Thanks to the incompetence of my local dealer, the front passenger wheel of my wife's car came loose today. Thankfully she managed to stop before the wheel detached itself fully and the car is now back at the dealership.
Does anyone have any experience of what the likely collateral damage is going to be (bar the new wheel/s) and how to play the situation (knowing that my wife doesn't want to go near it again)?
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"What to look for after a wheel loss"
A wheel.
Sorry...
When were the wheel nuts last touched?
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On Friday when the dealer replaced the front tyres!
Since then the car was parked on the drive with a rather large (but empty) skip less than 6 inches away from the wheel that came loose. As such its clear where the fault occurred and the garage have already tried the vandal approach (they went quiet when I pointed out the above fact)
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What car is it?
I can only think they put the nuts on the wrong way round or not tight enough? :-S
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I had my tyres done at a well known fast-fit tyre centre a few years ago. I noticed that on going above 30 mph I got the most awful shake on the steering wheel, as if the wheels were really badly unbalanced. I stopped, as it happened, at another branch of the same co., and took it in. They found that none of the bolts was done up, and clearly they'd been left finger-tight and not torqued.
Much staring at boots, so I asked for the name of the regional director. Got him on the phone, and he auth'd new tyres, and a cheque for £50 to my favourite charity.
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This is why any work on tyres or wheels includes the instruction for the driver to recheck wheel tightness after 20 miles.
Given the clearcut circumstances, the garage should take responsibility without arguing.
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Normally when wheels come loose the first things to check are the threads on the bolts/studs (also to a lesser degree the threads in the hub/nuts) and also check for signs of enlongation of the bolt holes within the wheel itself. This applies more if the wheel has become completely dettached, often if they have only come loose then you can just tighten them up propery with no real ill effects. Its when they come right off that does the most damage to the components.
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If the car has been run far with a wheel loose it will need new bolts or studs for that wheel. The wheel will have cut into them. Take a look.
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My wife had the tyres changed on her Mitsubishi Galant Estate VR-4 a few months ago. The next time I drove it, there was a faint but definite clonk when starting off. She hadn't noticed it, and on checking the wheels, the left wheel nuts were not tight. The clonk was the alloy wheel shifting on the studs. I didn't take the tyre dealer to task on it, as it was well out of my normal route, and I'd already sorted it. Eventually, I suppose the studs would have been damaged, and maybe the wheel would have fallen off. I'd like to think that even my wife would have noticed the noise before that, as she is a fairly careful driver.
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She was lucky - she could be facing a dangerous vehicle charge - and blaming the garage is no defence (actually last time I was in court was to hear a magistrate explain to one of our (ex) drivers that there is no point pleading not guilty as the wheel had fallen off his vehicle)
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IJ - I think it could depend on the distance driven - in the case I mention above I'd gone 8 miles.
I should have seen the clue though - when I went back to collect the car the invoice was on the roof of the car held down by large socket - fairly shabby I thought at the time.
I now stay and watch the wheels going on.
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"magistrate explain to one of our (ex) drivers that there is no point pleading not guilty as the wheel had fallen off his vehicle"
British Justice at its best eh ?
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This is why any work on tyres or wheels includes the instruction for the driver to recheck wheel tightness after 20 miles.
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Do they? I have never seen this instruction with a car - the last 2 tyres I had changed were a couple of weeks ago, and no such instruction was issued. But the fitter did use s torque wrench on all the nuts so it should be ok!!!!
The only time I see this instruction is on trucks, which are normally 200km or 30minutes of standing, normally opt for the 30minutes as trying to find a torque wrench within 200km of starting off is nearly impossible!!!!!!
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Do they? I have never seen this instruction with a car
Last time I had a couple of tyres changed, it was clearly printed on the bottom of the invoice that wheel bolts / nuts should be rechecked after 50 miles.
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I would just look for another dealer to get the car checked over.
--
L\'escargot.
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A similar thing happened to Mrs T99's Polo in the summer. The independent garage that did the work (we've been customers there for 10 yrs plus) was horrfied, as it was clearly their error.
They gave the car a safety check, replaced the wheel with a new one as the bolt holes 'may' have been damaged, and new bolts too, as the threads may have been damaged.
Couldn't ask for much more really - although it really does show that you should check obvious things yourself.... sad but true...
T99
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Glad to hear there was no serious outcome other than mechanical eek.
In addtion to other suggestions, the alignment & brake system may have sustained, make sure this is vigorously checked & guaranteed by them - try to get a 'bill' or written evidence that they did this in response to their original failing, just in case probelms do arise in the future.
Generally, check all work done (esp. wheels/brakes) asap after it's done - I usually check, if practicable, any work done by dealers/garages/fitters on their premises before leaving - I care not a jot what they think, it's my (or my loved ones) lives.
We're far too trusting or frightened to give 'offence' , imho, in these circumstances - let's face it, if a garage or whatever really resents a level of customer involvement & pro-activeness in those situations, it tells you all you need to know about them. In fact, if customers did check & verify work more often if would ironically be better for the service provider - I'm sure they can be blamed wrongly too.
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Everybody is on bonus to earn a living so its very easy to forget to torque wheel nuts up,i know i failed to do it on my car many years ago.
I think checking all the work over after you have paid to have it done is excessive, my thinking being if you know what you are checking you may as well do it yourself or at the least you have no trust in the workmanship of the garage/tyre bay,if that is so why go there anyway?
most tyre bays have a large poster in deception telling you to recheck your wheel nuts,failing that look in your car handbook.
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most tyre bays have a large poster in deception telling you to recheck your wheel nuts,failing that look in your car handbook.
Which I understand if you are a bargain basement tyre place. The garage in question is a franchise garage where the car went in a service to maintain the warranty. No such poster is on display as it would rather lower the tone of the new car sales area.
Still not heard from them this morning. I'll wait to early afternoon and chase them up.
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My local tyre place has the warning about rechecking the wheel bolts after 50 miles on the bottom of the invoice.
Plus they are more then happy for you to pop back next day & let them recheck them for you with the troque wrench again.
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'I think checking all the work over after you have paid to have it done is excessive, my thinking being if you know what you are checking you may as well do it yourself or at the least you have no trust in the workmanship of the garage/tyre bay,if that is so why go there anyway?'
What I meant was a mainly visual check - to make sure filler caps back on under the bonnet etc, wheels on (and frankly no new scratches or dents). It'll take less than a minute. If a major part has been replaced, I may ask to see the old bit, or at least check a new one has actually been fitted (by looking at it, not checking the invoice!)... This process has a number of benefits:
shows garage that you care and cannot be 'taken for a ride' - at least not easily!
may pick up on simple schoolboy error, and get it put right there and then
may pick up on something more sinister - although never happened to me yet.
Its really just a check similar to the external pre flight check a pilot would do before taking over a plane - any obvious damage? any obvious bulging tyres? ignition lights go on/off etc?
Whole thing takes 60-90 seconds ......
T99
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Considering all the forces applied to a wheel and it's nuts, it's amazing they don't loosen up more often.
What exactly is your interpretation of a near miss though?
1 nut slightly loose? 2 loose? 3 or 4?
I'll be honest and say i've never come across any car losing a wheel due to all four nuts coming off or incorrectly tightened.
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Ref. the above.
Could you be a bit more specific to *exactly* what happend to the wheel and nuts?
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I have been told that two wheel studs were left / worked loose.
Also only 30% of work is quality assured and that the person who did the work is on training all this week. Reading that the other way the garage don't even check all the work of their trainee staff.
I think a conversation with the editor of the local paper may be on the cards for this afternoon.
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