Wheel Balancing Rattle Gun
Submitted: Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 10:57
ThreadID:
25838
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3352
Replies:
10
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Trekkie
In post ID25576 Martyn commented on the attitude of a Tyre business in Norma Road and what he considered excessive costs for fitting tyre sensors. (Also about attidude)
I went to same place this morning to have my 100S
wheels balanced - silly me.
Having read other comments in this
Forum on over tightening, I asked the lady if they could hand tighten the wheel nuts as I have already had to replace one wheel stud due to overtightening and two nuts. Her response was "we dont do that" - I explained the problem of overtightening damaging wheel studs and problems of removing
wheels in the bush.
Reluctantly she checked with (I assume) her partner and told me they would do it by hand for $15 extra - per wheel !! Told me it would take 20 minutes per wheel extra time.
Now this is the place I have purchased 10 Coopers from over the past 3 years. Stupid me I should have learned the last time when I was given a hard time over a Cooper "lug ripping off problem" although they did fix it, my experience was agro.
So I went off to another Tyre place a little furthur down the road. I was greeted with a smile by the employee - the owner came in while I was talking and we had a chat about the wheel nuts and problems in the bush in removing
wheels - He assured me they would hand tighten to the required specifications - pick the car up in 1 hour - NO THEY DONT CHARGE ANY EXTRA FOR THE SMILE OR FOR BEING FRIENDLY OR FOR DOING THE JOB BY HAND.
Reply By: robak (QLD) - Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 11:18
Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 11:18
Great result
Funny how the first place said it'll take 20 min per wheel. That's 1hr 20min just to do the wheel nuts, and the second place could do it all within one hour.
So where is this rubber place where you get a free hand job with a smile.
R.
AnswerID:
126595
Follow Up By: GaryInOz (Vic) - Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 17:45
Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 17:45
The whole job could be done in 10 mins for all 4
wheels!!!!!!!!!!!
"So where is this rubber place where you get a free hand job with a smile."
They probably charge you for it..................
FollowupID:
381228
Reply By: Russel & Mary - Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 11:19
Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 11:19
I've always said a hand job with a smile is worth coming back for. Rus.
AnswerID:
126596
Follow Up By: Member - Karl - Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 11:31
Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 11:31
I agree with that too :-)
FollowupID:
381170
Reply By: Boc1971 - Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 11:31
Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 11:31
An extra 20 min and $15 per wheel ? ARE you serious ?? Perhaps they should employ trained monkeys rather than high school drop outs to fit tyres and rims.
Frank
AnswerID:
126599
Reply By: Alloy c/t - Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 11:36
Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 11:36
So the 1st place is offering a "hand job" for $60 lasting 1hr+20min and the 2nd place a "hand job" for free lasting 1 hr ,, as in the old carry on films 'oohh you are naughty'
AnswerID:
126600
Reply By: garrycol - Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 11:54
Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 11:54
Irrespespective of whether the nuts are done by hand or rattle gun - the nuts should only be torqued to the required spec - that is an obligation all tyre
places should be meeting - my $60 rattle gun that I use at home has 4 torque settings on it so they shouldn't have a problem - setting 2 at 100psi air pressure is about right for most cars.
I think we should start naming such businesses on these forums.
Gazz
AnswerID:
126602
Reply By: Time - Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 12:08
Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 12:08
My local tyre joint (QF Philip ACT) had the junior get out the torque wrench and tighten every nut (after using low torque setting on the rattle gun to wind on all 24 nuts), wasn't asked for, just their normal practice. Also on a set of 4
wheels (Sunnys) and tyres Hankook M/Ts) I saved about $90 over the next best price I had gotten.
Cheers
Time
PS No affiliation with this supplier, just got great price and service
AnswerID:
126603
Reply By: joc45 - Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 12:58
Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 12:58
I thought I heard somewhere that it was illegal to tighten wheel nuts with a rattle gun but ok to undo with one (at least in WA). Must have been mistaken
Gerry
AnswerID:
126615
Follow Up By: Member - Matt Mu (Perth-WA) - Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 13:39
Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 13:39
Joc, I did a stint with Beaurepairs as OJE during my apprenticeship and as policy they would not allow fitters to tighten wheel nuts with the rattle guns.
All nuts had to be hand tighten with a wheel brace before the vehicle drove out. Ive never heard in the industry about it being illegal to use the rattle guns for tightening but I was in the Eastern states...maybe it is a WA thing? Anyone??
It is just good policy and good practice to do it hand tight, what is customer service and satisfaction worth to a franchise but doing apoor job?
Matt.
FollowupID:
381195
Reply By: Footloose - Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 14:22
Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 14:22
Over the years I've tried many tyre
places. From the big name
places to the corner
shop types. I don't ask much, a bit of advice here and there and for them to do what I pay for. I'm not hard to get along with but my conclusion is that in every case they need to up their game.
AnswerID:
126625
Reply By: Brett_B - Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 19:57
Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 at 19:57
And here I was thinking I'm the only guy who has had this problem.
Had the local Tire Power in Pakenham Vic do a rotate and balance while they corrected a flat I had.
4 weeks later while touring the high country I got a flat, (pinched a rock) I broke 2 studs trying to get the wheel off, They had over tightened and damaged the threads.
I tried Brigstone (Pakenham) for my wife's car, they stripped the treads on those, did that cause some pain, I specifically asked they be hand tightened ?
Most of these guys don't work to any standards, it angers me to no think what damage these guys are actually doing out there.
I have found one guy in my area who actually uses a torque device on his rattle guns, and at a time like this I cant remember the company name :-(
B
AnswerID:
126675
Reply By: Member - Collyn R (WA) - Thursday, Aug 25, 2005 at 10:24
Thursday, Aug 25, 2005 at 10:24
On a recent trip across to the east coast via the Tanami, I encountered a Mazda motorhome with a flat front tyre. The occupants had tried for about two hours to undo the presumably rattled-up wheel nuts.
I told them this was no big deal and bought out the OKA's two-metre breaker bar, which I assumed would free them with ease (even with my under 60kg!). Now that's a lot of torque, but even with three people (some 200 kg - approximating 2500 lb/ft torque) pulling that two-metre bar, the nuts would not budge.
I eventually freed them by using a heavy shackle through a hole in the end of the bar - and pulling with OKA's 12,000 lb winch.
The Mazda's wheel studs are huge but one snapped in half! As each of the other nuts were. As each nut was freed it did so with a bang that could literally be heard over km away (one of the party was at that distance).
A very rough estimate showed that it needed at least 5000 lb/ft to free those nuts.
Why don't they break under such tightening effort?
It's because once past adequate holding torque, friction between the facing conical surface absorbs virtually all further tightening effort. (Anyone interested in this - see my paper 'Nuts and Bolts' on my website - even if I say so myself it is fascinating reading).
My own solution to the wheel tightening thing is to insist on doing it myself.
Collyn Rivers
AnswerID:
126767