Argh bloody rattle guns!!!
Argh bloody rattle guns!!!
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Dog Star

Original Poster:

17,583 posts

197 months

Saturday 11th September 2010
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Today I have been changing the front springs on Mrs DS's car (one was broken). That was tedious enough as I had to borry a humungous hydraulic machine as my normal compressors couldn't cope. That was nothing to the other tedium: a couple of weeks ago the front tyres had been changed at home by a certain mobile tyre company (5 letters, starts with E) and while I am very pleased with their service and prices I was less pleased to spend most of the day extracting the 3 broken wheel bolt stubs from the hub mad as they had obviously been mounted with 4 billion nm of torque so when I got my breaker bar and extension pipe yikes on the job they snapped off. Why of why do people do this?

(Yes - if I had been there I'd have asked them not to tighten them at all and done it myself - however I wasn't. Never seen any done that tight before though frown )

Sorry. Very mild rant-ette. Thougt I'd share my misery.

Laurel Green

31,122 posts

261 months

Saturday 11th September 2010
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Some of these mobile chaps also go out to HGV's. Had one replace a wheel on a 7.5 ton'er and he used the same gun/setting as for one of the big-boys. Had to have three of the studs burnt out.

Laurel Green

31,122 posts

261 months

Saturday 11th September 2010
quotequote all
I know folk rubbish Kwik-Fit but, the last time I ventured into one to have a puncture repaired, they used a torque-wrench.

Bricol

140 posts

196 months

Sunday 12th September 2010
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That reminds me - quite a while ago (1990 ish) a mate took his pride and joy to KwikFit for tyres. Job done, nuts spun up with an air gun . . . then they stuck a torque wrench on and funnily enough, it clicked . . .

Being an engineering student he questioned the timing of the use of the torque wrench . . and the fact he now couldn't actually get the sod din nuts undone . . .

Took some explaing to kwikfit fitter that air gun torqued the nuts up well past the recommended value, so no surprise the torque wrench indicated they were tight . . .

Bri

Pigeon

18,535 posts

275 months

Sunday 12th September 2010
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I never let tyre places touch the wheel nuts. I don't take the car in. I always take in just the wheels, even if this means jacking the car up in the road outside and taking the wheels off there.

Jebi

15,169 posts

263 months

Sunday 12th September 2010
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Best to use some copper grease on the bolts too.

Larry Dickman

3,762 posts

247 months

Sunday 12th September 2010
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Jebi said:
Best to use some copper grease on the bolts too.
yes & on the back of the wheel where it meets the hub if it's an alloy.

Edited by Larry Dickman on Sunday 12th September 08:33

edition

987 posts

219 months

Sunday 12th September 2010
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The torque figures change it if copperslip the bolts.... The figures the manufacturer gives are dry values.....

In reality I guess these makes no odds tho.

Mazda Baiter

37,069 posts

217 months

Sunday 12th September 2010
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Pigeon said:
I never let tyre places touch the wheel nuts. I don't take the car in. I always take in just the wheels, even if this means jacking the car up in the road outside and taking the wheels off there.
this.

Dog Star

Original Poster:

17,583 posts

197 months

Sunday 12th September 2010
quotequote all
I always check how they're tightened and recheck the torque when I get home, however this time I wasn't there. I'm assuming he used a gun - if he didn't he has a knackered wrench.

It's occurred to me that it might be a good idea to replace the bolts - who knows how stressed the other ones are....

N Dentressangle

3,453 posts

251 months

Sunday 12th September 2010
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I was glad I checked mine when I got home.

Fitter had decided 140 ft/lbs (190 n/m) of torque was appropriate, rather than the 140 n/m recommended. One stud was nearly stripped. I would never have got them undone at the roadside with the standard wheelbrace.

Even the locking wheelnuts were tightened to over 100 ft/lb. Muppets.

Larry Dickman

3,762 posts

247 months

Sunday 12th September 2010
quotequote all
edition said:
The torque figures change it if copperslip the bolts.... The figures the manufacturer gives are dry values.....

In reality I guess these makes no odds tho.
Double edged sword, corrosion & added friction will effect torque figures as well. smile

davepoth

29,395 posts

228 months

Sunday 12th September 2010
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It'll always be a bit of a variable service with that particular company since they use subcontractors for pretty much every job. The one who did mine was very good.

Mroad

829 posts

244 months

Sunday 12th September 2010
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I would complain to company.
I've used the company you mentioned before and they were extremely professional. When the fitter didn't have the torque figures listed for my car he asked me.
As with most large chain companies it depends on who you get whoever I believe that E***** take customer feedback seriously so have a word.