Well I am simply besides myself .

I own an older 2007 R56 S. The car is fun to drive, but one thing really....really makes me angry. Parts parts parts, why in hell is it so hard to get parts for these cars?
I need something as simple as a H8 fog lamp, they are NOwhere to be found. The UK wants 38 dollars for a stock one, oh, you cant seal up the lens assembly without a bulb either, its raining, guess my cars parked until I get one, wtf. Or how about this BS one of a kind oil filter socket wrench you need to do your oil, or the damn Torx head screws, The BS LUG NUTS and after market wheels! I have bought So MANY extra tools because of this car.
When I first bought my R56 I was already set to tune only to have no tuners available. Now after 3 years the parts are still limited.
This problem is not just here in the states, my firends ordered parts from Munich to a local shop in Germany and it took 4 weeks!!!! This was the insulation for the heater piping, you know "hot foot" syndrome.
I understand from BMWs point of view the market domination, but they really F us royally when it comes to fixing our cars.
IF ANYONE has H8s for sale that fit my R56 PM me, looking for stock.

 

AutoZone has Philips H8 for $18 each after rebate. You do not need a special filter wrench, only 27 mm available anywhere. The same for Torx which is needed in all European cars. Hope this helps.

You have a unique car... with unique properties.

 

Yes, Unique
When I say, special, its just because most of us needed to buy it specificly for this. I cant remember the last time I needed a 27mm socket
I guess with my specialized tool selection, it gives me more leverage with the wife to always own a european car.
Unique, thats true. Fun cars, but I pay about the same to maintain my track car. (excluding engine failure)

 

+1
Heck my 77 Jeep had torx bolts on it! And whats this about no tuners?? Youre in washington yes? Heck you have Alta performance and MINI Madness right here in Portland!!

 

I have ALTA parts, I should clarify I mean hardcore parts like heads, bottoms, cams, larger turbos, unlocked ecu, Stuff which I know takes time to build...(right)
I like alta parts, Alta gets a substantial amount of my $,

 

I know Alta offers bigger turbos for sure! They are working on a new unlocked ecu...but I definitely wish there were stroker kits/ awesome cams...

 

What track car do you have? I use my Mini.

I think the worse thing I can say for one with larger hands is that the space to work in can be pretty small. This makes things slower and more painful.

I have a 27 mm, a 36 mm, Torx etc... from owning BMWs for many years. FYI, if you do any work on the suspension, you will also need 18mm.

 

FYI, I needed to get a torx socket to tighten the side mirror on my Toyota Tundra.

Jerry

 

The only real shocker for me was the 12mm reverse torx for the engine mount in the 1st Gen cars. I like to use regular Torx when I do audio installs since most thieves don't carry those and have a pretty complete set of them but the reverse torx was new for me.

 

Never owned a European car before I guess.

 

I needed to buy a Torx set to change an emblem on a mustang. I needed to buy a big torx bit to remove the seat in my F350. The F350 is a diesel made by International and it uses a 36mm socket to change the oil. It is a canister just like MINI. It also needs a 24mm to change the fuel filters. Infact both Fords every nut and bolt is metric. I guess you really don't use tools that often.