wheel nuts

[trosal]

Today i got a call, from me mum saying she has got a flat tyre of her 2005 barina, so i go down to her house to swap it over for her. Bloodyhell(few choice words thrown out), i could not for the life of me could not get the nuts off, and the nut wrench has become slightly misshapen at the nut end. Mum said it had a service last week(holden dealer) and they rotated the tyres. So a call to roadside assist they use there own special torque wrech bar to undo them and he says that is a common problem with dealers there always too tight(as they use the wrattle guns i think). So i called the dealer saying that they can check the rest off the wheel nuts tomorrow morning and they can also pay for a new wheel nut wrench. Its going to be interesting to see what they say when the car is dropped off.

[f1tzy]

I got a set of rims put on my ute about 12mnths ago now and about 6 weeks ago i had to take the front wheels off to do my brake pads. **** me dead no matter how hard i tried i couldn't get them undone. Wheel brace did nothing so i got a pipe and a socket set and still nothing. So i took it back to them they undid all of them and re tightened them. Lo and behold still to ****ing tight. So i drove back again this time with my cordless rattle gun and just told them to loosen all of the wheel nuts and i would do them back up again. Never ever go to the tyre factory

[trosal]

why cant they use the rattle gun up to a point, them manually tighten the rest so the average punter can change the wheel in an emergency.

[Cousin Slow Poke]

a decent rattle gun should have a torque adjustment

[Tom_1569]

There is nothing wrong with using the rattle gun, but you have to use it properly. My mate whos a mechanic showed me how, it takes a little more time then just jamming them up tight with the rattle gun, but its safe and can be undone with a normal wheel brace.
You do them up so the wheel grabs, using the star pattern, then just go round (star pattern still) to they click (on the lower torque setting) on each nut. lower car and do it up with wheel brace, still quicker then doing it with just a wheel brace, and alot safer.
The main problem is that they are fitting wheels all day so they do it as quick as they can, aswell as cheap rattle guns without a torque setting.

[f1tzy]

Originally Posted by trosal

why cant they use the rattle gun up to a point, them manually tighten the rest so the average punter can change the wheel in an emergency.

Thats exactly what i got ****ed about. What happened if i had gotten a flat tyre (was working in the middle of nowhere that week) How was i supposed to undo it. From now on though i just tighten them up myself with my cordless rattle gun still does them up tight as and because its always in my ute i can always undo the nuts

[commsirac]

I just carry a two foot pipe(the only tool I carry these days) that slips over the end of anything and that usually gets anything undone.

If Ive left my car anywhere for work, Ill actually try and loosen them off before paying/driving away, and if I cant with the normal wheel brace....ask them to come out loosen them up and tighten them again by hand.....gives them something to think about.

[Troy711]

ive had the same problem once before. they did the wheels up too tight on my VS ute. i had to use a 3 foot length of 25mm square steel bar to get them undone, and it still split the end of it!

[jas98]

i must have a good tyre dealer then...they do teh nuts up with the rattle gun ..lower car.. then go over then by hand....if anything the nuts are a little loose but never have come off and never had a problem getting then off......if anything its me that over tightens them. and this partucular tyre place is the main place here and has ****loads of people in and out per day

[trosal]

Originally Posted by jas98

i must have a good tyre dealer then...they do teh nuts up with the rattle gun ..lower car.. then go over then by hand....if anything the nuts are a little loose but never have come off and never had a problem getting then off......if anything its me that over tightens them. and this partucular tyre place is the main place here and has ****loads of people in and out per day

tyre dealers know how to do it properly.
all sorted today, got the nuts redone by holden service, and demanded a new wheel brace for damaging it while trying to undo the nuts(recieved it for free), took the flat down to bob janes and got that fixed and the bloke goes "yeah they all seem to just do the one tightness for all car option". while i was there getting mums tyre done i got some prices for tyres for my ve ute $502 for each corner for the original potenzas.