Did surgery on my wife's minivan this morning

[Everglades W68]

All to change a light bulb...

She has a Buick Terraza. To change the brake lights / turn signals in the back, you have to use a Torx 25 screwdriver (of course, everyone has one of those things laying around). So I went up to the auto parts store and bought a Torx 25 screwdriver.

The lower bolt is like welded in. Long story short, the torx head of the bolt began to strip out. The bolt is inside a little circular cavity recessed down into the tailight shroud. There is no room to clamp a vice grip on the bolt head.

I ended using a Dremel cutting wheel to cut out the plastic shroud around the Torx bolt. So now the tail light assembly is held in by one Torx bolt and two guideposts. It is still very secure, but now only has one bolt instead of two.

1. Why are these things bolted on so incredibly tight? Of course, I don't want something coming loose - but this is ridiculous.

2. Why does a common maintenance part that is surely going to need to be maintained by the consumer require something specialized like a Torx 25? Phillips or hex heads bolts work fine everywhere else - but not on the taillight shroud?

:rant::rant::work:

[Shodown]

Re: Did surgery on my wife's minivan this morning

I have two sets of torx bits in my tool box and use them quite often. Lots of interior parts and headlights/tailights are held in place by torx head bolts.

[VTJosh]

Re: Did surgery on my wife's minivan this morning

I use torx bits all the time. On a similar note I was having an alignment done on my Silverado when they noticed I had a brake light out and wanted to change it. I'm sitting there they hell no it's just two phillips screws that hold it in, I'll do it myself rather than pay you guys to do it. Well later on went to do it and those goddamn screws were so rusted in there that they started to strip out making such a simple task, take so much longer than needed so I feel your frustration.

[TheGr8Schlotzky]

Re: Did surgery on my wife's minivan this morning

I've always much preferred torq head screws over phillips or flat heads because they generally have much more grab and are less likely to strip out. (Maybe not in your case, that's pretty dumb they were that tight). My entire dash is pretty much held together with torq screws in the Buick, and I'm a big fan.

[Mogobs30th]

Re: Did surgery on my wife's minivan this morning

I've always much preferred torq head screws over phillips or flat heads because they generally have much more grab and are less likely to strip out. (Maybe not in your case, that's pretty dumb they were that tight). My entire dash is pretty much held together with torq screws in the Buick, and I'm a big fan.

This is the exact reason why I don't like them. I can't tell you how man torx drivers I have stripped, as well as torx head screws. If the screws or drivers are in pristine condition, they work well, but the minute there is any flaw in the screw head or driver, they're almost guaranteed to strip. I did it with a T-65 from a brake caliper bolt off a Cutlass or something, not a fun job to do once that was stripped.

Id just prefer a hex head and a 6-pt driver/socket over anything else.

[Everglades W68]

Re: Did surgery on my wife's minivan this morning

If the screws or drivers are in pristine condition, they work well, but the minute there is any flaw in the screw head or driver, they're almost guaranteed to strip.

The head of the stuck torx bolt is odd. It seems to have something down in the hex-shaped opening. The torx screwdriver won't go all the way in and of course, the bolt was put on tight as heck. Well, it will just stay there forever now that it no longer hoilding down the light shroud.

[Mogobs30th]

Re: Did surgery on my wife's minivan this morning

The head of the stuck torx bolt is odd. It seems to have something down in the hex-shaped opening. The torx screwdriver won't go all the way in and of course, the bolt was put on tight as heck. Well, it will just stay there forever now that it no longer hoilding down the light shroud.

OH, you have like a pin or thing right dead center of the torx imprint of the head. That is a security screw. There are special torx drivers made just for those screws, fairly new design, and becoming more commonplace in alot of different things. I have those drivers, but Ive never used them on any car. We use them as a security screw on EM phones at work, or alarm panels, things like that, because those drivers aren't very common yet (though they are gaining popularity).

[T-Mill]

Re: Did surgery on my wife's minivan this morning

I wish that the square drive would be used more than it is... all pocket screws for wood working are square drive and as long as you use the right size driver, it grabs perfectly and doesn't want to pop out like phillips or flat-head...

but otherwise, I'm with Mogobs, a simple hex nut/head with a socket driver is best

[StrtRacer98]

Re: Did surgery on my wife's minivan this morning

IMPACT DRIVER


This is all you need, best investment ever when you work on anything really!







An impact driver is a tool that delivers a strong, sudden rotational and downward force. In conjunction with toughened screwdriver bits and socket sets, they are often used by mechanics to loosen larger screws (bolts) and nuts that are corrosively "frozen" or over-torqued. The direction can also be reversed for situations where screws have to be tightened with torque greater than what a screwdriver can reasonably provide.

[Bonemaro]

Re: Did surgery on my wife's minivan this morning

I gonna pick that up, Matt. That looks like a handy too to have on hand.

[StrtRacer98]

Re: Did surgery on my wife's minivan this morning

Very handy, saved me several times.. With just the tap of a hammer, works wonders!

[Everglades W68]

Re: Did surgery on my wife's minivan this morning

I wonder if Harbor Freight sells that.

[T-Mill]

Re: Did surgery on my wife's minivan this morning

I wonder if Harbor Freight sells that.

I got mine from Lowe's... Harbor freight didn't have it when I looked, but that was a year or two ago... definitely handy

[Bandit127]

Re: Did surgery on my wife's minivan this morning

I have 2 of them, use them ALL the time on school buses since EVERYTHING is held together on a school bus with philips head screws. The fact that they aren't garage kept (which is understandable) really doesnt help anything.