P38A 3 wheels on my wagon...!

Jon Dor · Feb 13, 2020

A week ago, I got a local tyres and exhaust specialist to swap front wheels to rear as front tyres were wearing unevenly. On Tuesday night I felt that something was distinctly wrong. I braked gently, whereupon the front nearside wheel fell off the hub! Fortunately, I was only travelling at a running pace as I was slowing down to enter a petrol station. To my horror, all five wheel nuts were missing! I walked back along the road and found two of the missing nuts within about 50mts of the P38's resting place. The man from Green Flag duly arrived, jacked up the front nearside and removed one wheel nut from the other three wheels. Only one of the two wheel nuts I retrieved had a useable thread, so I headed home with all "four wheels on my wagon", but with only 16/20 wheel nuts! I consider myself very fortunate as a week ago I drove 655 miles in a day towing a 16' trailer with 2tonnes of marine engines for 100+ of those miles. Off to see the manager of the national company who rotated my tyres for me this afternoon....

myfirstl322 · Feb 13, 2020

Criminal!

Shimsteriom · Feb 13, 2020

Have you been driving it much between having the tyres rotated and the wheel making a bid for freedom?

myfirstl322 · Feb 13, 2020

They will cite the 30 mile rule anyway.

Datatek · Feb 13, 2020

Criminal negligence, happened on one of my company cars, wrote the car off and cost the garage a lot of money.

kermit_rr · Feb 13, 2020

myfirstl322 said:
They will cite the 30 mile rule anyway.

This is a new one to me

Presumably overtightened and sheered the threads. Most garages like to use an air gun to put wheel nuts on. I recall not so long ago needing a 3 foot breaker bar to undo wheel nuts on a car

Datatek · Feb 13, 2020

kermit_rr said:
This is a new one to me

Presumably overtightened and sheered the threads. Most garages like to use an air gun to put wheel nuts on. I recall not so long ago needing a 3 foot breaker bar to undo wheel nuts on a car

Failing to tighten is the problem in my experience.

myfirstl322 · Feb 13, 2020

kermit_rr said:
This is a new one to me

Presumably overtightened and sheered the threads. Most garages like to use an air gun to put wheel nuts on. I recall not so long ago needing a 3 foot breaker bar to undo wheel nuts on a car

More like not tightened properly ime.
1 hand tight to hold wheel flat to the hub, the rest spun on a few turns then completely forgot to whizz them up.

The technical term is spasticuntishness.

gold rover · Feb 13, 2020

Wow. Glad your safe though.
Depending how far you've driven, in meantime, manager might say, you should have checked them. I think some places say it's as little as 25 miles after changing. If you say you checked them, and they were tight, then he's off hook. If you didn't check them, he's off hook.

kermit_rr · Feb 13, 2020

gold rover said:
Wow. Glad your safe though.
Depending how far you've driven, in meantime, manager might say, you should have checked them. I think some places say it's as little as 25 miles after changing. If you say you checked them, and they were tight, then he's off hook. If you didn't check them, he's off hook.

I can't believe that!! If it's not the tyre fitters responsibility to properly tighten the wheel nuts then they shouldn't be charging you and asking you to tighten them instead

DanClarke · Feb 13, 2020

That is truly shocking. Although I had a friend with a Volvo V70 who had the same experience while travelling on the Motorway shortly after a garage tyre replacement.
I would be inclined to have a quiet word and then if they are unreceptive a very loud word and a chat with trading standards and health & safety, because someone isn't doing their job properly, and there is a lack of checks & balances.

Ratae · Feb 13, 2020

Failed to tighten most likely reason.
Often be something in their t&c's about you needing checking the nuts again within a certain mileage which seems to vary from place to place so have a quick look at any paperwork you were given.
https://www.continental-tyres.co.uk/car/all-about-tyres/tyre-care-maintenance/retorquing-wheels
If we have tyres fitted to any of our cars I redo the nuts as soon as I get home with a torque wrench. Mrs R can change a wheel but if she can't get the nuts off cause they've been beaten to death with a rattle gun then it's a problem & Peugeot wheelbraces aren't particularly strong.

RangeRoller dt · Feb 13, 2020

Ive never trusted anyone to tighten my wheel nuts. When I’ve had tires i check myself after a short run as I don’t trust the guys on the impact gun
Touch wood - never lost any, apart from when I came back to my Mk6 escort and it was on bricks but then I didn’t need them as I didn’t have wheels any longer

kermit_rr · Feb 13, 2020

Never experienced a garage under tightening wheel nuts

Ratae · Feb 13, 2020

Caravan sale place I do bodywork for did that late last year.
Customer departed with his new caravan & one wheel fell off as he pulled out onto the main road outside. Wheel bolts rather than nuts & a twin axle so no damage. The other three wheels bolts were all fine.
Some serious arse kicking by the company owner of workshop staff took place.
They now have big signs telling people that the staff will be more than happy to check wheelnuts on request & wheelnuts are checked in front of customers by the hand-over staff when they collect a van.

Jon Dor · Feb 13, 2020

kermit_rr said:
This is a new one to me

Presumably overtightened and sheered the threads. Most garages like to use an air gun to put wheel nuts on. I recall not so long ago needing a 3 foot breaker bar to undo wheel nuts on a car

Shimsteriom said:
Have you been driving it much between having the tyres rotated and the wheel making a bid for freedom?

700-800 miles. However, P38 managed to hold on to wheels for 159,000+miles without shedding ANY wheels whilst in motion! Perhaps they'll make up for lost time and drop of regularly now.. Hahaha!

Jon Dor · Feb 13, 2020

gold rover said:
Wow. Glad your safe though.
Depending how far you've driven, in meantime, manager might say, you should have checked them. I think some places say it's as little as 25 miles after changing. If you say you checked them, and they were tight, then he's off hook. If you didn't check them, he's off hook.

Certainly 800-900 miles driving since. I'll go have a quiet word with them shortly. They're very supportive of the Barge Project that I'm converting for Charities with wheelchair clients to use for short breaks aboard with their carers. Just glad I didn't hit anyone as the wheel detached!

Jon Dor · Feb 13, 2020

Datatek said:
Criminal negligence, happened on one of my company cars, wrote the car off and cost the garage a lot of money.

Keith, I'm just thankful nobody was injured as the wheel came off! Mercifully, it just folded into the wheel arch and held the disc off the deck. Did a bit of modifying the wing and pushed out the black rubber trim a little. Pic attached if I can transfer it.

RangeRoller dt · Feb 13, 2020

Have you got a locking stud on each wheel, perhaps someone had been midnight loosening?

tomcat59alan · Feb 13, 2020

Jon Dor said:
Certainly 800-900 miles driving since. I'll go have a quiet word with them shortly. They're very supportive of the Barge Project that I'm converting for Charities with wheelchair clients to use for short breaks aboard with their carers. Just glad I didn't hit anyone as the wheel detached!

You were lucky mate, having been the recipient of a runaway lorry wheel on the M6 in 1994 I can vouch for the devastating impact, in more than one way,it has on one's life.

P38A 3 wheels on my wagon...!

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Master Procrastinator

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Very

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Very

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Sprung Member

Very

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Attachments

Well-Sprung Member

Well-Known Member

Similar threads