Wheel nuts not tightened

Irishder

As the title says i got a rear wheel replaced on Friday. Over the weekend i noticed some "knocking" coming from the rear. I took off the hubcap and found the guy who fitted the tire only hand tightened 2 nuts and the other 2 were completely loose. I am furious. How dangerous is this? This is my pregnant wife's car and luckily this weekend she didn't drive far on it. I am going to go in tomorrow and let him know exactly how i feel about this. Anyone ever here about this happening before. Am i "blessed" the wheel didn't come off?

Syllabus

where was it done

Syllabus

most tires places state on the receipt that the nuts should be checked after X amount of miles

maceocc2

Lucky you copped it before the wheel came off.

This does happen, the tyre/wheel place normally recommend people to check the wheel nuts after 100-200km. The guys I use always say it to me. How many KM's did you do on the wheel before you noticed?

Irishder

Was done in Waterford, by a local guy... i.e. not advance or anyone like that

Irishder

50km max done

Compton

You must tighten them again after a drive, this was always the case

Syllabus

Irishder wrote: »

Was done in Waterford, by a local guy... i.e. not advance or anyone like that

accidents happen. go back to him and tell him what happened. most likely he will offer you something if he is any way decent

main thing is no one is hurt

Tigger

When I get tyres I always torque my own nuts but they still remind me to check them in 50 k

Mr Benevolent

Irishder wrote: »

As the title says i got a rear wheel replaced on Friday. Over the weekend i noticed some "knocking" coming from the rear. I took off the hubcap and found the guy who fitted the tire only hand tightened 2 nuts and the other 2 were completely loose. I am furious. How dangerous is this? This is my pregnant wife's car and luckily this weekend she didn't drive far on it. I am going to go in tomorrow and let him know exactly how i feel about this. Anyone ever here about this happening before. Am i "blessed" the wheel didn't come off?

Good practice to check the nuts afterwards, if its your pregnant wife's car then even more reason to check them.

kneemos

Would all four nuts come that loose on their own?

Jimdagym

Confab wrote: »

Good practice to check the nuts afterwards, if its your pregnant wife's car then even more reason to check them.

Exactly. The fact your wife is pregnant puts no different an onus on the job he is doing. Did you not know you were meant to check the wheels?

I recently got new front tyres in an Atlas branch and it was clearly written on the receipt and also mentioned to me to check after 15 miles, which I thought was a nice touch.

dgt

Does the docket not say to check them after x amount of km's....

djimi

Why would you need to check wheel nuts if they were tightened properly in the first place?

Irishder

Nothing mentioned on the receipt, been going to the same place for years and never had this issue before. Didn't know that you were meant to check them after a few miles. Main thing is everyone is ok. I still find it hard to believe the 4 nuts would work there way loose if tightened properly in the first place.

Syllabus

Irishder wrote: »

Nothing mentioned on the receipt, been going to the same place for years and never had this issue before. Didn't know that you were meant to check them after a few miles. Main thing is everyone is ok. I still find it hard to believe the 4 nuts would work there way loose if tightened properly in the first place.

they weren't

go back to him and tell us what happens

ANXIOUS

Happened me last year at a popular tyre place. Three bolts came off and tyre was hanging on. Got a set of alloys out of it. Very dangerous though, I was driving at the time.

mickdw

Imo that requirement to check your wheel nuts after 100km etc is just an insurers get out of jail free clause covering off the majority of claims even where they forgot to tighten the nuts properly.
I can safely say that ive never seen a wheel nut or bolt come loose without some other factor being in play.
I have seen it multiple times where wheel centre was too big for the hub or where wrong bolts were used etc.

kneemos

Jimdagym wrote: »

Exactly. The fact your wife is pregnant puts no different an onus on the job he is doing. Did you not know you were meant to check the wheels?

I recently got new front tyres in an Atlas branch and it was clearly written on the receipt and also mentioned to me to check after 15 miles, which I thought was a nice touch.

Checking wheel nuts after fifteen miles just in case is completely different from having two fingertight and two loose nuts.

Jimdagym

kneemos wrote: »

Checking wheel nuts after fifteen miles just in case is completely different from having two fingertight and two loose nuts.

How so? If op checked they would have found the loose nuts?

kneemos

Jimdagym wrote: »

How so? If op checked they would have found the loose nuts?

He would indeed but the purpose of checking (if it's not just a disclaimer)I'd imagine is to make sure one or two nuts can't be tightened slightly not to check if all four nuts are about to fall off the wheel.

dickwod1

The same thing happened to me years ago,

I bought a Renault Megane from Blanch Renault and the wheel brace kept busting open (spreading wider than the nut) anytime I tried to undo the wheel nuts so I went back time and time again to them to get new wheel braces after the third or fourth time there excuse was that the brace was busting open because the wheel nuts are too tight.

"We'll loosen all the nuts and torque tighten them on and the wheel brace wont burst open" is what I was told - so they done that,

Two days later driving through the Phoenix park and a very loud rumble from the front left - 2 nuts out completely and 2 nuts so loose loose it was just the cap holding the nuts into the wheel.

Needless to say I went mental when I went back to Blanch Renault ... (I wonder why they went out of business!)

Jimdagym

kneemos wrote: »

He would indeed but the purpose of checking (if it's not just a disclaimer)I'd imagine is to make sure one or two nuts can't be tightened slightly not to check if all four nuts are about to fall off the wheel.

Still not seeing your point. They were not that loose at 15 miles.

kneemos

Jimdagym wrote: »

Still not seeing your point. They were not that loose at 15 miles.

The point is the nuts obviously weren't tightened.

ianobrien

OP, wheel nuts can and do loosen. I've had it before twice, once after about 50km after a tyre change and the second was about 10,000km after a service where the wheel was off.

Jimdagym

kneemos wrote: »

The point is the nuts obviously weren't tightened.

And op should have checked.

kneemos

Jimdagym wrote: »

And op should have checked.

The op wasn't told he should have checked.

Jimdagym

kneemos wrote: »

The op wasn't told he should have checked.

The Op must only be driving the last fortnight if he never knew he had to.

djimi

Jimdagym wrote: »

The Op must only be driving the last fortnight if he never knew he had to.

In fairness it would never occur to me to check wheel nuts after having a tire changed; I would just take it as a given that I would get the car back in a safe condition.

Irishder

Jimdagym wrote: »

The Op must only be driving the last fortnight if he never knew he had to.

Driving a lot longer then a fortnight!! I do not accept that if the nuts were tightned properly they could work themselves loose. That just doesn't make sense. In that line of thinking you would need to check them every 15 Miles. What different the second time you tighten them?

visual

Its a cop out pushing the responsibility on car owner to confirm wheel nuts are correctly fitted and torqued to spec

Especially as most owners won't have a torque wrench. Clearly in this case the tyre fitter failed to ensure the news where torqued to spec even if he was using the white knuckles method to check they where tightly fitted.