Tyre got screwed

[jeff3205]

Noticed the front left P-Zero was looking a bit deflated earlier tonight. Checked again later and yup, flat as a tack. Figured I'd pop the spare on now rather than in the hot sun tomorrow. Hadn't used the car's toolkit before - got it all set up and W.T.F. the socket wouldn't fit over the wheel nuts??? :confused: Hmmm. Tried the tools from the Mazda and same problem. Eventually I figured out the looks-like-a-wheel-nut-but-is-actually-a-plastic-cover caper. Duh to me, I suppose that's what you get when working in bad light. It is so obvious once you know. Good thing I wasn't in the middle of nowhere in total darkness (except I suppose I would have used Holden Assist then anyway). Turns out the offending item was a phillips head screw driven completely into the tyre.

Also noticed the outside edge of the front tyre is wearing noticeably more than the inside. Have other people found this also? Is it something that, say, a wheel alignment would help with?

[SV8VY]

Yes you definitely need a wheel alignment.
Try not to park right against the curbs also as this is where debris end up after a rain and guarantees a flat.
Park too far and the car is a target for trucks..
I use the Azenis and find they attract screws especially flicked from the front to the back as I don't use mud guards.
Funny how the wheel nuts have plastic covers on standard.
Don't know why they bothered.
I even bought a new set of chrome plastic ones when I had the standard rims...at $2.50 each ? :( :doh:

[georgec]

I've lost count of the number of screws that have embedded themselves in my tyres over the last few years. Always been the rear tyre so SV8VY may be correct about front tyres flicking them onto the rear. I put it down to careless tradesman.

[EL2]

I had to remove one of my wheels when I copped a flat a few months back. The pressed metal tool thingo that Holden supply to remove the wheelnuts is crap.

My wheel nuts were on so tight, the tool slipped on the first one, and was useless for the rest - it had rounded at the edges. Luckily I was in my garage at the time, so I used a deep 19mm socket with an extension bar, and boy did I use some force to get the damn wheel off. Each nut came off with a loud 'crack'. I think someone in the factory may have overtorqued the nuts, who knows. One other wheel was the same. The socket plus bar now sit in the boot just in case - I'd suggest others check the tightness of their wheelnuts at home....

Very lucky this didn't happen on the side of the road, otherwise Holden Assist would have gotten a phone call to come remove their damn wheel!!!

[Fixel]

Very lucky this didn't happen on the side of the road, otherwise Holden Assist would have gotten a phone call to come remove their damn wheel!!!

Sadly, I had to do this, as a young tyre monkey did the wheel nuts up so tight with his rattle gun, including the lock nut :doh: :bash:

The lock nut key was half stripped and my efforts finished it off.
Roadside assist couldn't help and I ended up with the car coming home a few hours later, on the back of a traytruck. So imbarassing :o
A passer-by didn't help with his "Gee you don't see new cars like this being towed very often?"

BTW a bit of steel on the road made a nice hole in the sidewall of the tyre, you could stick your thumb in it.

[VXSS]

The socket plus bar now sit in the boot

Same here, breaker bar and 19mm socket :D

[lx_torana]

this maybe a little off topic but anyways my sister bought new a VY SS wagon, anyways not long after she bought she got a flat on the back car full of groceries and 4 kids whinging she gets out to change it unloads all the crap in the back and gets out the spare and its a 15" standard steel rim she noticed it wasn't the same size as the others so she called me to pick her up and got it fixed went back to holden and she asked where her 17" mag was for spare and they just laughed at her and just said oh well and told her its fine to use the 15" on the back wouldnt this have buggered the diff ?

[VYSSBlack]

I had the same problems with the wheel nuts. I also had problems getting the wheel off. I got Holden assist out and after 45 minutes of banging with a rubber mallet we eventually got the wheel off.
The Holden assist(RAA) guy said that the alloy from the wheells against the steel is what causes the problem. He said you just need to put a small amount of grease on the inside of the wheel wherever it touches steel as whell as on the wheel nuts.
Havent had to get a wheel off since so I dont know if it works.

[exploder]

this maybe a little off topic but anyways my sister bought new a VY SS wagon, anyways not long after she bought she got a flat on the back car full of groceries and 4 kids whinging she gets out to change it unloads all the crap in the back and gets out the spare and its a 15" standard steel rim she noticed it wasn't the same size as the others so she called me to pick her up and got it fixed went back to holden and she asked where her 17" mag was for spare and they just laughed at her and just said oh well and told her its fine to use the 15" on the back wouldnt this have buggered the diff ?

Had the same problem with mine. Apparently if you don't go over 80 the speed difference between the two wheels doesn't do any harm. Although you look like a complete prat driving at 80 in a 100 zone on the freeway in an SS...........