XC90 Wheel came off!

MotteDai

Hey all

This morning while driving down the road the passenger side wheel came off, luckly my wife had noticed rattleing and started pulling in and therefore thankfully she was okay.

We had head a rattle for past few days and had booked it in for a review. Its very odd however that the wheel came off, 3 nuts were missing, 1 nut remained and one sheared off at the head. I had the brake pads changed a few weeks back mid June, but no rattle until late last week. I cant understand how it would last 2-3 weeks if it was not tightened prop by my mechanic...

Any ideas out there?

peasant

You've answered your own question.
Wheel nuts not properly tightened/torqued or maybe even overtightened.

One went, the rest followed slowly

Guy:Incognito

Is it not common practice (I'm almot sure I've seen it on a sign on the wall of any tyre places I've used) to check the wheel nuts after a week or so when they have been off and on the car?

Neilw

Stekelly wrote: »

Is it not common practice (I'm almot sure I've seen it on a sign on the wall of any tyre places I've used) to check the wheel nuts after a week or so when they have been off and on the car?

Usually is yes. But what are the chances of getting people to do that when they won't even check their oil

KamiKazi

MotteDai wrote: »

Hey all
We had head a rattle for past few days and had booked it in for a review.

Well done for acting so promptly :rolleyes:

jimmycrackcorm

Almost happened to me too years ago with a little chicken ax. Worse then was that it only came with three studs to hold the wheel. Wasn't tightened after a tyre change due to two people assuming the other had done so themselves.

Unlike the Op I didn't book an appointment, when I heard the rattle myself I actually stopped the car and examined the wheel.

cjt156

A spokesperson for sanity wrote:

Unlike the Op I didn't book an appointment, when I heard the rattle myself I actually stopped the car and examined the wheel.

But that's madness, you mean you actually checked your own car was safe to drive before proceeding? What is the world coming to?

MotteDai

MotteDai wrote: »

Hey all

This morning while driving down the road the passenger side wheel came off, luckly my wife had noticed rattleing and started pulling in and therefore thankfully she was okay.

We had head a rattle for past few days and had booked it in for a review. Its very odd however that the wheel came off, 3 nuts were missing, 1 nut remained and one sheared off at the head. I had the brake pads changed a few weeks back mid June, but no rattle until late last week. I cant understand how it would last 2-3 weeks if it was not tightened prop by my mechanic...

Any ideas out there?

If one was remaining how did the wheel come off ?

As an aside if you have been hearing a rattle from a wheel and didn't investigate immediately that's a tad looney, however on this occasion no harm done so you can learn from it

CreepingDeath

Stekelly wrote: »

Is it not common practice (I'm almot sure I've seen it on a sign on the wall of any tyre places I've used) to check the wheel nuts after a week or so when they have been off and on the car?

+1

It's a standard disclaimer clause on any receipt I've got from Advance Pitstop.

But still, it sounds like negligence on the part of the garage.

mathepac

+1

Standard operating procedures in decent workshops where road-wheels are removed is to replace the wheel using an air-gun with the car off the ground and then tighten studs / bolts to the correct torque manually (it's not uncommon to hear the mechanic roaring at the apprentice to "give the wheels on that yoke a 'pinch'".

Disclaimers and warning notices in reception areas and on invoices remind customers to check studs / bolts for tightness after about 100kms of driving.

I agree it's extremely bad form by the garage, but where my safety may be at risk I try to avoid assumptions.

Stevie Dakota

I assume you've checked the remaining wheels, a wheel overtaking you is a good cue to do so.

peasant

mathepac wrote: »

+1

Standard operating procedures in decent workshops where road-wheels are removed is to replace the wheel using an air-gun with the car off the ground and then tighten studs / bolts to the correct torque manually (it's not uncommon to hear the mechanic roaring at the apprentice to "give the wheels on that yoke a 'pinch'".

Easiest way to produce a red-faced tyre monkey/ mechanic/ workshop manager is to ask them for the correct torque for your wheel nuts.:D

They usually don't know and wouldn't know where to look it up either

(180 NM in the case of my van)

E39MSport

peasant wrote: »

Easiest way to produce a red-faced tyre monkey/ mechanic/ workshop manager is to ask them for the correct torque for your wheel nuts.:D

They usually don't know and wouldn't know where to look it up either

(180 NM in the case of my van)

nice one !

100 +/- on my 8

mathepac

peasant wrote: »

Easiest way to produce a red-faced tyre monkey/ mechanic/ workshop manager is to ask them for the correct torque for your wheel nuts.:D ...

No dispute, but ye need to be hangin' out in classier places.

MotteDai

RoverJames wrote: »

If one was remaining how did the wheel come off ?

As an aside if you have been hearing a rattle from a wheel and didn't investigate immediately that's a tad looney, however on this occasion no harm done so you can learn from it

Hi Rover, We did investigate, found nothing and put it down to a ball joint or cv joint going. There was no sign of anything getting loose, I agree very happy no real harm was done.

MotteDai

KamiKazi wrote: »

Well done for acting so promptly :rolleyes:

Gave it a check over once we heard it see my comment above. This one caught us well by surprise.

MotteDai

Thanks all for your advice, constructive and other. Its a funney one this as I've had many old cars where noise was always a signal for investigation.

I've had a chat with our mechanic, a good guy, used for over 20 years and trust him. He was happy with what he sent out, also it was 2 weeks about 700ish miles before this so its hard to understand how it could be that. It is logical however to assume but its odd it took so long and happened all at once.

Look we're delighted there was no real damage or no one was hurt thank god.

cml387

This nearly happened me..and it can be a reminder to others.
I changed a wheel,the normal method for me is while the car is on the jack to tighten the nuts to hand tight (you can't safely tighten fully when the car is on the supplied mini-jack) and fully tighten when the wheel is back on the ground.
Guess what I forgot to do?

I heard a rattle after 10 miles and pulled over,checked the wheel,and sheepishly fully tightened the nuts on the wheel I had changed.

Lesson learned.

I've a Rover up the drive at home that I'm not using at the moment, had a wheel off her last Friday and put it back on and threw her back up the drive. I'm 90% certain I didn't tighten the wheel nuts once the wheel was back on the ground, hope to feck I remember to when I start using it again