WTF is with tire places over-tightening lug nuts?

[helosailor]

Got them all off without any additional problems (other then 400ft/lbs of torque). On this car they are "lug bolts" instead of lug nuts. When each one finally let go they popped from being so damn tight. Going to call and bitch tomorrow, really pisses me off knowing that I'd have been screwed had I had a flat on the road. It took a 5ft pipe and me standing on it to get them to break loose!

Lug bolts are the worst anyway! My Audi has them and they are a pain in the ass, even when torqued correctly.

[svauto-erotic855]

Years ago I took my GFs Maxima to discount tire for 4 new tires. About 6 weeks later you could not touch the brakes without it shaking the hell out of the car. The lug nuts were soo tight that it warped all 4 rotors and there was not a single corner that did not need at least 1 wheel stud replaced.

[Cobraman]

Years ago I took my GFs Maxima to discount tire for 4 new tires. About 6 weeks later you could not touch the brakes without it shaking the hell out of the car. The lug nuts were soo tight that it warped all 4 rotors and there was not a single corner that did not need at least 1 wheel stud replaced.

We use torque sticks in auto tech class. Some idiots don't and you have to stand on the wrench to get lugs off

[10sec302]

Most shops over-tighten them for 2 reasons.

1. They dont want your rim/tire coming off going down the road which = lawsuit

2. They're too lazy to come back with a torque wrench.



Either way, it sucks and can REALLY piss you off when its time to take them off...

[Justa4Banger]

i find that if you constantly watch over the individual working on your car, those torque wrenches mysteriously appear and become part of the tools used to install your wheels, but if you sit in the lounge, they use impacts all the way.

[SS Junk]

That was one thing I liked about Super Shops (when they were around). We didn't even have impacts, and even if we did, I wouldn't have used them. All lug nuts were final torqued with a torque wrench.

That's what most shops do, however they put the lug nuts on, hit them w/ an impact for 5 seconds and then put the torque wrench on them to ensure they're "to spec..." LOL

[prostock1]

Same problem, but it was Just "shitty" Brakes

I recently put rear struts on a Lexus that had just been to Just Brakes for front and rear pads.....

If you know Lexus, they come factory with wheel locks. I broke the wheel lock key trying to get the lugs off.

I was so fucking mad, I called the owner and let him have it for taking his "Lexus" for cheap ass shitty brakes.

Well, I went ahead and removed all the lugs including the locks. Bought him a new set of wheel locks and explained that had he needed to get the wheels off, he'd been up a creek.

The lugs were so tight, they actually barked when loosening them.

Wheel lugs are meant to be torqued for correct tightness. When you over tighten threads they get stretched further than they should.

[Ratt]

I've sheared a few wheel studs in the past because of Discount tire WAY over-tightening them. They've replaced them all, but I, too, worry about warped rotors because of this issue. Actually, the Mazda dealer in McKinney just replaced one of my rotors for free because their techs tightened the lugs too much when they rotated my tires.

[GE]

I've actually had Discount not tighten them enough. Was washing the Mustang once and noticed that the locking lug nuts were literally finger loose. ugh.

[stephen4785]

I literally fix 2-3 cars a day due to broken studs/ stripped nut from d/tire. Hardly anyone uses an actual torque wrench. Some use torque sticks but no one follows the direction that come with the sticks so that makes them useless(altough I think even if you follow the directions they're still useless).

["MrEd"]

Never had this problem.
I also don't use a torque wrench to undo anything either.

[Cooter]

Never had this problem.
I also don't use a torque wrench to undo anything either.

makes sense. that's a good way to ruin a torque wrench

[lowthreeohz]

makes sense. that's a good way to ruin a torque wrench

lol no shit!

[dville_gt]

Just called Firestone and let the guy know about the situation.

Not looking for a hand out, but would it be unreasonable for me to ask for a credit towards an alignment since I've already dealt with replacing the brakes myself?

[Rreemo]

Hamm's Tire over in Watauga/Keller....my wife stopped in there one day to have a rotate/balance done....they tried to sell her a bunch of shit that wasn't needed, she put them on the phone with me and I straightened the Dude out real quick....he was a dick about it too....said he wouldn't balance the tires would only put them back on and send her on her way....next time I went to pull the wheels off I had to break 5 studs between 3 of the wheels to get them off. Crooked idiots.