Bad day at the Wheel shop

IronWolf · 16th May 2008, 19:41

Arrrghhh !! Let me start by saying, yesterday was the most ecstatic I have been about the car. Reason being I got headers done with a Custom Free Flowing Chrome End-Can. (Courtesy Psycho + Vasu Anna.. more on that later on the right section. I was going to start a thread with some pics of the end can and the headers, however was too lazy and tired last night.)

Location 1 - Wheel Balancing + Alignment.
This morning I went to do wheel balancing and alignment for a Sat morning Nandi drive. When the boys tried to remove the wheels they noticed 1 nut not coming out and very tight on the RR wheel. Then the guys on the FR also said the same issue. They said its cause it was tightened across the groove and was not done correctly. Then suddenly even the FL wheel had the same issue however the nut came out cutting the hub nut groove. (not sure for the correct term here). 1 lug nut each on 3 wheels were stuck, screwed in wrong and were cutting the grooves on the car.

Current Situation

FR- 1 stuck but came out
FL- 1 stuck $ not coming out
RR- 1 stuck & not coming out
RL- all 4 nuts came out smoothly - phew

Called up the Shop where I got the Alloys / Tires fitted and he suggested taking it to a Maruti station and that they will know what to do.

Location 2 - Service station.

They said only way was to cut the 2 stuck nuts however that was possible with steel rims and the stock nuts. on the alloys it would damage the alloy, with no space to cut.

He said for the rear wheel he could break the lil Lenso cap and remove the drum from the center nut, however for the front wheel that was not an option.

Other option was to use a Lathe machine and cut the nut straight through.

He said best option was to ask the Installer to do something... if Service station was to do something and it damages the alloy, installer would wash his hands off. Made sense to me!

Location 3 - Alloy Shop.
Drove in.. requested him to remove the wheels. He calls his boys asks who did this job, and tells them to get the nuts out. I should appreciate him not trying to pass the blame off. He accepted the mistake and that was a bit of a relief that I would not have to argue.

When the guy came to remove I asked him where the stout guy was who put the wheels on the last time. He laughed and told the other guy who I was asking about.. Looks like it was tough luck that installation day to get the most incompetent person in the shop.

Anyway.. Front Left nut came off, comes off breaking the hub screw. the guy removing it got scared. I was happy that atleast it came off. I was going to go to Service station to change it anyway.

Right Rear was super stubborn and did not come off even after 30 mins of wacking pulling and pushing. :( I missed taking pic when they were using their biggest hammer on it. Was hoping its not going to affect the suspension/axle / hub whatever else...

The boys gave up and said, break the Lenso center cap, remove the central nut and remove the wheel at the service station. They would try to get a replacement cap (which apparently is not supplied by Lenso to avoid it being used on Fakes). Hope they do get a extra cap!

Back to Service station!
Left the car there to fix the hubs with the damaged grooves and to remove the RR wheel through the central nut. The guy called to say he would try the lathe and it should be okay. (arrghh?????)

I am sorry if I did not make too good sense, as
a) I dont know some of the part names
b) am pissed and annoyed.
C) reasons I cannot even think of now.

Lesson learnt, dont let anyone screw on the wheels without properly monitoring them!

nkapoor777 · 16th May 2008, 19:47

Oh boy! you sure have had a tough day IronWolf. Hope it all gets sorted out at the service station and you also get a spare Lenso center cap.

Nitin · 16th May 2008, 19:57

Tough luck! Thats what happens when someone with no clue about the job,tries to get things done.

I can't see the pics.. Can everyone else see them?

IronWolf · 16th May 2008, 20:25

Tough luck? tell me about it.

Not 1
Not 2
But THREE !!!

If you cannot see the pics let me know. will attach again.. Worked around the attachments to get them inline with text.

By the way forgot to mention.. Thanks to TorqueGuru for being there for moral support and helping me think straight.

im_srini · 16th May 2008, 20:41

Hi IronWolf, my sympathies...

Had the same issue a few months back. The tire shop where I got my tires changed had used a pneumatic wrench to tighten the lug nuts. Seemed pretty cool at that time, seeing the lug-nuts tightened a-la F1 or NASCAR style ! Anyway, a week later, I decided to remove the wheels to clean them thoroughly. Try as I might, I couldn't get the lug-nuts to loosen ! At least one lug-nut in each wheel was too tight for my puny frame to overcome. Liberal use of WD40 didn't seem to help and additional leverage, through the use of a MS pipe, only worsened the problem when the lug-nut wrench's (provided with the car) socket actually broke !

Realized I was beat & threw in the towel at that point & went back to the tire shop. Thankfully they were able to remove all the lug-nuts using their pneumatic wrench. The lug-nuts were then tightened the good old fashioned way - "manually". I'm just glad I wasn't stuck in the middle of the night, on a deserted stretch of road, trying to change a flat & finding that I couldn't loosen the damn lug-nuts

I guess there's a lesson in all of this, ensure your lug-nuts are tight enough for you to loosen them !

HappyWheels · 16th May 2008, 21:32

Bad situation IronWolf!

Faced the same issue when I went to change the tires to tubeless. All but one in the front left wheel refused to come out. It just rotated and rotated!

I hate these kind of surprises! Takes a lot of time to correct and very frustrating!

IronWolf · 16th May 2008, 22:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by im_srini

I guess there's a lesson in all of this, ensure your lug-nuts are tight enough for you to loosen them !

And that they are screwed in straight !!

Torqueguru · 16th May 2008, 22:41

Phew, Ironwolf, that was one nutty day in all sense of the word pal. Lets hope things get better tomorrow onwards

Nikhilb2008 · 16th May 2008, 23:05

Which was the place where this happened ?

spadival · 16th May 2008, 23:15

Your better off with tight nuts rather than loose ones !! Some time back, I had got the wheel balancing done on my car. Couple of days later, while driving, noticed a strange rhythmic sound from the RL wheel.. Just couldnt figure it out and drove straight to the wheel balancing guy, who, fortunately is just round the corner of my house. He was able to turn the nuts with his bare hands ! And to think I had driven the car in the intervening period without any mishap!

PatienceWins · 16th May 2008, 23:53

You had a tough day friend. Thanks for sharing the experience. Would you mind sharing the alloy shop? It would help me to be careful if I ever visit the shop.

I am unable to view the pictures. Please post it again.

You were lucky that the nuts were tight instead of loose for the Nandi drive. All the Best. Please keep us posted.

Post the headers thread as soon as possible. Cant wait!!

theMAG · 17th May 2008, 00:04

When were these wheels/tyres originally fitted?

IronWolf · 17th May 2008, 17:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by theMAG

When were these wheels/tyres originally fitted?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Which was the place where this happened ?

Like I said ..

Quote:

Originally Posted by IronWolf

When the guy came to remove I asked him where the stout guy was who put the wheels on the last time. He laughed and told the other guy who I was asking about.. Looks like it was tough luck that on the installation day I had to get the most incompetent person in the shop.

It was done in the place where 75% of Bangalore T-bhpians had got their job done. - Hercules Tires.

He was quite helpful and mindful that I was from Team-Bhp.

anupmathur · 17th May 2008, 18:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by im_srini

I guess there's a lesson in all of this, ensure your lug-nuts are tight enough for you to loosen them !

Quote:

Originally Posted by IronWolf

And that they are screwed in straight !!

To sum it up, good practice dictates:
1) Nuts MUST be fully screwed in by hand first. This guarantees that there is no cross-threading.
2) Tighten with the provided spanner, according to the maker's instructions. Avoid the use of pneumatic spanners as these are incapable of being set to (& thereafter retaining) a specified torque. Gross overtightening, and undertightening, are both possible.

That means even a simple/routine job like this cannot be left to our 'so called' professionals!

IronWolf · 19th May 2008, 00:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by anupmathur

To sum it up, good practice dictates:
1) Nuts MUST be fully screwed in by hand first. This guarantees that there is no cross-threading.

This is exactly what was not done. I learnt the hard way. The guy at the service station yesterday did exactly this after fixing the messed up hub nuts. While putting the wheel lug nuts screwed in by hand in a cross pattern.

The hub nuts were changed all round just to be on safe side, since they were opening it up anyway. Will post pics shortly.

16th May 2008, 19:41	#1
IronWolf Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Benga-loo-ru Posts: 1,569 Thanked: 45 Times View My Garage	Bad day at the Wheel shop Arrrghhh !! Let me start by saying, yesterday was the most ecstatic I have been about the car. Reason being I got headers done with a Custom Free Flowing Chrome End-Can. (Courtesy Psycho + Vasu Anna.. more on that later on the right section. I was going to start a thread with some pics of the end can and the headers, however was too lazy and tired last night.) Location 1 - Wheel Balancing + Alignment. This morning I went to do wheel balancing and alignment for a Sat morning Nandi drive. When the boys tried to remove the wheels they noticed 1 nut not coming out and very tight on the RR wheel. Then the guys on the FR also said the same issue. They said its cause it was tightened across the groove and was not done correctly. Then suddenly even the FL wheel had the same issue however the nut came out cutting the hub nut groove. (not sure for the correct term here). 1 lug nut each on 3 wheels were stuck, screwed in wrong and were cutting the grooves on the car. Current Situation FR- 1 stuck but came out FL- 1 stuck $ not coming out RR- 1 stuck & not coming out RL- all 4 nuts came out smoothly - phew Called up the Shop where I got the Alloys / Tires fitted and he suggested taking it to a Maruti station and that they will know what to do. Location 2 - Service station. They said only way was to cut the 2 stuck nuts however that was possible with steel rims and the stock nuts. on the alloys it would damage the alloy, with no space to cut. He said for the rear wheel he could break the lil Lenso cap and remove the drum from the center nut, however for the front wheel that was not an option. Other option was to use a Lathe machine and cut the nut straight through. He said best option was to ask the Installer to do something... if Service station was to do something and it damages the alloy, installer would wash his hands off. Made sense to me! Location 3 - Alloy Shop. Drove in.. requested him to remove the wheels. He calls his boys asks who did this job, and tells them to get the nuts out. I should appreciate him not trying to pass the blame off. He accepted the mistake and that was a bit of a relief that I would not have to argue. When the guy came to remove I asked him where the stout guy was who put the wheels on the last time. He laughed and told the other guy who I was asking about.. Looks like it was tough luck that installation day to get the most incompetent person in the shop. Anyway.. Front Left nut came off, comes off breaking the hub screw. the guy removing it got scared. I was happy that atleast it came off. I was going to go to Service station to change it anyway. Right Rear was super stubborn and did not come off even after 30 mins of wacking pulling and pushing. :( I missed taking pic when they were using their biggest hammer on it. Was hoping its not going to affect the suspension/axle / hub whatever else... The boys gave up and said, break the Lenso center cap, remove the central nut and remove the wheel at the service station. They would try to get a replacement cap (which apparently is not supplied by Lenso to avoid it being used on Fakes). Hope they do get a extra cap! Back to Service station! Left the car there to fix the hubs with the damaged grooves and to remove the RR wheel through the central nut. The guy called to say he would try the lathe and it should be okay. (arrghh?????) I am sorry if I did not make too good sense, as a) I dont know some of the part names b) am pissed and annoyed. C) reasons I cannot even think of now. Lesson learnt, dont let anyone screw on the wheels without properly monitoring them!
	() Thanks

16th May 2008, 19:47	#2
nkapoor777 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 608 Thanked: 143 Times	Oh boy! you sure have had a tough day IronWolf. Hope it all gets sorted out at the service station and you also get a spare Lenso center cap.
	() Thanks

16th May 2008, 19:57	#3
Nitin Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 3,294 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	Tough luck! Thats what happens when someone with no clue about the job,tries to get things done. I can't see the pics.. Can everyone else see them?
	() Thanks

16th May 2008, 20:25	#4
IronWolf Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Benga-loo-ru Posts: 1,569 Thanked: 45 Times View My Garage	Tough luck? tell me about it. Not 1 Not 2 But THREE !!! If you cannot see the pics let me know. will attach again.. Worked around the attachments to get them inline with text. By the way forgot to mention.. Thanks to TorqueGuru for being there for moral support and helping me think straight.
	() Thanks

16th May 2008, 20:41	#5
im_srini BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Portland Posts: 1,010 Thanked: 490 Times View My Garage	Hi IronWolf, my sympathies... Had the same issue a few months back. The tire shop where I got my tires changed had used a pneumatic wrench to tighten the lug nuts. Seemed pretty cool at that time, seeing the lug-nuts tightened a-la F1 or NASCAR style ! Anyway, a week later, I decided to remove the wheels to clean them thoroughly. Try as I might, I couldn't get the lug-nuts to loosen ! At least one lug-nut in each wheel was too tight for my puny frame to overcome. Liberal use of WD40 didn't seem to help and additional leverage, through the use of a MS pipe, only worsened the problem when the lug-nut wrench's (provided with the car) socket actually broke ! Realized I was beat & threw in the towel at that point & went back to the tire shop. Thankfully they were able to remove all the lug-nuts using their pneumatic wrench. The lug-nuts were then tightened the good old fashioned way - "manually". I'm just glad I wasn't stuck in the middle of the night, on a deserted stretch of road, trying to change a flat & finding that I couldn't loosen the damn lug-nuts I guess there's a lesson in all of this, ensure your lug-nuts are tight enough for you to loosen them ! Last edited by im_srini : 16th May 2008 at 20:47.
	() Thanks

16th May 2008, 21:32	#6
HappyWheels Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4,106 Thanked: 537 Times	Bad situation IronWolf! Faced the same issue when I went to change the tires to tubeless. All but one in the front left wheel refused to come out. It just rotated and rotated! I hate these kind of surprises! Takes a lot of time to correct and very frustrating!
	() Thanks

16th May 2008, 22:41	#8
Torqueguru BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Seattle Posts: 277 Thanked: 165 Times View My Garage	Phew, Ironwolf, that was one nutty day in all sense of the word pal. Lets hope things get better tomorrow onwards
	() Thanks

16th May 2008, 23:05	#9
Nikhilb2008 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,196 Thanked: 10,138 Times	Which was the place where this happened ?
	() Thanks

16th May 2008, 23:15	#10
spadival Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Melbourne, AU Posts: 1,773 Thanked: 26 Times View My Garage	Your better off with tight nuts rather than loose ones !! Some time back, I had got the wheel balancing done on my car. Couple of days later, while driving, noticed a strange rhythmic sound from the RL wheel.. Just couldnt figure it out and drove straight to the wheel balancing guy, who, fortunately is just round the corner of my house. He was able to turn the nuts with his bare hands ! And to think I had driven the car in the intervening period without any mishap!
	() Thanks

16th May 2008, 23:53	#11
PatienceWins Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,416 Thanked: 807 Times View My Garage	You had a tough day friend. Thanks for sharing the experience. Would you mind sharing the alloy shop? It would help me to be careful if I ever visit the shop. I am unable to view the pictures. Please post it again. You were lucky that the nuts were tight instead of loose for the Nandi drive. All the Best. Please keep us posted. Post the headers thread as soon as possible. Cant wait!!
	() Thanks

17th May 2008, 00:04	#12
theMAG Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Avon, CT Posts: 7,217 Thanked: 1,807 Times View My Garage	When were these wheels/tyres originally fitted?
	() Thanks