what is it with tyre places?

Third Opinion

Third Opinion

Third Opinion

Soldato
Joined
3 Jun 2005
Posts
5,365
Location
West Sussex
Had some tyres replaced by ATS a few months back.

Anyway yesterday I got yet another puncture so had to change the wheel.

It should be an easy job but oh no. The muppets had tightened the wheel nuts so much it broke tools.

Yes, 2 x 17mm sockets a long arm bar and eventually my back!!

What is wrong with these places? I have now found out I have herniated a disc bouncing on a meter long extension bar trying to crack the nuts they tightened less than 3 months ago.

In all honesty I am surprised the bolts hadn't crack the alloys with the torque on them.

I have been in agony all night and today have learnt it will go on for some time.

Do they have no guidelines on how to tighten up a wheel?
 
First thing I do after I get back from having new tyres fitted is check the bolts are torqued on properly. Last couple of places (Kwik Fit and a "Black Circles" indy) have been ok but better to find out on your driveway rather than in the pouring rain on the hard shoulder of a motorway.
 
Truly it was unbelievable. I usually use my torque wrench with an impact socket. Needless to say my torque wrench is no more. Then used a rather cruddy extension bar (halfords wheel brace) it broke.

Finally It was a meter long 1/2 bar with a bit of scaffold bar on the end. My neighbour and I (combined weight of about 25 stone) jumping up and down on it cracked the bolts. The second to last one I jarred my back and have been in casualty today. The only slight bit of luck the locking one wasn't as tight.

I mean seriously what the hell did they do them up with? The air guns are generally over used and knackered.

Roadside you would have had no chance. I even phoned them when I had trouble and they refused to help undo them as it would make them liable for any damage, what the hell they did them up!!
 
You shouldn't really use a torque wrench for undoing bolts, partly for the reason you've found as they're more expensive to replace than a breaker bar :p

I agree with you though, if they insist on using impact guns they should use torque limiting sticks and then finish them off with a torque wrench.
 
Had this the other day at a slightly shoddy-looking tyre-fitting garage. Their air gun looked knackered so hopefully won't cause any problems though I've not tried undoing them myself, probably should.

I did however take a covert video of the guy fitting one of them so at the least if I have issues I should be able to squarely place the blame on them..
 
Scottland said:
You shouldn't really use a torque wrench for undoing bolts, partly for the reason you've found as they're more expensive to replace than a breaker bar :p

I agree with you though, if they insist on using impact guns they should use torque limiting sticks and then finish them off with a torque wrench.
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It is an old one(dead now) the reason I use it is particularly long. In theory if they have been torqued up correctly in should have had no trouble as it goes up to 350lbs.

I reckon there was more like 500lbs. Anyway today I will be fitting new discs and pads to it as said earlier in the thread it may well have warped them. Thankfully I bought them a few weeks back and have been to lazy to fit them. Now I probably need too more urgently.
 
Another reason why I always remove and refit my own wheels, and just take loose wheels to get tyres changed.

Only place I ever trusted my mate was the manager and their discipline was to remove wheel nuts with air gun then refit with wheel brace and torque up as per their chart.

Problem being that takes more time and most tyre places are just happy to zip nuts up nice and quick with an air gun rather than go to that trouble.

With there being a vast range of torques for wheel nuts I can agree it's not practical to have an air gun set to the correct torque, which is why torque wrenches exist. Course you've no idea if places keep these calibrated on a regular basis or how well they are informed of changes to the manufacturers torque settings, I know Ford chopped and changed their wheel nut torque values a few years ago before settling on their current figures, plus these differ for same model cars but with different designs of nuts.

Seen quite a few instances too where locking nuts have been over-tightened and then the nut shears or rounds off when you try to get them off :mad:

Bit curious how over-tightening the nuts could cause a disc to warp though?
 
tl45 said:
Bit curious how over-tightening the nuts could cause a disc to warp though?
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Only thing I can think off is uneven pressure of the wheel against them. Not sure if it is feasible but it was due another set as the MOT is due next week and the pads were getting low and the discs had developed a lip.
 
I always try and use shock to loosen stuck bolts although I'm not sure if that is correct or not. In my mind shocking it loose is less likely to cause damage (and more likely to work) than applying more and more torque in an even manner... then again there is a reason that my engineering degree is in electronic engineering rather than mechanical :p
 
tl45 said:
Another reason why I always remove and refit my own wheels, and just take loose wheels to get tyres changed.

Only place I ever trusted my mate was the manager and their discipline was to remove wheel nuts with air gun then refit with wheel brace and torque up as per their chart.

Problem being that takes more time and most tyre places are just happy to zip nuts up nice and quick with an air gun rather than go to that trouble.

With there being a vast range of torques for wheel nuts I can agree it's not practical to have an air gun set to the correct torque, which is why torque wrenches exist. Course you've no idea if places keep these calibrated on a regular basis or how well they are informed of changes to the manufacturers torque settings, I know Ford chopped and changed their wheel nut torque values a few years ago before settling on their current figures, plus these differ for same model cars but with different designs of nuts.

Seen quite a few instances too where locking nuts have been over-tightened and then the nut shears or rounds off when you try to get them off :mad:

Bit curious how over-tightening the nuts could cause a disc to warp though?
Click to expand...


Do you calibrate your torque wrench? The reason i ask is that the ones i use at work, when i calibrate them they hardly move altho thats upto about 20N/m not 130 like my wheels need!
 
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