Why do manufacturers use hex socket (AKA Allen socket) fastners??

No! I absolutely HATE Torx with a passion! If anything is going to shred out irreversibly it's those bloody Torx fasteners! I've had way less grief with Allen heads.

Anyway, on topic, the reason manufacturers like them is because they make assembly quicker and cheaper. The fastener locates positively on the driver bit, as does a Torx, but a generic hex drive is a lot cheaper than the royalties you have to pay for Torx and when you're using literally millions of fasteners it makes a cost difference. It's nothing more than cheapskatery :p
 
Japanese cars are very easy to work on, and if you have specific japanese tools with the notches those are top quality tools.

Hex and torx are mostly on European cars from experience, although I think they are creeping into some European made japanese models, am glad I don't have one otherwise I would need a whole new set of tools!
 
dalin80 said:
Triangles, squares, pentagon, hex, Allen, torx, ribes, splines and male and female versions of all of them. What fun it is to be a mechanic!
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It's just a reason to buy more tools, and any mechanic likes to have a reason to buy more tools.
 
Don't get me started.. This sort of thing boils my proverbial.

This is one of the many reasons I hate vauxhalls with an absolute passion.
Randomly chosen bolt sizes, in a stupidly awkward position on an inaccessible component that has been badly designed in the first place and then put somewhere you can't get at it without removing half the bloody car.

I know what you mean about those VW allen bolts on the crank pulley too. I think they are made of chocolate and sprayed silver!

Japanese cars... Now we are talking, simple, well thought out design and sensible bloody bolt sizes with a normal head.

Except an 07 gearbox drain plug weirdly, that sucker is a 70# Torx WTAF!!!!! Special order off the Snap-On van... Many pennies.

Except today... EGR Delete kit fit, should have been fairly simple..
Removing top aluminium coolant transfer pipe..
Bolt one SNAP
Bolt two SNAP
Bolt three SNAP
Bolt four.. oh it came undone

Undo the EGR pipes off the back of the cylinder head
Easy access bolt one came undone
Easy access bolt two came undone
Easy access bolt three came undone
Really difficult to get any sort of tool on it bolt number four, behind the turbo exhaust pipe...... SNAP

FFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!11111111111onneoneone
 
Jonny69 said:
Anyway, on topic, the reason manufacturers like them is because they make assembly quicker and cheaper. The fastener locates positively on the driver bit, as does a Torx, but a generic hex drive is a lot cheaper than the royalties you have to pay for Torx and when you're using literally millions of fasteners it makes a cost difference. It's nothing more than cheapskatery :p
Click to expand...

This. Fortunately my Saab was built before GM got their hands on it.
 
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