Wheel nearly came off recently bought car
- Thread starter Trixter
- Start date
Has he though? If the dealer gave him a slip of paper or he signed something that he agreed to check the wheel nut torque after x number of miles, I'm not sure he would still have that right or if he did, then the deal would be entitled to charge him for the damage done to the car.
If it turns out the wheel was painted on the rear then fair enough.
It's up to the dealer to fix this. I would expect at least a new wheel and probably some free servicing or warranty extension / renewal. If they try to wriggle out of it then small claims will be your route I'm afraid. Not the first time a dealer has forgotten to check the wheel bolts before giving a car back to the owner, won't the last time either.
Not had that for a long time for either my bike or car. I think it was written on the invoice the first time I had my bike tires changed 7ish years ago but numerous tire changes on the car and bike since and it's never been mentioned.
It's always puzzled me to be honest, if nuts are done to the correct torque then they shouldn't be going anywhere after 5 or 500 miles.
Always been the case and it will say it in yoru car manual as well
Working in the haulage industry its a legal requirement for wheel torque to be checked regularly as they do come loose.
TBH yeah it's bad we all know that BUT I'd be more worried about the rest fo the car now. Cracked tyres on a dealer car is poor, crappy/lose bolts... what else is hiding... for me, you have 14 days or whatever, I'd be taking back and sacking it off, gut feeling is this isn't what it seems to be! BUT that's just me!
BTW, in a newly bought car I've never had a torque wrench with me and made sure they're torqued rofl rofl rofl... BUT general over the folloing week or two I have checked all this stuff but NOT when I've bought the car.
BTW, in a newly bought car I've never had a torque wrench with me and made sure they're torqued rofl rofl rofl... BUT general over the folloing week or two I have checked all this stuff but NOT when I've bought the car.
Not that it's any excuse, but most of these lads are on minimum wage and are probably paid a bonus of 50p per tire change, so the quicker they work the more money they make. Wouldn't expect that at a main dealer though - although it doesn't appear the OP has bought it from a main dealer.
Yikes.
this, take it back. There's little care from the garage
Wheel nuts absolutely do come loose, even if torqued correctly.
They can write whatever they want on a bit of paper, it doesn't absolve them of negligence.
yes but for all they know the OP could have gone straight to the Nürburgring and worked them loose.
its in your own safety to check these things.
OP had done 90 miles since picking it up, he'd be doing well to get the the 'ring unless he lives there.
Well since its legally and scientifically proved that a perfectly torqued wheel can become loose within 25 miles, its very hard for you to prove negligence to the garage. Fair enough if you drive it out of the showroom and the wheel is wobbling around.
So if it says somewhere on the OPs paperwork that he should check the wheels after 25 miles and hes driven 90 miles, he wont have a leg to stand on.
And yet garages and dealers have been fined for this very thing occurring:
https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/news/201...-in-court-after-wheel-fell-off-car-on-the-a11
A correctly torqued wheel does not fall off. Cite your scientific sources please.
Correctly torqued wheels can and do come off, not necessarily due to the torque itself more often it’s down to poor fitting, such as not cleaning mating surfaces, incorrectly tightening the bolts (ie to the right torque but in the wrong sequence) I’d hazard a guess in the op’s case the garage (or whoever fitted the wheel) most likely used an impact wrench and didn’t bother to torque the nuts afterwards, you see this frequently at tyre outfits unfortunately.
Every time I pick my truck up from Scania after it’s had an inspection or service where the wheel(s) have been removed, I find a tag attached to the steering wheel warning me to get the torque checked within 25 miles, more than once it’s needed considerable tightening even though the tag tells me the level the wheel was torqued to.
As for the OP getting anywhere with the garage, good luck I’d suspect, ultimately, as a driver it’s down to you to make sure the car is roadworthy , after 90 miles(presumably of more than one journey) I don’t think you’ll have a leg to stand on.
Correctly torqued wheel nuts are only correctly torqued at the time of fitting.
Studs (and bolts) can stretch under tension, so a wheel nut that was tight can become no longer tight.
I don't need to state any "scientific sources" for that, it's how materials behave.