phil_focus

My mate came round in his mini cooper s yesturday to change the discs and pads all round. Decided it was probably best to do the hardest first so the back it was. Got them done ok and moved onto the front.

SNAP there goes my T50 bit!

Why the fuck do manufacturers bother with the torx bolts holding the discs on??? My focus doesn't have them, its just an unnecessary ball ache that wastes time (and money by breaking bits)!!

The rears were tight enough but the fronts just were not budging and seen as i didn't have any more bits or time to drill the bolts out we left the fronts for a garage to do. I fucking hate being beaten by cars, especially on a piss easy job such as brakes!!

I'll get the bit replaced FOC but does anyone know of any VERY good 1/2" drive tox bits. preferably strong enough to cope with a breaker bar or impact gun??

Makes me wonder why manufacturers bother with torx bolts at all when down the line you have to spend more on tools that are inherantly weak and repeatidly break.

Any help sourcing some decent stuff for the future is greatly apreciated.

fiestamad

there horrible i had to do 1 so out came my brand new snap on t50 fronts were fine rears bang goes my new t50 then the sanp on man was about to leave and repleaced it in time or i would of had to wait another week

Joshy

i like them as they dont round off, with good tools there not to bad either.

phil_focus

i just don't get why they do it, its not cost effective!!

turns an easy job into a fucking knightmare!!

at least its halfords pro tho so FOC replacement but it was only 3/8" drive and i still managed to break it down to muscle power which suprised me as i don't work out

phil_focus

Joshy, what make torx bits do you have then to make it easy??

jameswrx

What make are you using?

I use torx stuff a lot (especially t50) doing transit front n rear discs.

I use snap on 3/8" drive, decent ones with the gold coloured bits on my snap on 1/2" impact gun and they are the best.

I've tried 1/2" ones, impact ones and snap on ones are only ones I'm yet to break. I have 2xt50's for when one does break as I don't want to be stuck!

mechanic28

iTrader: (5)

the t30 on the vauxhall cambelt tensioners are shit

phil_focus

halfords pro, bought the 150pc box for £85 a few years ago and its still going strong (bar the t50 ) and i give them hell at times!

obviously the torx bits leave a little to be desired.

i'd prefer to stay away from snapon stuff as not being in the trade its gonna be harder for me to a) get hold of them and b)get them replaced.

jameswrx

It's well worth getting the snap on gold coloured ones then mate, they are deffinately the best I've used. All the other bits are just as bad as eachother, as I say I use mine with a 1/2 - 3/8 reducer on my snap on 1/2" gun and they're awesome.

Oranoco

Good old Halfords Pro kit. Mine gets a beating and it's still pretty good. Broken a few bits and the snotty twat in Halfrods triied to tell me they wouldn't honour the lifetime guarantee as I'd abused the piece. Twat how is using it for undoing a nut abuse? It's a set of spanners, I thought it was supposed to be used for undoing nuts. Needless to say I won the arguement and got the piece replaced

phil_focus

Thanks for your input James, looks like i might have to ask the local garage when the snap on man usually comes.

Oranoco, you do get some twats in halfords. i've had more than my fair share of working with and serving them

anyone got any experiances with other makes of torx bits? any home mechanics who abuse their tools?

Mark_

mine are from machine mart, not snapped any yet and had them for about 5years now

cossie4i+

iTrader: (15)

I also have the Halfords Pro and they wont replace mine because i ain't got the reciept

Steve

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Torx bolts are shit.Did you not try and to get them out using a hammer and a punch.

Alan bolts are just the same.

cozzy jeff

iTrader: (4)

i had the same problem,but went to a different halfords and they sorted it for me,mind you i had just bought £50 worth of cleaning products from them.

dangerousbrian

how on earth they can do that is beyond me..as if you can get a halfords stamped tool from anywhere else..they wouldnt give me a trade card because the twat said a windscreen fitter wasnt a 'proper' motor trade!!
they must be trained to be knobs when they get the job

phil_focus

it was getting late in the day, we were hungry and with no spare t50 there was no point in trying shock mothods to losen the bolt and we couldn't be arsed getting the drill out to drill the head of the bolt off so called it a day.

he's gonna get them done at a garage that will give him discount due to where he works. at least they will have some better tools and its not gonna take them long to do anyway.

hate being defeated by cars

phil_focus

training, you actually think halfords staff get trained??

having worked there part time for 4 years the only training i ever recieved was on the new tills when they brought them out and that was all of 10 mins after dragging me off my lunch break the cheeky feckers. was gonna take up most of my lunch break but told the manager he could fuck off he thinks he's getting away with illegally making me work through my lunch. he sheepishly walked off then

if you cant get anything done at one store then try another or just another member of staff. even ask for the manager as some of them fold just for asking for them hahahaha

1.9 xr2 on 40's

i spun the ends on mine from MM when i changed the d/shaft on my leon, they just spun like it was made of cake


borrowed teh fathering laws he had for 20 year sand it was ok after that, undoing forx with mole grips sucks!!! lol

dangerousbrian

......

Fast Guy

I always use on of these on disc screws as I always found they started chewing up if I just used what you'd think was the correct tool. The shock tends to work.

Oranoco

iirc you don't need the receipt as it has Halfords stamped in it.

Quote that they are in direct breach of your rights under "The sale of goods act 1984" and if they don't sort it immediately you will take the matter up with trading standards. You will find the spotty fuck goes white and you get what you want.

saph4be

can't say i ever had a problem with torxs to be honest

Cossy Mike

iTrader: (4)

I used 1/2 drive impact torx bits and never had a problem yet.

Best thing to do is tap the bit into the head with a hammer then put the gun on and it should shock straight off.......

Thay are a worry though!

tabetha

I use std torx bits unless not budging, then it's onto the cryo treated air impact ones, but rarely need to use them.
Halfords refused at first to change a duff tool as I'd "hit it with a hammer", as I fully admitted, even the pillock boss phoned head office to see what they said.
Oddly enough I thought that's what you did with impact drivers like the one pictured above, their reason was "we wouldn't be able to resell it", wtf I said it doesn't work so you shouldn't be selling it anyway.
tabetha

j6kyt

i snappet one of my blue piont ones on a megane, so i ground the fuckers off, i hate french cars.

James

I use snap-on ones but not the gold coloured ones though as i've broken many halfords pro/mac torx bits and as of yet havent broken one.

Disc bolts however, if i'm really stuck a clean smack to the back of the disc usually snaps the head clean off.

gazdon

what twat invented them.

jameswrx

Apart from my snap on gold ones I've got blue point and also some other cheaper ones (might be teng) I also have impact 1/2" from franklin (only 1/2" proper impact ones I could find) the impact one broke on my gun first time I used it and I've broken a few blue point and other cheapos but not these gold snap on ones even though they're not exactly impact lol (don't tell the snap on man )

I don't have loads of snap on gear but what do have is usually there to replace stuff I've broken or for stuff I really need to rely on. Sometimes I'll be in the middle of nowhere dong a transit clutch and wouldn't be without my snap on impact gun and 3/8" impact wobble sockets!

M K

iTrader: (9)

Is that an impact bit driver? one you hit with a hammer and it turns as it impacts?

Thanks
Marc

Si B

iTrader: (59)

Yep, I have one and it's proved handy on my old rusty Ford

phil_focus

thanks for your input guys, i'll have to try the snap on gold ones or i'll try and source some impact ones from somwhere.

think in future i'll give them a swift smack with the lump hammer first aswell.

left hooker

saff drive shafts bolts are torx's rounded two impact bits off undoing the bolts