If you’re out of the loop with all those 10mm socket memes, here’s why you see them and why people lose them all the time.

There are a couple of well-known facts in the car community, oftentimes funny but with all of them based on a bit of truth. The most popular ones include, but are not limited to, Mustang drivers crashing all the time, Rotary powered cars not making it past 100,00 miles, Miatas are for hair-dressers, and BMW owners never signaling.

Don’t shoot the messenger! But one meme that’s popped up in recent times is this one with people always losing their 10mm sockets.

Here are a couple of memes you’ve probably seen.

It’s always the dang 10mm. Found mine in the engine bay today smh.

I know what you like

According to an impromptu forum poll on Garage Journal with responses I wholeheartedly agree with, when asked what the most common bolt sizes they come across in car repair, the most common cars they work on are Japanese imports with the 8, 10, 12, 13, 17, and 19mm sizes being the most common.

A similar trend goes for European cars with the 10, 13, 15, and 19mm sizes also being the most common bolt sizes when wrenching on cars like BMWs, Mercedes, and Volvos.

And, although American cars were once notorious for using sockets with fractions, companies like GM now use the metric system with the most popular bolt size being 10, 13, and 15mm respectively.

If you ever come across a 10mm bolt, you’ll know that they’re just big enough where they aren’t a nuisance to work on. Once you start getting below 10mm, wrenching and reaching those bolts can be a pain in the ass.

And bolt sizes larger than 10mm like a 17mm and 19mm, you’re usually dealing with suspension work or taking the bolt out of a drain pain to do an oil change.

It seems like the 10mm bolt size is the most common bolt size across most cars so, naturally, you’re going to use the 10mm socket the most. But, since the 10mm socket is so small, if you don’t remember where you place it, this is the socket you’ll most likely lose, hence all the memes.

And if you’re a fan of socket extensions with non-magnetic ends, your chances of losing a 10mm socket go up even more.

So that’s why you see all those 10mm memes. It’s a universal meme that transcends all makes and models and is a meme that every car enthusiast on any level can relate to.

And if you’re wondering, this inside joke isn’t just photos. People made videos, too!

Have you lost a 10mm socket recently? Any tips so you don’t lose them so often? Let me know your .02 in the comments below!

4 COMMENTS

  1. Worked on cars both metric and af, and 1/2” or 13mm I would have initially thought to be the more common. Can’t imagine a car put together with 3/8” bolts! Progress I guess.

  2. Driving down the road the other day I was fortunate enough to notice a wrench on the road. The ” I brake for tools” in me rounded the block and was rewarded with a 10 mm combination wrench.
    Now we are going to see the “l have 99 wrenches shirts”

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