Pretty much how I feel about them too.

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Jim

Personally, I don't like fasteners where the engagement surface is on the inside. Unless they're grade 8 or above, they're too easy to strip or break.

I also don't like head bolts. Any race engine I build (non-MB so far) gets studs mounted into the block/head. Every time you torque and untorque a fastener, you weaken the overall clamping power. I can't remember specifically, but by the time you do it 7 times, reliable clamping power has been reduced by like 90% or something. You see, when you screw something in, you're deforming the threads on both the fastener and what you're fastening too. Think bending a wire hanger back & forth.

It's much cheaper/stronger to use a highly hardened stud with a "softer" nut to secure something, because nuts are cheap. Of course, given space limitations, this is not always possible. I think this is why torx has become popular, because it offers the most engagement surface to transfer the torque from your hand/air tool to the fastener, which also allows the fastener to be fastened at a higher torque than say an allen head, for example.

You have to take into account the size of a hex head and the space required for the socket required to manipulate it. Sometimes there's just not enough space.

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A.S.E Tech A1,A6,A7,A8 & MVAC 609 + EPA 608

Unless stated otherwise, any question I ask is about my greymarket 1985 380SEL.

Obviously, none of you people have to deal with these blasted Torx bolts & screws, enough to fully appreciate all of the set backs these damned things create. I work all day with Torx heads, and the son of *****es constantly round out, or cause you to snap off the head of the Torx bit, because though they make torx bolts, nobody has the technology yet to figure out that they need to make the bits out of a harder steel. Even the Snap-On, and Mac bits break off. I hate Torx, Allen head, and most of all those damned funky spline type ones that VW uses all over their cars, including their lug-locks and even the damned head bolts on the engine... WTF!!!!???? Give me good old flat head, Phillips head, and Hex head nuts & bolts any day of the week.

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[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

To make your life miserable. I've dealt with TORX on many european cars. They always manage to either break off the teeth on the socket or round out the bolt. I make habit of replacing them with the apropriate hex bolt whenever possible. 3-square bolts are the only ones that work properly.