How crap is the factory tyre changing gear!

[Holden Nut]

So yesterday I thought I would rotate my wheels myself at home, did my left hand side first...then the right...this is where I found my right rear wheel was done on so tight that I ended up bending the black tool you use to undo the nuts/raise the jack...bent that thing so out of shape it wouldn't close...oh and then the locknut was on that tight that it bent the friggen locknut key onto the locknut!

Should I abuse my local tyre store that last screwed my wheels on :mad:

[Febs]

Couldn't agree more - the standard jack and wheel brace are sh*t.

I've bent mine before too - had to bend it back just to close the bloody thing. Add to that, it's got nice sharp edges and scratches wheels very easily.

Cheers,
- Febs.

[all4ford]

So yesterday I thought I would rotate my wheels myself at home, did my left hand side first...then the right...this is where I found my right rear wheel was done on so tight that I ended up bending the black tool you use to undo the nuts/raise the jack...bent that thing so out of shape it wouldn't close...oh and then the locknut was on that tight that it bent the friggen locknut key onto the locknut!

Should I abuse my local tyre store that last screwed my wheels on :mad:
Well they should be using a torque bar on their rattle gun, so as to not tension the nuts too tight. Coming from the son of an owner of a tyre shop, if they didn't use a torque bar, by all means abuse them.

[Holden Nut]

Oh yeah add to that I scratched one of the wheels in the process :(

[VXSS346]

My Jack actually collapsed once when I jacked it up one day. Went straight through the threads at the rear of the jack.
Car was just out of warranty but when I showed them the jack they replaced it for me anyway. They sort of had to!

[amckiwi]

my tyre joint goes round with a torque wrench after they rattle the nuts

[VX2VESS]

i never use that tool, except if i use the jack for something when i need more than one jack.

i used to keep a wheel brace in the car. now i keep a long breaker bar and a few sockets. (few sockets as I have two different lock nuts and normal wheel nuts to contend with now) plus the wheel brace is to thick for the rim holes now.

Anytime a shop removes the wheels for any reason, i loosen and retorque them to the correct NM when i get home. some clowns do them up so tight and uneven, not good for the brake disks.

Locknuts should always be done by hand/torque wrench.

[Clutchboy]

I always make the tyre shop use a wheel brace instead of a rattle gun. I have been in the middle of nowhere with a flat tyre and couldn't change it because I couldn't get the wheel nuts undone.

When working on other people's car I use the wheel brace equipped with the vehicle, that way I know they can undo the wheelnuts if required.

[VX-355]

My Jack actually collapsed once when I jacked it up one day. Went straight through the threads at the rear of the jack.
Car was just out of warranty but when I showed them the jack they replaced it for me anyway. They sort of had to!

That happen to me as well a month after a had the car. Take back your car to where you had the wheels done and tell them to fit the damage. I would.

[chilly]

Oh yeah add to that I scratched one of the wheels in the process :(
again your age gives u away
us "oldies" use our own wheel brace and or socket and bar..
[nice and round and shiny]
AND we watch the wheels being put on and tightened...etc
its your F....g car so when they say your not allowed in the w/shop, tell them to do it at the door so you can watch.....
vt2vx has some wise words ...take note

also.."Should I abuse my local tyre store that last screwed my wheels on "
will get you abuse back....
go in calmly and explain what happened ....be firm when you dont get a reasonable answer...
Good luck mate

[VXEXEC350]

^^^^^could not agree more...perfect response.

[OzJavelin]

.. oh .. and the tyre joints that use knock on weights on alloy rims. I was very impressed to see these on my 17" SV8 rims (yeah not fabulous I know, but they aint 15" steels) after having four new tyres fitted.

[VYSHSV8]

.. oh .. and the tyre joints that use knock on weights on alloy rims. I was very impressed to see these on my 17" SV8 rims (yeah not fabulous I know, but they aint 15" steels) after having four new tyres fitted.

As for knock on wheel weights they come fitted from the factory GO FIGURE
:eek: you think they would use the stick on ones I now have scratches where the wheel weights were fitted from the factory :(

[MNR-0]

Holden jack and wrench is crap - couldn't get cheaper if you tried. Reckon it cost em 5 bucks all up. Bring back the old days when you religiously used a 4-spoke spanner and a trolley jack.

[EL2]

The original gear is rubbish.

I posted something to this effect in this post : http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=33733

and got lots of agreement....

If anyone is reading this and still has their factory wheel changing gear in their car - go down to your garage right now and try to undo every wheel. If you can, you should be OK. If you can't, then imagine you're on the side of the road, tyre dead flat, rain pouring down, wife cranky and kids crying inside the car.

You'll soon wish you had decent gear to remove that flat tyre!!!!

[VXSSV8]

Add to that, it's got nice sharp edges and scratches wheels very easily.

Hot Tip...Put some electrical tape around the end of it, no more scratches on your sik alloys if you are slightly wayward on entry. :D

I had issues with my wheels a while back and was changing them often to try and solve a balance issue. I quickly solved the worry of scratching the wheels with good old black electrical tape. All I could think of at the time and it worked.

Oh almost forgot, never bent my wrench in all the changes I've done over the years. Must have been bloody tight. Last time I had trouble with a nut I sheared the bolt/nut straight off the wheel, it was an EF Falcon. At least their wrenches were tough. :rolleyes:

:)

[Bitza]

I've got a medium sized breaker bar and a good ol Holden bottle jack as my tyre changing gear.
My OEM Jack/Wheel Brace has never been used and the brace is NFG for use on most alloy wheels.
Note - Will probably have flat after saying that.

Craig

[jsttry]

My tyre iron has bent aswell and won't close and I've noticed its a lot more prone to paint scraping too.

At least its better than the Camry I had to change a tyre on once for a young lass. The dealer had sold her a new Camry with after market alloys but didn't bother to check that the factory tyre iron would fit in the holes of the new alloys. Kind of hard to change a tyre when the equipment they provide just won't fit :stick:

[my_Berlina]

I carry a torque wrench with 19mm deep socket in the boot and have done for over 10 years. Means that my nuts are always torqued correctly - like vt2vx I always re-tighten after a visit to mechanic/tyre place.

It has also come in handy when I came accross a lady with over tight wheel nuts trying to change a tyre, even with the 2ft long torque wrench I had trouble moving the nuts - she had no chance with the standard (Camry from memory) gear.

But the worst I came accross was the rear on my wifes Suzuki Barina. One of the nuts had been driven all the way on cross threaded! By the time I had the nut loosened by 3mm, the splines on the stud were stripped and the whole thing was turning. Ended up needing to use the angle grinder to cut the nut off. Just lucky I found it while rotating tyres at home, and not with a flat out on the road!

Dave !

[Dickie Knee]

The Caprice did come with a pair of gloves and a mat to kneel on

[all4ford]

The Caprice did come with a pair of gloves and a mat to kneel on
lol. So upper class!

[Clutchboy]

It has also come in handy when I came accross a lady with over tight wheel nuts trying to change a tyre, even with the 2ft long torque wrench I had trouble moving the nuts - she had no chance with the standard (Camry from memory) gear.

Dave !

:eyes: Using a torque wrench to undo nuts! Geeze Dave, you know how to look after your gear!

I hope you have had the torque wrench calibrated since, otherwise you could be driving around with loose wheels!

Not having a go mate, but saying stuff like that to a mechanic is like abusing his wife! (probably worse, tools make you money!! :lol: )

[VYSHSV8]

The original gear is rubbish.

I posted something to this effect in this post : http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=33733

and got lots of agreement....

If anyone is reading this and still has their factory wheel changing gear in their car - go down to your garage right now and try to undo every wheel. If you can, you should be OK. If you can't, then imagine you're on the side of the road, tyre dead flat, rain pouring down, wife cranky and kids crying inside the car.

You'll soon wish you had decent gear to remove that flat tyre!!!!

If I travel out of the City I carry a small trolley jack with me and also have the wheel brace a decent one in the car all the time, in the city trolley jack stays at home and if the missus gets a flat thats what the RAC are for :D

[Phido]

I have never seen a car get new tyres on it and have all the wheel nuts correctly tightend. Ever.

I just had a fun two days with some brake caliper bolts that were way overtightend by a mechanic as well.

While I think carrying a torque wrench is a bit of a over kill for on the side of the road tyre repairs, certainly the right stuff, wouldn't go astray..

-Decent wrench for the nuts (those 4-spoke ones are good, you can just spin on/off way quicker).
-Decent jack (one thats rated for you GVM inc gear you have, and lifts to the right height and works with your cars jack points)
-all the right lock nut hardware
-Actually Gloves and a mat/rag aren't a bad idea cost <$5, but makes it feel so much more professional.

I've started to wear latex gloves when doing jobs with lots of grim/oil, like oil changes.

Also proberly a good idea to replace the nuts if you have been pulling them on and off a few times with standard/dodgey hardware.. On my car the nuts are pretty much round now..

[spaceman347]

I've started to wear latex gloves when doing jobs with lots of grim/oil, like oil changes.

Just when you do oil changes hey big guy? :limpy:
Sorry mate, couldn't help myself :lol: