Sounds like the D3 setup is as awful as the D2. 
In the D2 case (and presumably D3 also) the reason for the metal screws would seem to be to apply enough pressure to make a watertight seal of the lens/cover against the bodywork.
I suspect any fixing that was easier to remove would probably not give a good enough seal resulting in water ingress. As if we don't have enough issues with that elsewhere! 
When I get round to drilling out the mess on my D2 I'm thinking of a small cavity fixing used in buildings where the fixing is popped through the hole and is then "spread" as the screw is tightened. Some stay in place when the screw is removed (preferable here) and some just fall away.
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2003 D2 FL S8. Irish Green Pearl/Beige. Solar sunroof, auto-dim mirrors, electric rear seat functions and extended leather. Ski hatch retrofit. Aftermarket reversing camera. DVB-T and XCarlink now removed as redundant.
2016 Volvo V40 T5 Cross Country (4WD) with ALL the toys including adaptive cruise etc. etc. Osmium Grey with Blonde/Charcoal leather interior. Polestar performance "optimisation".  (Even rarer than a D2 S8!) Oh, and a brand new engine at just under 30,000 miles on the factory one! 
Finally: gone, but not forgotten.....
1998 D2 PF S8. Agate Grey/Platinum. Every option (I think) except electric rear seats, Tiptronic steering wheel, ski hatch, towbar & dimming door mirrors.
e.g. Cruise control, NavPlus/TV, Bose, GSM, Xenons, Solar roof, Parking sensors, Alcantara/leather everywhere of course.  (internal dimming mirror added later)
1998 (very early) Ford Focus 1.8 Zetec; ABS/TCS, Heated screen/mirrors, Aircon. Added Auto-dim mirror, Leather seats, Trip computer, Cruise control, OEM Ford SatNav with CD changer.
And before that a lot of Rover 800s, a few oddities, a lovely Triumph Dolomite 1850HL with Overdrive and way back in my schooldays an Austin Seven aka Mini 850!
Last edited by HPsauce; 24th July 2016 at 10:27 AM.
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