Do all tyre fitting bays use impact wrenches? Despite having rotated my wheels 3 times without any noticeable adverse effects, using a spider and a torque wrench to retighten, within 2 days and a rain shower of having new tyres fitted recently, most of the chrome wheel nuts were showing rust stains where the chrome has been hammered off.
This in addition to the nuts all being overtightened despite the ostentatious use of a torque wrench - none of the nuts moved as they had already been overtightened with the impact wrench - and the gratuitous addition of a few tool marks to the wheels.
Just getting it off my chest really...
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I have a spare set of steel wheels/tyres which I swop with the alloys then I take them in loose. No damage from tools and my cay takes up no space in the bay so am happy and my car takes up no space in their bay so they are happy.
A lot of faf I know but that's me.
Mal.
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Do you mean rotated. Are you saying that you but a part worn O/S tyre on the N/S so it now rotates in the oposite direction. This went out when radials came in and whilst many do it it actaully increases wear, reverse feathers the tread pattern and can and does reduce grip for several hundred if not a thousand miles. In addition some unidirection tyres can not be places on the opposite side, will fail and MOT and may be judges illegal. Regards Peter
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Thanks for the warning - I follow the recommendations of the handbook to even out wear, generally a good idea with 4wd systems anyway. This does involve changes in direction of rotation but the tyres are non-directional. I've just changed the tyres at 25,000 miles well before they were down to the minimum and I'm happy with that.
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They aren't impact wrenches, just plain air wrenches. Still, they should only do them up on minimum setting and hand torque them, but many don't.
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better to have wheels slightly stratched around the stud holes than bouncing along the road while you weave behind in a shower of sparks.
I have to change the wheels on my company vehicle several times a week each september (they're 6 feet tall) and I long for 3/4 inch drive impact wrench:-(
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Do all tyre fitting bays use impact wrenches?
They shouldn't be using a wrench, they should be using a spanner.
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They shouldn't be using a wrench they should be using a spanner.
A spanner won't fit down the recessed holes of the wheel to fit onto the bolt / nut - a socket is needed.
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Obviously employing dullards at tyre-fitters is a worldwide practice...
I always take my X spanner in and tell them to use it - the air wrench can cause significant damage to your studs, and there is also the danger that they will overtighten, which can cause stress fractures on the alloy wheel.
Not to mention trying to take the blasted studs off, at 11 Pm, in the middle of nowhere, when they are so tight you need the X spanner plus a 4 ft length of fencepost for leverage...
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I find the whole tyre thing so frustrating. People used to say they changed their cars when the ashtrays were full - I'd like to change my car when the tyres wear out, just to avoid having to go to a tyre place.
I searched and took a lot of advice about where to take my Merc for tyres and eventually went to a very well recommended specialist who had the tag line on their website 'we won't damage your alloys' - well they damaged mine. They shrugged and say to get them refurbed, but they weren't refurbed when they went in!
I just had a couple of tyres on my daughters car, and was forced to go to a well know national chain as it's on a maint contract. Steel wheels (thank God0 so no quality issues there (although I notice they've used one long and one short valve - do they do these things on purpose) but the process of examining the tyres, getting authorisation and then changing them took an hour! The manager hummed and harred about being able to fit it in and I was the only person there and 5 other staff are wandering around aimlessly!
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I watched from reception as a tyre fitter put my wheel nuts into the socket on his air gun instead of starting them off on the stud..I refused to pay the bill until I had checked for cross threaded studs.
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I always put the wheel nuts into the socket first, but manually rotate the drive until the thread has caught.
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I always put the wheel nuts into the socket first but manually rotate the drive until the thread has caught.
But how can you be 100% certain it is correctly on the thread ?, and if it is not what then ? surely it can not take that much longer threading them on by hand first .
It is the customers property you are placing at risk and no doubt you have never damaged one yet but there is always a first time for everything.
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It is the same as putting it on by hand for a few threads if you understand what he says.
most experienced people will do this, its possible to the unskilled eye to appear that they may be using the gun (in quiet mode) maybe?
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>>>>>It is the same as putting it on by hand for a few threads if you understand what he says.<<<<<
Yorkiebar, ok not many would, but I am owning up to misreading the post.
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There are good fitters out there!
After 10 years of going through all my local fitters, I found an independant who puts the nuts on by hand, carefully uses a Torque wrench and does throw tyres half way across the workshop.
They even have lady tyre fitters (that may explain why there were so many white van men in there when I last visited).
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Kingfisher
Wise move - years ago on my first Mazda 626 I went to a major tyre chain for a set of tyres and a youth in training put them back on - it wasn't till a few month down line when I came to get them off that I found 2 threads on each side were crossed - to change the studs the hubs had to be removed from drive shaft's -struts-lower suspension -rack etc - and I had to make a hub holder to press centre out before I could even knock old studs out. - not amused
N&S Policy !!! - PU
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This thread has me thinking. I need a couple of new tyres on my Mazda6 fairly soon and wonder if it might be better to have these fitted at my local dealership? Would they be likely to have the necessary equipment for wheel alignment etc, or would they just take it down the road to the nearest tyre specialist?
I don't mind paying a bit more if it will reduce the risk of damage.
Clk Sec
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Unless they have a tyre fitting bay, ( a few do but most don't) they will almost certainly drive it down to the nearest or cheapest tyre place.
No doubt the most junior will take the car (most inexperienced driver) or the fastest man will (most riskiest driver?)
personally I wouldnt let them do it!
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Thanks for your reply, yorkiebar.
Clk Sec
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Just Tyres do not use Air Wrench at all, nor do they use ramps at my local centre. Its all done "by hand" and with jacks.
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