In my research for performing an upcoming brake job on a relative's 2020 Subaru Crosstrek, I learned that the front caliper upper bracket bolt can be a challenge because of the accessibility of the bolt, and removal can be difficult if the car sees much snow (rust concerns). I had discovered niche sockets for specific application on Subaru front caliper upper bracket bolts such as the
Snap On RIPLMS19C, and further googling led me to the
Vim BCS819 (pictured) which performs the same job at half the cost of the Snap On. I've heard mostly positive reviews of Vim tools, but personally never owned any. I am not a pro, just a DIY'er on my own cars and friends' and families'.
Using a combination of a
Milwaukee 2563 impact and the Vim socket, I was impressed with how it was able to remove the driver side upper caliper bracket bolt with ease and the fit of the socket was perfect in the unusual space requirements for impacting the upper bracket bolt on Subarus. We moved on to the passenger side bracket and it would not remove the bolt after a couple of seconds of hitting with the impact. We realized the socket shaft no longer had any wobble or movement and was locked up in the position pictured. We ended up using a 19mm XL DBE to complete the removal of the bolt instead.
I hardly ever use universal/wobble impact sockets but have had a set of
Astro Pneumatic 78244 for a couple of years now and have not had any issues in the few times I've used those sockets. I realize this class of socket fulfills specific scenarios and is not necessarily an everyday socket, nor is it the sturdiest for longevity, but I feel single use for the Vim is quite extreme. For now I will give them the benefit of doubt and chalk it up to being a dud socket, but will now have to test their warranty process.
