. You have to take the whole car apart to do basic maintenance.

  • blitzen@lemmy.caEnglish
    7·
    6 months ago

    Pardon the circlejerk interruption, and believe me I hate BMW just as much as the next person, but this is just a patent application. Like, if you realize your logo has the potential to be a screw head, why would you not patent it to prevent others from using the design.

    It’s not made it into any cars, and so far as I’ve seen there are no plans. Even if it does I’d think it’d only be used in some customer-facing application; interior maybe, or decorative attachments in the engine like valve covers etc. Slightly asshole that you’d need a different tool, but not exactly the end of the world unless they actively prevented the tool from being made.

    My two cents

      • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        1·
        6 months ago

        Used to be called patent trolling, but now that all the big corporations that own the politicians deciding patent law are doing it, it’s considered “prudent business practice”

        IBM alone files more patents that they’ll never use (except for lawsuits in case someone else does something useful with something similar) in a year than most companies file IN TOTAL for several decades.

    • Warl0k3@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      Yeah the patent doesn’t mention anything about it being a security screw as far as I can tell, it just looks like they patented a dumbass design that’s only useful for the aesthetics and people are making some sensational headlines. Like, yeah, we’d just get or make the bits to undo them - they also know that?

      • RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.worldBanned from communityEnglish
        0·
        6 months ago

        Honestly, it doesn’t look like a dumbass screw to me. Phillips heads are dumbass screws. It is a shit design. This actually looks quite solid as a screw head.

        • Omgpwnies@lemmy.worldEnglish
          0·
          6 months ago

          It will cam out and chowder if you’re not 100% perpendicular to it, I would say it’s actually worse than a phillips screw

          • Warl0k3@lemmy.worldEnglish
            0·
            6 months ago

            … What are you talking about? The design ensures you can’t be anything but perpendicular to it in order to have any positive engagement, and Phillips screws are so notoriously bad about camming out at even ideal angles that it’s been popularly believed that was an intentional design feature (it wasn’t phillips screws just suck) for almost as long as they’ve existed.

    • BakerBagel@midwest.socialEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      They will have the patent on the corresponding driver for the screw, and i doubt they will allow third party shops to purchase the drivers for anything resembling a reasonable price. Meaning that you will be forced to take the car to a BMW authorized mechanic. It’s taking away the consumer’s right to repair.

      • blitzen@lemmy.caEnglish
        01·
        6 months ago

        It’s all conjecture at this point. The patent alone on the screw head I understand, because companies are obligated to protect their logo.

  • F_State@midwest.socialEnglish
    6·
    6 months ago

    There’s the illusion that capitalism breeds innovation but ultimately it’s just that the only gatekeeper to innovation in a Capitalist society is money while in all the attempted socialist societies, workers can be locked out of attempting innovation by party committees.

  • P1k1e@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    6 months ago

    I don’t know anyone who owns a BMW who would even consider working on their own car

  • snoons@lemmy.caEnglish
    3·
    6 months ago

    You know, I think one can drill out a bit in the centre and it’ll work with a flathead.

    Not that I’d buy a bmw, or a car for that matter.

    • Frostbeard@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      I would guess that voids the warranty. After five years I guess they have planned obsolescence and brick the car

    • lettruthout@lemmy.worldEnglish
      01·
      6 months ago

      You‘re onto something there. Another approach would be to use a Dremel tool to grind a narrow slot.

  • atlas@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    2·
    6 months ago

    it is innovation. corporations find innovative way to screw the customer and possibly extract rent from them

  • Digit@lemmy.wtfEnglish
    1·
    6 months ago

    Which companies avowedly still support right to repair?

    I only want to buy from those.

      • Digit@lemmy.wtfEnglish
        1·
        6 months ago

        They do free software now? I thought their software was proprietary. Bad sign for right to repair hardware if not even having right to repair software. And their software facilitates many other proprietary softwares, is my understanding.

        I asked an LLM which computer companies do… and it gave some dodgy answers (admittedly caveated). For example, I know Lenovo are increasingly locking up their thinkpads, preventing right to repair. So take this list with a pinch of scrutiny:

        Here are some companies that sell computers with Linux pre-installed and actively support the right to repair:

        LaptopWithLinux

        Offers laptops with Linux pre-installed and emphasizes the Right to Repair, making replacement parts available for up to five years after release. Customers can also purchase their own RAM and SSD for easy assembly and customization. The warranty remains valid even if you open the laptop yourself laptopwithlinux.com.

        System76

        Known for its Linux-focused laptops and desktops, System76 designs its hardware to be easily repairable and upgradeable. They provide lifetime support and free shipping for repairs during the warranty period techradar.com.

        TUXEDO Computers

        Manufactures Linux laptops and desktops in Germany, offering a 5-year guarantee and lifetime support. Their hardware is designed for easy maintenance and upgrades itsfoss.com.

        Framework

        While not exclusively Linux-focused, Framework is renowned for its modular, user-repairable laptops. They offer Linux compatibility and support, and their design philosophy aligns strongly with the right to repair movement reddit.com.

        ThinkPenguin

        Specializes in computers pre-installed with fully free GNU/Linux distributions and is committed to software freedom and user control. Their products are designed to be repairable and upgradeable linuxpreloaded.com+1.

        Dell and Lenovo

        Both companies occasionally sell laptops and workstations with Ubuntu pre-installed, though their commitment to right to repair varies by model. Some lines, like Dell’s XPS Developer Edition, are popular among Linux users linuxpreloaded.com+1.

        Juno Computers

        Offers a simple lineup of computers shipped with Ubuntu, with branches in the US and UK linuxpreloaded.com.

        Purism (Librem)

        Focuses on privacy and freedom, offering laptops with Linux pre-installed and a strong emphasis on user control and repairability cyberciti.biz.

        Slimbook

        A Spanish vendor shipping notebooks with pre-installed Linux, known for supporting user freedom and repairability cyberciti.biz.

        These companies are recognized for their commitment to both Linux and the right to repair, making them strong choices for users who value openness, customization, and sustainability. Would you like more details on any specific brand or model?

  • RattlerSix@lemmy.worldEnglish
    11·
    6 months ago

    Meh. Every car manufacturer has brand specific tools. A Ford mechanic has tools that a Toyota mechanic doesn’t, and vice versa. This won’t require some special $200 tool, it’ll take a socket or screwdriver bit.