tyre centers etc... why the ignorance ?

[garethp]

If you get a receipt from tyre place have a look and it'll probably say somewhere that you need to check the wheel nuts after 20 miles to make sure they're tight, that'll to make sure the studs/bolts haven't sheared from overtightning

Only time I've struggled to change a wheel was on 2 year old Citroen - the spare wheel carrier underneath had rusted solid and I almost gave in before it started to move.

 

[fizzy]

Town tyres is Swansea are great.
Cheap as chips £5 for puncture repair and balance.
Fast turnaround several lads doing the fitting but they do everything up by wheel brace and torque wrench. Impact gun just to take them off.

 

[bricol]

It grips me as well - but then again most tyre fitters aren't going to be the brightest - it is a tough dirty job usually done by youngsters.
Smaller places run by old school are "usually" better. Not always though.
Getting them undone isn't the problem - it's the stress they put on the studs/nuts. Seen plenty shear off due to this.

Mate 30 years ago had the same - think they had to buy him new wheels as it bggered them too . . .

 

[bricol]

spose the girls in the chipshop are paid similar , i dont expect em to gob in my food then stamp on the bag because theyre on a low wage

used to go across from work to a chippy on Leeds Road in Bradford for lunch . . . very nice pleasant lady used to lick her fingers to get a good grip on the next clean hygenic food paper . . . sometimes the damp bit had dried before your chips landed on it . . .

 

[brightspark]

I've never used a torque wrench on wheel nuts. only once when a mate came round and said am I going to use it nupe I checked and they were all near enough the same used to race the stockcar and check them after every race . never had any come loose and never over tightened them or any snap .had a few half shafts let go and snap though

 

[stuvy]

As brad said you pay peanuts

it’s the same for people that moan about there food at the brewers fayre

my mate owns an mot garage so I only go there with biscuits or a takeaway for lunch, Been using his place since I was 17 and even helped out answering the phone when Iv been in there plus dropped a few cars back to customers for them.

my biggest benefit is his brother owns another garage round the corner from him and he does motorbike mot’s so all good for me

 

[Rrobson]

Correct bolt tightening method-

Shear it off and back it off half a turn. Never failed me yet!

I normally take the wheels off the car and drop them off at a local garage. They can’t get it wrong provided they put 2 tyres on one way, two tyres on the other way.

 

[brightspark]

worst I went to was halfrauds . had 2 new tires put on and went to take the wheels off 2 weeks later to blast and paint and they wouldn't come off with the wheelbrace had to extend it with a scaffie pole and they came off with a loud crack . I always put copperslip on them and the wheel centres after getting caught out a few times . some say don't do it cos they can come loose rubbish I put it on all the nuts and bolts on my Norton and none ever came loose even sat at traffic lights on tickover and that makes your balls and false teeth rattle

 

[Ashley Burton]

I normally leave the wheels loose when getting tyres changed

Not a massive fan of changing tyres myself, Especially when they're run flats

 

[Munkul]

Town tyres is Swansea are great.
Cheap as chips £5 for puncture repair and balance.
Fast turnaround several lads doing the fitting but they do everything up by wheel brace and torque wrench. Impact gun just to take them off.

+1 for our local small franchise called Denton Tyres. They have the same flat rule - no ugga dugga'ing the nuts back on, ever.

I keep going back to them, even though they aren't the closest, and their yards are really tiny. I wonder why... Something to do with them knowing their job properly and giving customer peace of mind...

 

[mtt.tr]

Its odd, i spin nuts on with the impact set to one so it's still loose.

This and many things like it really annoy me.

 

[brightspark]

I made my own tire changer it works real well . after doing a few tires its easy to remove them and refit. if u get a puncture and the garage start sucking there teeth and say u need a new one as its on the borderline and the tires brand new 2 weeks old you just put a large patch on the inside and away u go . they just cover there own asses they wont even put you an innertube in them because there on a winner flogging u a new tire

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I experienced this when I had my GTE. I'd had tyres fitted a few weeks before one of the oil-cooler pipes sprung a leak. New part ordered and set to removing the relative wheel to get access. No, nothing doing . I was using a spider wheel brace but there was no way it was coming off. Like @brightspark I had to resort to a length of pipe over the end and sweated cobs until I finally heard the 'crack' of it slackening.

I changed the oil pipe, and then drove the 20 miles back to the tyre place to vent and demanded that they slacken ALL the wheels and re-do them to the correct torque setting, while I stood over the chap [a young guy who obviously hadn't been taught properly, or was too damned lazy to care ] and watched.....#muchglowering

No apology, or offer to recompense me for fuel used [40-mile round trip + time etc] ......minus score for customer service

 

[cheb]

Anyone use torquesticks when tightening wheels? They seem a good idea. I usually do my own, van and bike, at the local garage using their machines. The price for me not getting charged for doing this is having to do the occasional tyre for them while I'm there.

 

[Ashley Burton]

@cheb I just do mine up with the low torque setting, Then fully tighten with a torque wrench

 

[Morrisman]

+1 for our local small franchise called Denton Tyres. They have the same flat rule - no ugga dugga'ing the nuts back on, ever.

I keep going back to them, even though they aren't the closest, and their yards are really tiny. I wonder why... Something to do with them knowing their job properly and giving customer peace of mind...

Same for County Tyres in Stafford, rattle gun to remove nuts, and also to lightly spin the nuts on, then torque wrench to tighten them. Good friendly, polite service too.

 

[500e]

Had a Cortina wheel that had been tightened so much that the return on the wheel had bitten into the 1/2 shaft centre boss even a BFH would not move it just like a big spire clip

 

[jerrytug]

Small indy garages with the Black Circle franchise seem to be ok, you still have to watch them though..
Low pay doesn't mean you shouldn't have to care. Sometimes I've done agency work including driving car ferries in and out of Portsmouth harbour, for similar pay. It's more the attitude. Some guys are conscientious.. and some don't give a monkeys and in many jobs, they can get away with it.

 

[m_c]

I always put copperslip on them and the wheel centres after getting caught out a few times . some say don't do it cos they can come loose rubbish I put it on all the nuts and bolts on my Norton and none ever came loose

I think the motor and heavy goods industry who have spent millions of pounds on researching wheel loss, might know a bit more than an anecdotal "well it's always worked for me".
Official guidance in the absence of manufacturer recommendations, is to use a light oil only (by light oil, they mean engine oil). If you use grease, the big risk is actually overtightening and stretching the stud/bolt, as the grease makes things turn easier, so for any given torque setting, you get a higher tensile load in the fastener.

If I was to not follow the guidelines at work, and a wheel came slack or was lost, then I'd be investigated and very likely disciplined for it. If it was to also cause an accident, I could also be prosecuted for it.
In terms of HGVs/PSVs, VOSA will investigate any wheel loss incident they're made aware off, as it's seen as a major failing of roadworthiness standards.

if u get a puncture and the garage start sucking there teeth and say u need a new one as its on the borderline and the tires brand new 2 weeks old you just put a large patch on the inside and away u go . they just cover there own asses they wont even put you an innertube in them because there on a winner flogging u a new tire

There are also strict requirements surrounding puncture repairs.
Cold vulcanising can only be used to repair punctures within the centre 3/4 of the tread. Anything out with that has to be hot vulcanised, and even at that, only if there is no structural damage. I've only ever known hot vulcanising to be done on very expensive tyres (typically only Agri/big off road stuff), as it's just not economically viable on cheap tyres, and nobody really wants to take the risk on high performance vehicles.

Putting a tube in a tubeless tyre/rim is not an approved repair (IIRC it's covered under an old British Standard), and any body doing so can be fined/prosecuted for doing so (IIRC it's a sale of goods issue, due to the repair not being to a satisfactory standard under the relevant British Standard).



As with a large proportion of the motor trade, companies will tell customers how they meet all these standards and not upsell unrequired work, but the reality is, lots of companies will turn a blind eye to corners being cut and unnecessary repairs being needed until something happens, then they'll simply blame the fitter/technician involved, despite the company culture/pressure being on said person to be as productive as possible and to sell as much as possible.
Those of use who actually want to do a good job, are seen as unproductive, as we don't make the company as much money. They'd rather have techs only interested in selling as much time/parts as possible with no thought given to the customer.

 

[brightspark]

you may be correct in all u say as a business but il still carry on what im doing .I also use the the puncture repair strings that are supposed to only be temporary repair here but not in other country's so even if im quoted all the legislation I wont be applying it but thanks for pointing it all out