Wheel Changing Problem

_Kaiser_

Bit of a problem...

Ive a puncture in the left front tyre this afternoon (I even know how - I was in Tara earlier and hit a BAD pothole just past a blind corner) but managed to get it home before it completely deflated.

Anyway, jacked it up and undid the locking nut , but no matter how hard I try I can't get the others off (02 Passat with standard alloys). I'm guessing the garage that changed them last (before I got it) must've used one of those pneumatic tools to tighten them.

I do have AA cover, but not the Home Start option (typical.. first time I might need it in 2 years) so I'm about to have a look on their site to see if theres a chargeable callout option?

Unless anyone has any better ideas? Typical thing for a bank holiday weekend!

andrew_ireland

You could try gently tapping the other end of the wheel-brace with a hammer anti-clockwise to get the nut free. It's worked for me on various nuts/bolts. Hope it works out for you!

mike65

I hate those fecking pnumatic guns. Should be banned.

What sort of nut wrench do you have? Can it be extended with a pipe?

One possibility is to apply some brute force using a hammer (the rounded side) give the nuts a very firm thump and try the wrench again.

Mike.

ninty9er

I'm guessing you tried jumping on the brace....otherwise I've no suggestions....they wouldn't be locks by any chance or did the locked one come off handy enough??

_Kaiser_

ninty9er wrote:

I'm guessing you tried jumping on the brace....otherwise I've no suggestions....they wouldn't be locks by any chance or did the locked one come off handy enough??

Yea the locked one was handy enough. It's the other 4 thats the problem.

Tried as much brute force as I can manage myself (don't have a hammer handy) but no joy. Whoever tightened them last really overdid it

Anan1

If you have a way of getting hold of a can of TyreWeld, it might be enough to get you to a tyre shop. That said, TyreWeld will only work if the damage is on the tread, not the sidewall. Another option is to get hold of a tyre pump, which may allow you to get the car far enough from your house (2 miles, I think) to allow you to call the AA without Home Start.

rebel.ranter

Have you got one of those extendable wheel wrenches? I find if you have a longer wrench it is easier to open the nuts.

_Kaiser_

Update on this...

Rang the AA a little while ago to see what they said, and they're sending out someone tonight to the house as a one-off courtesy to sort it

Will let ye know, but hopefully that should be it.

_Kaiser_

Sorted... 10 minute response time too. Will need a new tyre though! Any suggestions where to get them at reasonable prices?

Oh the fella says the gun things (he had one himself) are about €600. Is this an accurate figure? Was literally a 20 second job to get the nuts off with it.

_Kaiser_

Kaiser2000 wrote:

Sorted... 10 minute response time too. Will need a new tyre though! Any suggestions where to get them at reasonable prices?

Oh the fella says the gun things (he had one himself) are about €600. Is this an accurate figure? Was literally a 20 second job to get the nuts off with it.

Actually.. would this do the job:
http://www.aldi.ie/special_buys_monday/product_1512.html

The tax man

Kaiser2000 wrote:

Actually.. would this do the job:
http://www.aldi.ie/special_buys_monday/product_1512.html

I got one of those last time they came out. It worked ONCE. Next time I took it out of the box the motor just spun and never engaged with the mechanism inside to turn the socket spindle. The one time it did work it wasn't that great.
Spend a few extra quid and get a decent one somewhere else.

_Kaiser_

The tax man wrote:

I got one of those last time they came out. It worked ONCE. Next time I took it out of the box the motor just spun and never engaged with the mechanism inside to turn the socket spindle. The one time it did work it wasn't that great.
Spend a few extra quid and get a decent one somewhere else.

Glad I asked here so .. cheers!

Any recommendations then on a brand/where to buy it?

The tax man

I'd say a good wheel brace with an extendible handle would do the job just fine.
They too can be found in Aldi and Lidl at times.
Just had a look at 12v impact wrenches in Radionics and they're €300+ so you can sort of judge what €20 is going get you.:)

Esel

Maybe part of your problem was loosening the lock nut completely? The proper way is to slightly slacken one nut, then do the same with the one diaginally opposite. Same for next pair. Loosening one completely has the effect of making the opposite one harder to loosen. Try it sometime.

Also recommend the extendible brace. Aldi/Lidl do them regularly. Think there is one available at the moment.

BrianD3

Get yourself one of the below with a suitable adapter and socket and you'll never have this problem again.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1-METRE-3-4-drive-BREAKER-KNUCKLE-FLEXI-TOOL-BAR_W0QQitemZ150110504187QQcategoryZ108853QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Esel

BrianD3 wrote:

Get yourself one of the below with a suitable adapter and socket and you'll never have this problem again.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1-METRE-3-4-drive-BREAKER-KNUCKLE-FLEXI-TOOL-BAR_W0QQitemZ150110504187QQcategoryZ108853QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Bit of overkill there? Sure if you have an Artic, but for a regular car? The Aldi/Lidl one should do the job, for €4.99 too.

_Kaiser_

esel wrote:

Bit of overkill there? Sure if you have an Artic, but for a regular car? The Aldi/Lidl one should do the job, for €4.99 too.

Just had a look on both sites now but don't see it?

BrianD3

esel wrote:

Bit of overkill there? Sure if you have an Artic, but for a regular car? The Aldi/Lidl one should do the job, for €4.99 too.

It is overkill but that's not such a bad thing. I have broken a couple of standard wheel braces and saw an extendable one that broke too. All broken while trying to undo wheel bolts on regular cars. Now I carry a 2 foot breaker bar with an impact socket and it makes mincemeat of the tightest wheel bolts. But I do a lot of heavy weight training and a weaker/older person might do better with the 1 metre bar.

Esel

Kaiser2000 wrote:

Just had a look on both sites now but don't see it?

Worth checking in a few stores all the same. It might have been a week or two ago, but they often still have stuff a couple of weeks old. Ask the manager if you don't see it on display, there might be some in the storeroom.

Seth Brundle

Kaiser2000 wrote:

Anyway, jacked it up and undid the locking nut , but no matter how hard I try I can't get the others off

Glad you got it sorted but were you trying to loosen the nuts with the car in the air?

mike65

Indeed very bad idea, always loosen the bolts on the ground then jack up.

Mike.

BostonB

I generally take a wheel off and bring it in the boot to get a tyre fixed. Avoids all the hassle of monkeys putting on wheels badly.

_Kaiser_

Well I have the old one in the boot at the moment so will bring it somewhere tomorrow to get a new tyre fitted. Any suggestions/recommendations? (D15 area or close enough if possible).

BostonB

Kaiser2000 wrote:

Well I have the old one in the boot at the moment so will bring it somewhere tomorrow to get a new tyre fitted. Any suggestions/recommendations? (D15 area or close enough if possible).

tbh I generally ring around and see who has the tyre I want in stock before going anywhere. haven't found much difference between one place and another.

bigkev49-2

Have to agree with BrianD3 above, power bars are definitely the way to go, spare your back too. Took studs of a horsebox that hasnt seen service in about 3 years with ease.

Also always use axle stands and never attempt to loosen studs while the car is in the air. I had a hydraulic jack collapse on me on saturday, €10 axle stands from Aldi took the weight no bother.