France in Focus

Over the past few decades, it has become increasingly difficult for DIY enthusiasts to repair their own cars, but apparently that is still not enough for some car manufacturers. Despite the European Commission in Brussels singing the praises of the right to self-repair, it seems that this praise does not extend much further than the Ardennes.

BMW recently filed a patent application with the introduction of a completely unique bolt with a special head design. Special tools probably not for sale on the market, only to be used by official BMW dealers. Who knows, perhaps stored in a special safe, carefully guarded at weekends with NATO barbed wire and some trigger-happy personnel.

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This right to repair has been fought tooth and nail and this is clearly a retaliation by BMW in that direction. Not to worry. Someone will send one to China and it will be on Aliexpress within weeks. It is the software diagnostic side of things that will be expensive and difficult to defeat.