Loose wheel nuts! Also: pre flight checks
Discussion
If you intend to fly an aeroplane, you check it very carefully outside and in before you start it up. Most of us, being driving enthusiasts, probably do some routine checks on our cars, but we probably quite often just jump in and go.
Today, I found that someone had carefully loosened all of the wheel studs* on a car that I was about to use for the school run. I had jumped in and gone, and only found out about the wheel studs after setting off, when two studs fell out and I almost lost a wheel. The car passed its MOT Test last week (although the tester does not check wheel stud tightness), and I drove it on a motorway the other day without incident. Either someone did this as an act of malice, or they were preparing to steal the car's wheels, and were interrupted and went away after loosening the studs, but before jacking the car up.
I will put the car in a garage tonight, in case someone has their eye on the wheels.
Anyway, I tell this story to make the point that the pre flight check may be a good idea!
PS: slightly discombobulated by this, and by a fuse that blew as I drove home, knocking out my indicators, I then carelessly left the car parked outside in the street, top down, for two hours with the keys in the ignition! Fortune smiled on me, so the car is now locked, has its top up, and is about to go indoors.
* nuts/bolts, screwy inny tighteny uppy keepy wheely onny things, or something.
Today, I found that someone had carefully loosened all of the wheel studs* on a car that I was about to use for the school run. I had jumped in and gone, and only found out about the wheel studs after setting off, when two studs fell out and I almost lost a wheel. The car passed its MOT Test last week (although the tester does not check wheel stud tightness), and I drove it on a motorway the other day without incident. Either someone did this as an act of malice, or they were preparing to steal the car's wheels, and were interrupted and went away after loosening the studs, but before jacking the car up.
I will put the car in a garage tonight, in case someone has their eye on the wheels.
Anyway, I tell this story to make the point that the pre flight check may be a good idea!
PS: slightly discombobulated by this, and by a fuse that blew as I drove home, knocking out my indicators, I then carelessly left the car parked outside in the street, top down, for two hours with the keys in the ignition! Fortune smiled on me, so the car is now locked, has its top up, and is about to go indoors.
* nuts/bolts, screwy inny tighteny uppy keepy wheely onny things, or something.
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 16th February 10:53
Nasty. You must feel spooked. Have you upset anyone? Sorry silly question you are a lawyer. 
I think you are right in that most people just get in cars and drive until something goes wrong. Not a great idea when you consider the potential disaster.
I will be checking my wheel nuts tomorrow (but unfortunately after a couple of days I'll get bored and stop)
I think you are right in that most people just get in cars and drive until something goes wrong. Not a great idea when you consider the potential disaster.
I will be checking my wheel nuts tomorrow (but unfortunately after a couple of days I'll get bored and stop)
I feel slightly spooked. Maybe a neighbour objects to my succession of old bangers, but it's not that kind of street. I did park in a curtain-twitchy suburb the other day while visiting someone for lunch. Maybe I did the classic PH thread starter thing of daring to park outside someone's house, and paid the price! I hate the 'burbs!
What is more likely, however, is that Johnny Scrote was trying to steal the somewhat rare and interesting wheels, and went off half way through the blag. I have swapped the car for another one that was in my rented lockup garage, that also has rare wheels, but which has been outside unmolested for months. Locking wheel studs on order.
What is more likely, however, is that Johnny Scrote was trying to steal the somewhat rare and interesting wheels, and went off half way through the blag. I have swapped the car for another one that was in my rented lockup garage, that also has rare wheels, but which has been outside unmolested for months. Locking wheel studs on order.
In my case, I might have had a low speed crash while driving in slow traffic on 20 and 30 mph London roads, but I stopped as soon as I felt the wheel wobbling and banging, as two studs had gone. It felt as though someone was hitting the steering column car with a hammer. I may get a red route ticket, but if I do, I will write in and see if I can get off it.
Breadvan72 said:
In my case, I might have had a low speed crash while driving in slow traffic on 20 and 30 mph London roads, but I stopped as soon as I felt the wheel wobbling and banging, as two studs had gone. It felt as though someone was hitting the steering column car with a hammer. I may get a red route ticket, but if I do, I will write in and see if I can get off it.
I'd hope you would do, a genuine emergency et all. A worrying thing to happen I imagine, good post though. A quick check over before the off can never hurt and may well save your life!?
Delightful. At least you caught it before anything major happened. Someone very kindly did the same thing to a car of mine a couple of years ago. Had noticed a rattle from somewhere but just put it down to tired suspension and a rough road. Got it home and planned to look at it the next day. Just glanced at it as I was going in and thought that one of the wheel bolts looked a bit odd. Got the tyre iron out the boot and went to tighten it up and check the others - every wheel on the car had had its bolts slackened off. Not to the same of extent as yours but there was easily a couple of turns there to do them up tight again.
I had similar happen to me, but the scrote was actually after the wheel nuts themselves, (I assume as I clearly had locking wheel nuts on every wheel and the Ford-labelled wheel inserts also went). All I had left on each wheel was one locking nut.
This was on a bog-standard 2001 Ford Mondeo family shed.
But then I did live in a particularly scummy area.
This was on a bog-standard 2001 Ford Mondeo family shed.
But then I did live in a particularly scummy area.
sounds scary keep an eye on it.
have had it happen twice (both in racing cars, once my fault once the teams fault for not checking)
would be much easier to check if we all had these fitted, but then more wheels would end up falling off!
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?um=1&hl=en&...
have had it happen twice (both in racing cars, once my fault once the teams fault for not checking)
would be much easier to check if we all had these fitted, but then more wheels would end up falling off!
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?um=1&hl=en&...
I had a rather scary experience a few years back.
Got a set of new wheels for the Supra and when changing them over I noticed the rears had one of those spacers that bolt to the hub.
So off I go to Toyota to get 10 new studs for the rear hubs.
The day after fitting the new wheels I decided to drive into work (only across town) as my work mates wanted to see it. Got about half way and the rear started to feel very odd. Nursed it into the works carpark only to find the nuts were finger tight!
Walked home at lunch grabbed the locking wheel nut tool (yeah should have left it in the car lol) and did them up again.
The weird thing was it did it again on the way home! Got home only to find they were finger tight again!
In the end I pulled the studs out re-seated them and all appeared well after that, no idea what happend unless I had got grease or something on the studs.
Got a set of new wheels for the Supra and when changing them over I noticed the rears had one of those spacers that bolt to the hub.
So off I go to Toyota to get 10 new studs for the rear hubs.
The day after fitting the new wheels I decided to drive into work (only across town) as my work mates wanted to see it. Got about half way and the rear started to feel very odd. Nursed it into the works carpark only to find the nuts were finger tight!
Walked home at lunch grabbed the locking wheel nut tool (yeah should have left it in the car lol) and did them up again.
The weird thing was it did it again on the way home! Got home only to find they were finger tight again!
In the end I pulled the studs out re-seated them and all appeared well after that, no idea what happend unless I had got grease or something on the studs.
hopefully it was some scrote trying to pinch your wheels, rather than a potentially fatal act of malice (surely a scratch or some paint stripper would have sent the appropriate message). Then again, pinching a set of wheels from a car is not a 5 minute job, and it's not like you can do it inconspicuously, as leaving a car on it's knees or, if they're considerate, up on bricks, an act like that is bound to attract attention.
A few years back I got into the car and drove to work to find someone had pinched the wipers off my car, arms and all!. I didn't notice until I got halfway with that feeling of "somethings not quite right here", until it finally dawned on me. The a
holes nicked the back one as well.
Anyway, thanks for the timely reminder that I should check the car over this afternoon, it's either that or carry on repainting the stair bannister for the umpteenth time.
A few years back I got into the car and drove to work to find someone had pinched the wipers off my car, arms and all!. I didn't notice until I got halfway with that feeling of "somethings not quite right here", until it finally dawned on me. The a
holes nicked the back one as well.Anyway, thanks for the timely reminder that I should check the car over this afternoon, it's either that or carry on repainting the stair bannister for the umpteenth time.
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