[AdditiveIdentity]

Short introduction:
My previous car was a 2023 GR86.
With the 180pc toolset from Autozone (in addition to some power tools and other tools), that gave me what I needed for pretty much 98% of all work I would need to do on that car.
Unfortunately, that car was totaled, and I now have a 2016 BMW 640i.
This is my first BMW, and I’m wondering what tools I should buy in order to work on my BMW myself.
So far the only thing I’ve attempted to do is remove the dashboard in order to install the Bimmerplug apple carplay retrofit box, and that was a huge pain in the aśś because I don’t have any torx sockets, only a torx key set, and it seems like every nut bolt and screw on this car has a torx head.

Specifically the thing that made me make this post, are some stupid fasteners holding the trunk lid liner in place. The gasket around the rearview camera is completely eaten away and id like to replace it, but I am unable to remove the fasteners that hold the trunk lid liner in place. They appear to be a sort of Philips head, but none of my Torx or Philips heads are able to unscrew these fasteners. I’ve attached some pictures of the fasteners below.

[AdditiveIdentity]

Shortly after making this post, I was able to find a Philips head in my computer / electronics toolkit that seemingly fits the head of these fasteners; but it’s still not a very “secure” fit and I’m worried about stripping the heads of the fasteners.

I’d still appreciate any recommendations / advice on tools I should buy if I’m going to be working on this car myself.

[tracer bullet]

Generically speaking there are a lot of places that use torx / etorx.

You may want something like this for example:https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-Extern...35&sr=8-8&th=1

[ppointer]

In addition to torx, I also needed etorx (or external torx). I believe the strut tower braces use them, if I remember correctly. Depends on the model, of course. A good set of plastic pry tools are also helpful.

[Tejas1836]

Originally Posted by AdditiveIdentity

Short introduction:
My previous car was a 2023 GR86.
With the 180pc toolset from Autozone (in addition to some power tools and other tools), that gave me what I needed for pretty much 98% of all work I would need to do on that car.
Unfortunately, that car was totaled, and I now have a 2016 BMW 640i.
This is my first BMW, and I’m wondering what tools I should buy in order to work on my BMW myself.
So far the only thing I’ve attempted to do is remove the dashboard in order to install the Bimmerplug apple carplay retrofit box, and that was a huge pain in the aśś because I don’t have any torx sockets, only a torx key set, and it seems like every nut bolt and screw on this car has a torx head.

Specifically the thing that made me make this post, are some stupid fasteners holding the trunk lid liner in place. The gasket around the rearview camera is completely eaten away and id like to replace it, but I am unable to remove the fasteners that hold the trunk lid liner in place. They appear to be a sort of Philips head, but none of my Torx or Philips heads are able to unscrew these fasteners. I’ve attached some pictures of the fasteners below.

I believe that is a wide cross fastener, might try a square bit if you cannot find a wide cross

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Oh boy that's a big question. Maybe I should just show my toolbox lol.

I started off with like a high piece ratchet set you can get a local store and just started building from there. Of course there's the the other stuff that aren't find in kits you need as well, torque wrenches, hammers, pry bars, extensions, screwdrivers, bits, interior pry tools, etc. So much stuff to list lol.

[Ohio Enthusiast]

Torx and E-Torx set is the biggest differentiator specifically for BMW. Allen sockets up to 14mm in size are also useful for some plugs (diff, transmission, etc.). Make sure your regular socket set (and wrench set) doesn't skip sizes (in shallow and deep sockets), you'll find everything from 6mm to 19mm somewhere on the car. Ratchets, extensions, universal joints, etc. are not any more unique than most car brands and depend on the specific task at hand and how much of the car you can take apart to gain access (meaning get more as the need arises based on DIY guides). Powered socket driver (either gun style or air ratchet style) will speed up undertray removal and reassembly (these are held on with a large number of fasteners).
For the specific fasteners, I would try to pry them with a trim tool (plastic and metal), the cross head might be a red herring.

[StradaRedlands]

What you have is probably a good start. As mentioned, both torx and etorx sets are basically required to work on BMWs. An E10 1/4 swivel is necessary for doing oil filter housing gasket and is useful in other spots. Other than that, you don't really need a ton of other specialty tools. For suspension components I think you go up to 22mm socket and combo wrenches. I don't think any larger, but if so, just buy the tool ahead of time. I highly recommended ratcheting combo wrenches, they're great! Be sure to get some quality torque wrenches, a lot of the fasteners are very specific in their requirements. You'll need a couple different sizes.
Harbor Freight has some pretty good made in China hand tool offerings, check them out when purchasing. I have some of their flex head ratchets and love them! Tekton on Amazon makes really good stuff in Taiwan, and is definitely recommended if you can plan things out and order ahead. You'll need two jack stands and maybe four at some point. Probably a creeper if you want to roll around under the car in comfort! And remember, if a tool seems expensive and unnecessary, just remember what the cost would be to have a mechanic do the job!

[ctcarbonari]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

What you have is probably a good start. As mentioned, both torx and etorx sets are basically required to work on BMWs. An E10 1/4 swivel is necessary for doing oil filter housing gasket and is useful in other spots.
You'll need two jack stands and maybe four at some point. Probably a creeper And remember, if a tool seems expensive and unnecessary, just remember what the cost would be to have a mechanic do the job!

Buying new tools is my favorite part of DIY!!!

+1000 to the E10 1/4 swivel recommendation!

I ended up getting low profile w/ flat top jackstands along with jackpads
Low Profile, Long Reach hydraulic jack (that one never seems to go on sale at HF)

Wheel ramps - I prefer these whenever feasible.

Low end metric torque wrench - I got a digital 0-135 N-m that works great; however, I wouldn't trust it for those torque values (10-) N-m. Valve cover bolts come to mind.

Trim removal & pick set (for those damn electrical connectors)

Spark Plug Socket - 14 mm thinwall, magnetic, w/ swivel (depending upon your engine)

Torx/E-Torx - you can never have too many of these and you'll need the larger sizes as well. I have a set of long torx bits that are usually my go-to unless they end up being too long. They're handy for getting thru tight spaces. Also, the double box ratcheting E-Torx wrenches are nice.

Coolant vacuum purge & fill kit.

Brake fluid pressure bleed kit.

Wheel hangers/guide pins are nice.

Scan Tool capable of reading all BMW modules - this one may seem obvious, but you never know. Using my scantool to put my rear brakes into service mode made a huge difference. Also, you'll want to be able to reset service intervals. Bi-directional for the more serious DIY'er. Getting ISTA up and running should be the long term goal.

A smart battery charger!!!

[stbm5]

what scan tool do you use?

[ctcarbonari]

fwiw, I use BimmerLink & ISTA+

[StradaRedlands]

I can't get ISTA to work, so use Bimmergeek Protool.

[StradaRedlands]

Good info here AdditiveIdentity... you going to stick around?

[qx]

Doing my valve cover I used a Flex Head Crows Foot Line Wrench Set. Wish it came with one large enough for o2 sensor but I'll survive.

[pbonsalb]

I agree with the internal and external torx sets. I would add torque wrenches, 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 that goes to 250. There are also angle torque specs. You can use an angle gauge or pointer for those for now or spend more for digital angle torque wrenches.

A battery impact is great, but opens a can of worms on battery tools. I have Milwaukee but Ryobi is a lot less. Buy a heavy duty 1/2 drive that does at least 400 lbs in reverse.

I started with a regular tool box, then a 4 drawer tool box, then a 26” tool chest to which I later added middle and top boxes, then another set of the same, then three 42” tool chests plus some cabinets, and now I have over 30’ of tool chests and cabinets.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

I started with a regular tool box, then a 4 drawer tool box, then a 26” tool chest to which I later added middle and top boxes, then another set of the same, then three 42” tool chests plus some cabinets, and now I have over 30’ of tool chests and cabinets.

Doing it right!

[wyshyvanuk]

So, RealOEM shows a part# 51488252749 Clip in the trunk of a Six Series. Looks like the correct form but, alas, the wrong color. In any event, that clip may need to be pried out rather than screwed out. It might help to access RealOEM with your VIN to retrieve the actual part number. On second thought, this part actually looks like it has a different indent than your part. Sorry.

[qx]

Some cotton "bbq" gloves under your normal gloves (upsize maybe) can help you grab a hot oil drain plug and help to manage sweat.