39 replies to this topic

[1984mini25]

In the event of an accident and the assessor saw the vehicle with missing wheel nuts he would have every right to say the car is not as per manufactures specification and void the the insurance. Sounds harsh but as previously mentioned the car was designed with four wheel nuts per wheel so that is what is required for safe driving.

It’s also an instant MOT fail.

[MRA]

I would also tell them to use imperial tools and not 18mm sockets on an 11/16" AF nut

This type of thing is going to get more and more common as some % of mechanics haven't heard of imperial etc...... whether the replacement nut is 20p or £200 it's their fault so they should have fixed it, you could give trading standards a call or simply tell them that this is your next option if they don't fix it...

Also you may be wise in NOT driving it their but get them to fix it at your location or pick it up and fix it.

Your choice but stand your ground, they may say they can't get the parts and if they can it won't be until after Christmas......

[icklemini]

lol this site makes me laugh...

anyway: so who hasnt had one of the later rover wheel nuts bugger up on them?
you know the one where the cap swells up so you cant get *any* socket on properly.
(in fairness it also happens to some later ford wheel nuts too)

but:
No the garage shouldnt have let it go with 3 nuts on (unless the owner was happy with that)
Yes they are at least being honest and trying to sort it.

Mechanical failure of a component isnt always the fault of the bloke who found the problem...
... what would you do if you took you wheel off and buggered up the nut?, put 3 on and carry on regardless until you get a replacement nut?

Take the car back and leave it with them till its sorted.

The later nuts all bugger up. they are to be honest crap.

Edited by icklemini, 22 December 2010 - 08:32 PM.

[AVV IT]

Unfortunately I speak from bitter experience on this one!! Back in the day when I was young & stupid (well even more stupid than I am now anyway ), I helped my mate fit a new set of alloys to his 1100 mini special. With the new alloys on we cranked the wheel nuts up using the "hmmm that'll about do" torquing method, but discovered that we were missing a wheel nut from the near side front wheel & couldn't seem to find it anywhere. So we shrugged our shoulders and set off to impress the girls by doing a few laps of the local town centre anyway.

Half an hour or so later we heard a very loud banging noise coming from the front near side wheel. Before we got a chance stop there was the a very large bang, the car lurched & tipped toward the passenger side & shook very violently & I watched the near side front wheel bounce down the road and into a ditch. After much screaming and watching our lives flash before us we finally came to rest on the edge of said ditch! Once my nerves settled enough for me to walk again my mate got the jack & wheel brace out of the boot, whilst I set off to retrieve the missing wheel. On my return I remarked that there was actually little point us trying to put the wheel back on as we had no way of holding it on, due to us now being missing four nuts!.... My mate said he had already thought of that & that he had a "cunning plan" to take one wheel nut off each of the three remaining wheels and use those to hold the rouge wheel back on!! That way there would be three nuts holding all of the wheels on!! (needless to say I handed him the wheel and walked home!!)

So the moral to this story is that "the only thing more stupid than driving around with a wheel nut missing on one wheel, is driving around with a wheel nut missing on all four!

[icklemini]

So the moral to this story is that "the only thing more stupid than driving around with a wheel nut missing on one wheel, is driving around with a wheel nut missing on all four!

and - torque up the wheel nuts....

[turbozutek]

That way there would be three nuts holding all of the wheels on!! (needless to say I handed him the wheel and walked home!!)

Sounds like you used nuts for plain old steel wheels with the new alloys?? They are too soft and can loosen off in use.

Chris...

[xBR4DLEY]

One of my front wheels has only got 3 studs as I snapped one somehow LOL
No worries though because its a project and isnt taking the stresses of daily driving.

[Burnard]

In theory if you only have three nuts, your best off running 2 torqued up, and the third one either off or loose due to the stress distribution.

Still, dont drive with any less than the intended number of nuts. (theres a pun in this thread somewhere)

[1984mini25]

My mate said he had already thought of that & that he had a "cunning plan" to take one wheel nut off each of the three remaining wheels and use those to hold the rouge wheel back on!! That way there would be three nuts holding all of the wheels on!! (needless to say I handed him the wheel and walked home!!)

So the moral to this story is that "the only thing more stupid than driving around with a wheel nut missing on one wheel, is driving around with a wheel nut missing on all four!

click me

Edited by 1984mini25, 22 December 2010 - 11:25 PM.

[MRA]

In theory if you only have three nuts, your best off running 2 torqued up, and the third one either off or loose due to the stress distribution.

Still, dont drive with any less than the intended number of nuts. (theres a pun in this thread somewhere)

DO NOT DO THIS AT HOME !!! ........... or anywhere the Mini wheels are meant to be held on by 4 studs and nuts of the correct material grade etc...... leaving 1 or 2 nuts off is a RTA waiting to happen

Its not just about conventional stresses trying to pull the wheel off in a direction, inline with the drive shaft, there are torsional stresses under braking and acceleration, shock loads due to bumps / pot holes in the road and stresses attempting to tear the wheel off by leverage.

[AVV IT]

and - torque up the wheel nuts....

Probably also a good idea, but then I have also managed to fit a great many wheels (both before & since) without the assistance of a torque wrench and no other wheels have ever fallen off!

Sounds like you used nuts for plain old steel wheels with the new alloys?? They are too soft and can loosen off in use.

Actually no, as I remember we removing an old set of Dunlop alloys with their respective wheel nuts & replacing them with a new set of Wolf Race items.


So I'm still pretty convinced that the underlying factor that caused the wheel to come off, was the fact that we only had three wheel nuts & not four!!

[Jacko-lah]

I have yet to pay the original Bill. Shall I erm negotiate ?

[Cooperman]

Personally I would have a firm but not 'heavy' conversation with the owner of the business. Discuss the problem and the safety implications and ask him if you are being unreasonable in being unhappy about it. If he says it was safe, ask him to put that in writing, then tell him you won't pay until you have spoken with Trading Standards. If he says that it was safe but he won't put it in writing, then refuse to pay and invite him to sue you saying that it will all come out in court. If he says it was not safe, then tell him you don't expect to have to pay for an unsafe job. Game, set & match. Damn cowboy garages!

[Jacko-lah]

Personally I would have a firm but not 'heavy' conversation with the owner of the business. Discuss the problem and the safety implications and ask him if you are being unreasonable in being unhappy about it. If he says it was safe, ask him to put that in writing, then tell him you won't pay until you have spoken with Trading Standards. If he says that it was safe but he won't put it in writing, then refuse to pay and invite him to sue you saying that it will all come out in court. If he says it was not safe, then tell him you don't expect to have to pay for an unsafe job. Game, set & match. Damn cowboy garages!

I like your style. BUT : Given that he appears to have made good the original error, I'm not sure this is the right approach.

[minidaves]

for a temp measure ffs, is to remove stainless cap and put nut on with a 5/8's or 16mm socket depending of which wheel nuts they are. its not difficult to solve, then order up some new nuts which will proberly be 17mm, or get the other wheel nuts from minispares without the caps from the old metros and never have the problem again

dave