Ugh wheels tightened by an ape

[DJP]

Swanny87 said:

Tip: If I know they've been tightened with a power tool, I loosen them as soon as I get back and then torque them correctly. Makes it so much easier...

I do this.

Then I know I won't be stuck at the roadside with a puncture.

[Fastdruid]

PhillipM said:

I'll take one torqued against copperslip over one torqued against corrosion any day of the week.

While I grant you harder to undo rather less chance of stretching and potentially snapping/stripping a stud/bolt!

I've honestly never had an issue if they're correctly torqued though. Even when they've not been touched for a good few years.

[CO2000]

Rtaher than bouncing up & down, pulling with all your might etc just aim a decent kick to the end of the bar, this seems to be the best way if you don't have a long pipe to hand

[Wacky Racer]

Podie said:

glasgowrob said:

My tyre fitter annoys the hell out of me

Buzzes the wheels up then walks round making sure his torque wrench clicks on each bolt


Had the cheek To moan about my mechanic buzzing the wheels up "don't know why he can't torque them up properly like us"

Really does make you wonder

Have another:-

[LittleEnus]

I'd rather them too tight than too loose

[Checkmate]

CO2000 said:

Rtaher than bouncing up & down, pulling with all your might etc just aim a decent kick to the end of the bar, this seems to be the best way if you don't have a long pipe to hand

Alternatively, jack the car up to a decent height, wedge any old solid thing you can find lying around underneath the wheel brace, and lower the jack, using the weight of the car to undo the bolt, and not putting your back out in the process. Don't know why you would want to jump around on top of the brace like an excited child on a bouncy castle, or get all Bruce Lee on it, when you can just apply a little logic!!

Edited by Checkmate on Tuesday 26th May 17:30

[budfox]

Here's the thing:

THEY DON'T CARE!

It's not their business, they hate the bosses, and anything they can do to make their tedious day go more easily is fair game. A tyre-fitting monkey does not care, and nor does your average car-driving imbecile. As most people how tight wheel nuts should be and they will say "as tight as possible, I don't want a wheel coming off..."

[Jakg]

I had my clutch changed by a mobile mechanic. I commented on the lack of torque wrench and was met with "I do this all the time, I can feel how tight it is".

I came to undo my lower engine mount and it was so tight I had to use a breaker bar and a 2 ton trolley jack against the weight of the car to crack it free!

[m3jappa]

mat205125 said:

I always make sure to ask what PSI my tyres will be inflated to, and what torque the wrench is set at ........

I ask what they have set the tyres to as well, usually it's wrong and when I say it's meant to be x psi it causes great offence to them. Clowns.

[Impasse]

Jakg said:

I had my clutch changed by a mobile mechanic. I commented on the lack of torque wrench and was met with "I do this all the time, I can feel how tight it is".

I came to undo my lower engine mount and it was so tight I had to use a breaker bar and a 2 ton trolley jack against the weight of the car to crack it free!

I expect that was the exact method he used to do it up previously.

[Ilovejapcrap]

Back street Independent type tyre fitter I I use in Goole always torque correct, even check on a little chart.

[Crafty_]

I know someone who broke their fingers undoing wheel bolts, brace at the 9 o'clock position, firm grip on the handle, bolt released, his fingers headed for the floor with the brace and his effort close behind. We didn't take the mickey at all you understand There are ways of undoing wheel bolts and that isn't one of them!

Might be an old wives tale but I have always been under the impression that over tightening could lead to a stretched bolt and ultimately it shearing off ?

[SuperHangOn]

m3jappa said:

I ask what they have set the tyres to as well, usually it's wrong and when I say it's meant to be x psi it causes great offence to them. Clowns.

Mechanics always seem to take offence at advice (I only do this if I know there is a quirk or trick with the job BTW). I don't get it, I would be well chuffed if someone made my work easier. They can't be expected to know every detail of every job on every model of car. Morons.

[daytona365]

Can't doing them up to this ridiculous extreme fk all the threads up as well ?

[vanordinaire]

I slacken any wheelnuts off but make sure my wife or daughter put them back on themselves. Seems to work, they've never been stuck by the roadside.

[stuart313]

I got a phone call to go and help someone who had a flat because he couldn't get the nuts undone after having new tyres at a back street garage. He had tried to use the factory wrench and managed to damage one of the nuts. We ended up in a tesco car park until about 9PM in winter trying to get the wheel off. We managed to get the others undone eventually but I really thought the spider brace was going to snap, how it stayed in one piece I don't know jumping up and down on it.

The one that was damaged though would not come off no matter what. Luckily we had a range of tools but no amount of drilling or chiselling the nut would free it off, it was quite far inside the alloy though. I stayed until 9PM on a rainy winters night trying to save the wheel but with the last battery going flat we had no option other than to drill round the nut into the alloy and remove it that way.

All because some idiot has not got a clue. A top tip though, use the jack if its suitable for a pivot point for the spider brace, We had a scissor jack with a nice half round groove in the top where the sill sits so the brace fitted in nicely.

Here is a quick video about changing brake pads although he shows you how to get the wheel off first if the nuts are tight.

https://youtu.be/A129SM9S54A

[saaby93]

stuart313 said:

All because some idiot has not got a clue. A top tip though, use the jack if its suitable for a pivot point for the spider brace, We had a scissor jack with a nice half round groove in the top where the sill sits so the brace fitted in nicely.

Here is a quick video about changing brake pads although he shows you how to get the wheel off first if the nuts are tight.

https://youtu.be/A129SM9S54A

using the jack under the brace to hold it level while trying to undo the nuts = top tip
Use a torque wrench if you have one as it's much longer

That guy changed those pads early

[My Evil Twin]

stuart313 said:

https://youtu.be/A129SM9S54A

[Condi]

The boss once pissed off our tyre fitter at work. Come to get the 6ft tractor wheel off and we couldnt budge the fking thing. Even with 2 of us hanging off 9ft extension bar we couldnt shift it. Nobody blamed the fitter, as the boss was without doubt a wker, but a real pain in the arse. Amazing how much torque a windy gun can put on.

[Impasse]

Surprising amount of salad consumption on PH. Which is odd when considering the number of fatties powerfully built types.