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DANGEROUS SITUATION!


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Yesterday I was driving to work and I started hearing a very alarming noise and felt my car wobbling. I stopped immediately and got out to check for a flat tire. All was good and even checked my tire pressure. I got back and drove about another two hundred yards to my parking spot and was not amused with the situation. When I parked my car, I then started to inspect my car and after looking at my left rear wheel, I noticed two lug bolts are missing. One was the anti -theft bolt too. So, I grabbed the tire change kit out of the car and jack the left rear yo make sure it would seat against the rotor and then tightened the other three down on the wheel and found them they all where very loose. I then went around the whole car and checked all the bolts and the fronts were tight and the right rear ones were very loose too. I took one of the lug bolts bolts off the right rear and put it on the left rear to secure the left better than what it is. Drove it home after work and ordered two new bolts and I'm waiting for delivery. This same thing happened a few months a go on the left front but no bolts came off. The last person to touch my wheels have been the dealer and I just car my 45K inspection done last month. I can't prove it was their fault but I've videoed them doing crappy maintenance on my car but, that's another story.

Now question is, is there a problem with these style of lug nuts and is there another way to prevent the loosening of them? I have the stock wheels with no spacers. A lot of people who know cars suggest Locktite and I don't thing that would be a good idea. I was thinking anti seize tape but I'm not too sure about that either. Any thoughts on this will definitely be welcomed.

TIA!

:help:

Edited by WARDHOG
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Yesterday I was driving to work and I started hearing a very alarming noise and felt my car wobbling. I stopped immediately and got out to check for a flat tire. All was good and even checked my tire pressure. I got back and drove about another two hundred yards to my parking spot and was not amused with the situation. When I parked my car, I then started to inspect my car and after looking at my left rear wheel, I noticed two lug bolts are missing. One was the anti -theft bolt too. So, I grabbed the tire change kit out of the car and jack the left rear yo make sure it would seat against the rotor and then tightened the other three down on the wheel and found them they all where very loose. I then went around the whole car and checked all the bolts and the fronts were tight and the right rear ones were very loose too. I took one of the lug bolts bolts off the right rear and put it on the left rear to secure the left better than what it is. Drove it home after work and ordered two new bolts and I'm waiting for delivery. This same thing happened a few months a go on the left front but no bolts came off. The last person to touch my wheels have been the dealer and I just car my 45K inspection done last month. I can't prove it was their fault but I've videoed them doing crappy maintenance on my car but, that's another story.

Now question is, is there a problem with these style of lug nuts and is there another way to prevent the loosening of them? I have the stock wheels with no spacers. A lot of people who know cars suggest Locktite and I don't thing that would be a good idea. I was thinking anti seize tape but I'm not too sure about that either. Any thoughts on this will definitely be welcomed.

TIA!

:help:

That is very scary indeed. After reading that even one of your security lock bolts came out totally from one wheel, I am thinking that your dealer probably cross threaded some bolts when they reinstalled your wheels. You should really first thread the bolts with your hand for a bit before using any impact wrench to fully tighten the bolts, as it's easy to cross thread the bolts if you just use the impact wrench from the start. This would explain why the bolts just came clear off while driving. I'd say you're very lucky a wheel didn't totally come off and cause an accident.

I would not use any thread lock application like Loctite on these bolts, but instead, buy a torque wrench at an autoparts store and every once in a while, make sure that the bolts on your wheels are at the factory specified (96 ft. lbs I think) of torque when tightened. They should not come loose like that.

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I then went around the whole car and checked all the bolts and the fronts were tight and the right rear ones were very loose too.

I agree with Loren -- especially since both rear wheels and just the rears had the problem.

Good thing your commute isn't any longer than it is! :drive:

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I can't prove it was their fault but I've videoed them doing crappy maintenance on my car but, that's another story.

how did you videotape the dealer? i always wanted to put a small camera in my car to see what dealer does to it. which dealer do you go to anyways?

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I can't prove it was their fault but I've videoed them doing crappy maintenance on my car but, that's another story.

how did you videotape the dealer? i always wanted to put a small camera in my car to see what dealer does to it. which dealer do you go to anyways?

I just walked upp with my video phone and started shooting the tech using an air impact wrench to bolt on my wheels. I had a rotor warp issue before and the S/M swore and down they only hand tightened the wheel bolts then torque to specs. I proved him wrong and they replaced the rotors and threw in free brake pads after I showed him my video. I was there at the right time.

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Wardhog, I have a good friend that had 2 wheels fall off right after leaving the dealership. They forgot to replace the bolts. So it can happen. He walked back to the dealer and they also got him a free brake job.

I have been using a torque wrench to remove and replace my bolts for years, and do that a couple of times a month. It should be fine as long as you don't set the air gun to a high torque. I always have to do 1/4 to 1/2 turn to get to 96 ftlbs.

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Wheels don't just fall of Porsches (or anything else). There are no special techniques that are needed to prevent it other than don't go back to the same dealer. And the "lot of people who know cars" are idiots. You don't have to Loctite anything. You have to put it together correctly. That's all. Make a list of these "lot of people" and next time they give you automotive advice, ask someone else. Anyone else. Anyone.

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My Father had a '66 3/4 ton Chevy pickup in two tone rust & green. One day a rear tire started losing air on the way to work. He pulled over at a gas station and they fixed it. Shortly thereafter he was back on the highway at 70mph. At some point traffic conditions required that he touch the brakes. There was a worrisome pair of big thumps and then suddenly, still at 60mph, a wheel rolled past him.

He considered for a moment just how very unusual it was to be passed by a rolling tire at 60mph. Then he checked his sideview mirror and sure enough, saw only brake drum behind him.

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