Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[JamesV6CDX]

... Or did they just want my Alloys?

On Saturday I'm going to Nots to see Mark, so tonight I drove from Cheltenham to Cardiff, so I can leave early Sat morning.

Got about 8 miles, as far as gloucester, noticed a funny noise when going over a rumble strip. Ah... crap tyres, bad surface etc... forgot it and kept going

Then at about 60mph felt a steering wobble, when going past Ross on wye-- quite a nasty one. Hmm.. wheels can't need balancing already..

Heard that funny noise again, Stopped at services, and as I pulled in, I noticed a "clunk, clunk, clunk" coming from front of the car. Crap!! it was worse when braking softly, but fine when braking firmly. a REALLY nasty noise.

In the services I jacked up both sides, both wheels spun freely and smoothly..no play in them.. hmm. yanked droplinks about.. fine.. lowered car.. didn't know what to make of it.

Kept going, I'd covered about 50 miles... and the knocking was REAL bad. I was only 20 miles from Cardiff now, and I drove there very gingerly.

Did a bit more investigating when I got there. I went to remove the passenger side roadwheel, where I thought the noise was coming from.

Then it hit me.

Wheel studs. Or lack of them.

All of my wheels studs, were half way out!!!!!!!

So the wheel was wobbling on the hub!!!

I put those wheels on myself, and I KNOW they were put on properly.

So either someone's got it in for me (near impossible).. OR some barstard has tried to get my alloys while it's been parked at Cheltenham Station!!!!!

To think I was doing 70mph past lorries etc like that

[Markie]

ive been there once or twice - once an attempt to steal them - oonce i de threaded the hole for the bolt.....its not a nice feeling driving like that  

[Dazzler]

I have known this before once the wheels have been off and then re-fitted, sometimes they just don't quite go on true and thus once the car is actually driven the wheel becomes loose because it wasn't quite on right in the first place. A hard one to take on the chin I know but it has happened to me as well.  

[Chopsdad]

Sould have gone to Kwik Fit - they are professionals.

Back home they have to get the Manager to personally check all wheel bolts with a torque wrench after a customer pulled out and the wheel went off on its own.

Glad it didn't happen to you James

[Joneyentee]

I had this happen too. Was well shaken up at the time, especially as I lived on a dual carriageway at the time so I was hitting good speeds as soon as I left the drive.  I heard the noise and pulled over as soon as I could and found all the nuts on all 4 wheels were so loose I could undo them with my fingers. I know it was someone out to get me (and who) not an attempted theft, problem was proving it though.

[Markjay]

I drove an car once and heard a rattle from the wheel, couldn't work out what it was until I took of the wheel cap and found a wheel nut loose rattling inside... the thing came off completely and was just going round like in a tumble dryer.

[Baron Von Spongebob]

Funny enough i had the wheels off my, ( dare i say it, Peugeot this week ). Going down the road, clang clang,   The Mrs saying i hate this car i want the omega back on the road, Reaching for the stereo switch  to turn it on when i thought, hang on even im worried about this noise :-/  best not to turn radio on and stick my head out of window to listen where the sound is coming from.

Another row for doing that as im not in control of the car. ( do you think she trusts me driving or what ).
 I said, sounds like a stone stuck in between the disk and the brake pads to me. My daughter said its coming from the front on your side Dad. It was, the bloody centre cap had worked loose, so tightened it up, but, i think i shall check the wheel nuts also in the morning after reading this, after all i get a row for breathing these days.

Happy days,, eh... LOL.  

[Taxi_Driver]

I had the same thing years ago....except i didnt get to drive it far.

It was a Golf GTI....parked in a NCP carpark all day....went back to it about 9pm....approached it from drivers side...got in and promptly drove it off bricks on the passenger side  

Found out drivers side wheel nuts were loose too.....so must of been disturbed before they could have all the wheels away.

I remember i did rather a lot of damage to it driving it off the bricks  

Think youve been a victim of someone wanting your alloys James  

[Bo Bo]

I've had this too coming back from Bristol.

I stopped several times to check things but it wasn't til I got home that I found all of one of the rear wheel nuts were loose.

[STMO123]

[size=48]Before leaving home--check your nuts![/size]

[Ronald_McBurger]

Did this years ago with a Fiat 124 I had. Did both rear shoes, then drove around for about an hour. Whilst driving along a main road I heard what sounded like cans being blown along the road Then the car felt a bit wobbly and just as I realised what was wrong the wheel came off and I stopped right there in the middle of the road. As soon as I got out I could see the rear wheel sitting at a mad angle. Took the hub cap off and there were the nuts!

A lot of jacking and then doing them up right sorted it, but I didn't enjoy the crowd of onlookers all telling each other what a numpty I was!

Oddly enough, yesterday had the rear wheels on the wifes CDX checked by my favourite local tyre place as they were making the tail of the car wag. Buckled alloy, so put them back on and off I went in search of some alloys, which I got. When I went to change them, one nut was not done up by the garage! All the rest were, but that one would have come off and maybe hit someone on the motorway???

Scary stuff!

[Marks DTM Calib]

Sould have gone to Kwik Fit - they are professionals.

Back home they have to get the Manager to personally check all wheel bolts with a torque wrench after a customer pulled out and the wheel went off on its own.

Glad it didn't happen to you James

Yes, so teh arse holes use an air rathect to do them up to 140Nm...then the manager uses the torque wrench set at 120Nm and it instantly goes click...

When I get tyres not I either

1) Take the wheels off, put them in the boot of the other car and deliver them that way

2) do the wheel nuts up with my own torque wrench.....doesn't go down welll but...its MY car!