Changing a tyre - How hard can it be?
Discussion
How difficult is it to change a tyre?
Well if you own a new mini then bloody difficult.
My gf needed her front 2 tyres changing. So she took the car to Kwikfit (yes i know, i told her not too but she did), anyway the issue isn't with them.
They called to say they are having trouble getting a wheel off, it seems that mini have overtightened the wheel nuts, probably by using a gun.
The car was repaired about 18months ago by mini after my gf drove down a collasped man hole cover, the suspension, wheel and tyre needing changing.
The problem is on the same wheel and no work has been done on the car since.
So she takes the car to the mini garage and she asks them if they can loosen the wheel.
"Sorry we can't do that without the log book, you could be anyone" (even though she bought it from them, her details are on their system, and the sales guy recognised her)
Then they say they will price match for the tyre, fair enough. But if they can't get the wheel off then they'll have to use a welder, and that'll be £14 every 5 minutes!!! We get told the job could take over an hour.
We explain that they are the ones that put the wheel on too tight.
We get told they they might over tighten them to prevent them from being stolen or the elements may have fused it blah blah blah
Also, they can't be sure that the wheel has been put on by someone else.
The car has done 18k miles and still on the same front tyres and brake pads. She then gets told that surely they have been changed within that time. No.
"Well, maybe a family member or bf has taken your car and decided to get the tyres / brakes changed?" NO!
The car is 3 years old and my gf bought the service plan from them, so the only garage that's worked on the car is theirs, apart from this time when she asked Kwikfit to change the tyre.
Are we being unreasonable to expect mini to cough up the bill just to take a bloody wheel off?
Well if you own a new mini then bloody difficult.
My gf needed her front 2 tyres changing. So she took the car to Kwikfit (yes i know, i told her not too but she did), anyway the issue isn't with them.
They called to say they are having trouble getting a wheel off, it seems that mini have overtightened the wheel nuts, probably by using a gun.
The car was repaired about 18months ago by mini after my gf drove down a collasped man hole cover, the suspension, wheel and tyre needing changing.
The problem is on the same wheel and no work has been done on the car since.
So she takes the car to the mini garage and she asks them if they can loosen the wheel.
"Sorry we can't do that without the log book, you could be anyone" (even though she bought it from them, her details are on their system, and the sales guy recognised her)
Then they say they will price match for the tyre, fair enough. But if they can't get the wheel off then they'll have to use a welder, and that'll be £14 every 5 minutes!!! We get told the job could take over an hour.
We explain that they are the ones that put the wheel on too tight.
We get told they they might over tighten them to prevent them from being stolen or the elements may have fused it blah blah blah
Also, they can't be sure that the wheel has been put on by someone else.
The car has done 18k miles and still on the same front tyres and brake pads. She then gets told that surely they have been changed within that time. No.
"Well, maybe a family member or bf has taken your car and decided to get the tyres / brakes changed?" NO!
The car is 3 years old and my gf bought the service plan from them, so the only garage that's worked on the car is theirs, apart from this time when she asked Kwikfit to change the tyre.
Are we being unreasonable to expect mini to cough up the bill just to take a bloody wheel off?
I do see the dealers point of view here. As much as the truth may be that the wheel has never been off, it is quite silly to expect them to just offer their services for free after such a lengthy period of time and mileage on your word that they were the last people to tighten the bolts.
Saying that though, I still don't see how a bolt could be so tight that you couldnt undo it with normal tools. Even if it has been air gunned on, a big enough breaker bar and a bit of leverage will do the job, either that or snap the bolt or break the socket.
This is probably the real reason no one will touch it without making you pay for it. If the bolt brakes, it could result in a new hub & bearing along with anything else they have to forcibly remove.
Keep at it if you want but at the end of the day, you could pop down to halfords, get some penetrating lube, a 3ft breaker bar and a 19mm deep walled socket and so it yourself.
Saying that though, I still don't see how a bolt could be so tight that you couldnt undo it with normal tools. Even if it has been air gunned on, a big enough breaker bar and a bit of leverage will do the job, either that or snap the bolt or break the socket.
This is probably the real reason no one will touch it without making you pay for it. If the bolt brakes, it could result in a new hub & bearing along with anything else they have to forcibly remove.
Keep at it if you want but at the end of the day, you could pop down to halfords, get some penetrating lube, a 3ft breaker bar and a 19mm deep walled socket and so it yourself.
Deluded said:
you could pop down to halfords, get some penetrating lube, a 3ft breaker bar and a 19mm deep walled socket and so it yourself.
3ft??? My neighbour had a similar problem with a flat. The nuts on the shogun had been put on tight to the point of obscenity. It took our best bar, and a 7ft scaffold pole to get them cracked, claiming our best spider in the process. Whatever dips
t put them on with the impact needs slapped!ohtari said:
3ft??? My neighbour had a similar problem with a flat. The nuts on the shogun had been put on tight to the point of obscenity. It took our best bar, and a 7ft scaffold pole to get them cracked, claiming our best spider in the process. Whatever dipst put them on with the impact needs slapped!
t put them on with the impact needs slapped!
I dont think they sell much bigger than a 3ft. But still, 3ft, then get some scafold and slide it over the breaker. Will sort it one way or another.
This reminds me of the Wheels-in-Motion 'Horror of the Week' section on their forum. Read about this Mercedes wheel which gave problems. I've been nervous about jumping up and down with a breaker bar ever since!
We had a Mercedes in to replace a tyre but thanks to some plank working for a major chain the wheel studs were locked solid. The owner was warned if we use a cracking bar and the stud snaps then a unlimited labour fee will incur because of the stud length and the wheel design, and it snapped!!
Since only the studs head snapped this left 25mm of stud available to use a stud extractor...... The extractor snapped
Next option was to drill a hole into the stud and use an "easy-out" extractor..... yep that snapped.
So we now have a countersunk snapped stud with a toughened "snapped" easy-out in it's core.... so now what.
I decided to see how big a problem we really have by attempting to release the remaining studs, and they all twisted ready to snap.
Next thought was to drill the base of the stud to weaken it
To no avail
It was agreed the only way to remove the wheel was going to be terminal for the rim so with a little searching we found a set of patten rims that would be cheaper than replacing the single OEM rim.
With the owner fully understanding this rim has to come off we went in on a mission.
First up we'll cut it off.....
This failed due to the alloy dissipating the heat
Next option was to grind between the spokes in order to weaken them
But the spokes were to deep for the grinder so next thought was to "melt" the remaining studs and hammer the wheel off.
Problem was by the time number five stud was hot number one stud had solidified..... I despair....
Finally with much heating, cutting hammering, heating, cutting hammering, heating, cutting hammering, the dish was finally removed
I think the rim was in submission
Now we had purchase between the rim and the hub some careful levering finally removed the remaining rim
This ultimately exposed the studs that were now finger tight
All this because an airgun was used to tighten the studs!!!
Fact is for me is that we lost out big time with this job, we gave a honest opinion of labour fees and agreed a fixed price but never did i think it would take two staff six hours to remove one wheel.
The reason for two staff in case you wonder is one is "spanners on" and one is on safety/ fire watch.
We had a Mercedes in to replace a tyre but thanks to some plank working for a major chain the wheel studs were locked solid. The owner was warned if we use a cracking bar and the stud snaps then a unlimited labour fee will incur because of the stud length and the wheel design, and it snapped!!
Since only the studs head snapped this left 25mm of stud available to use a stud extractor...... The extractor snapped
Next option was to drill a hole into the stud and use an "easy-out" extractor..... yep that snapped.
So we now have a countersunk snapped stud with a toughened "snapped" easy-out in it's core.... so now what.
I decided to see how big a problem we really have by attempting to release the remaining studs, and they all twisted ready to snap.
Next thought was to drill the base of the stud to weaken it
To no avail
It was agreed the only way to remove the wheel was going to be terminal for the rim so with a little searching we found a set of patten rims that would be cheaper than replacing the single OEM rim.
With the owner fully understanding this rim has to come off we went in on a mission.
First up we'll cut it off.....
This failed due to the alloy dissipating the heat
Next option was to grind between the spokes in order to weaken them
But the spokes were to deep for the grinder so next thought was to "melt" the remaining studs and hammer the wheel off.
Problem was by the time number five stud was hot number one stud had solidified..... I despair....
Finally with much heating, cutting hammering, heating, cutting hammering, heating, cutting hammering, the dish was finally removed
I think the rim was in submission
Now we had purchase between the rim and the hub some careful levering finally removed the remaining rim
This ultimately exposed the studs that were now finger tight
All this because an airgun was used to tighten the studs!!!
Fact is for me is that we lost out big time with this job, we gave a honest opinion of labour fees and agreed a fixed price but never did i think it would take two staff six hours to remove one wheel.
The reason for two staff in case you wonder is one is "spanners on" and one is on safety/ fire watch.
doogz said:
wolfy1988 said:
Hmmm I understand the logic behind that.
However, I know for a fact MB techs do this with no problems.
Greasing the mounting face reduces the frictional coefficient, reducing the clamping force provided.However, I know for a fact MB techs do this with no problems.
Nothing to do with the OP, just sick of the internet/mechanics telling people to grease up their hubs like it's either useful or best practice.
That said, annecdotal evidence seems to suggest very few deaths as a result.
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