37 replies to this topic

[thirty6289]

Hi guys,

 

I'm in a huge predicament and need advice!

 

SO....my passengers front wheel flew off my mini thirty 1990 whilst doing around 25 mph, safe to say I absolutely papped myself and VERY luckily I didn't cause any accidents. I managed to stop in the bus lane at the lights after skidding on the disk and three wheels for a good few feet. The wheel ended up doing some distance down the road which I was able to retrieve, also found 3 of the nuts in the middle of the round. Lucky no one got taken out by the wheel.

 

The story started when I was driving back from the mechanics after having an MOT. I started to hear a knocking sound from the front end which started getting very loud to the point I had to stop. I checked inside the engine bay and all around the car and nothing seemed unusual. My problem at this point was the mechanics was closed at this time as it was a Saturday but tried going anyway as it was that bad. They were closed of course when I got there so drove home and by the time I got half way the knocking had stopped.

 

The knocking came and went over the weeks but eventually started getting worse. As I don't drive the car much it has taken this long to get in touch with the mechanics to explain the problem. (I am fully aware I should have got in touch straight away and not wasted time for the situation to get worse) The incident happened when I was on my way to taking the car back to the mechanics for inspection. I had the car towed there with my breakdown cover. The pickup man seemed to think the threads on the nuts had been shredded by forcing them on.

 

To explain the knocking, the only time it didn't knock was when I accelerated.

 

So the cars been in the shop for a week and they've come back to me and said the reasoning to my near death experience was the fact that I had Alloy or Aluminium (cant remember which he said) nuts on steel studs/wheels which caused them to deteriorate over time. Make of that what you will but after ringing places like minispares for advice, it sounds like they've fed me a load of crap?

 

I'm sure I've missed whole chunks of information (still in a state of shock and rage) so my apologies for not being more detailed.

Any comments and advice would be extremely appreciated in my time of despair!

 

Thank you for reading and please see images below of my misfortune.

 

Attached Files

•  mini.jpg   43.38K   76 downloads
•  mini2.jpg   35.09K   56 downloads
•  mini3.jpg   43.24K   68 downloads
•  mini4.jpg   78.79K   87 downloads

[Steve220]

Christ! Glad you're ok after that.

Can you get a more detailed picture of the threads on the studs? Also of the wheel nuts if that's possible? With Alloy wheel nuts you have to be very careful. They need to be checked quite often and must not be done up with an air ratchet of death. This can strip threads easily.

[gazza82]

More likely someone in the past has overtightened the nuts stretching the studs ... impact guns are good for this!

[maryquant]

At least you are ok, everything else can be fixed.

 

+1 for not using an impact gun. 

[pusb]

Glad no one was hurt, I had this happen to me last year, it really is terrifying when it happens!

If the nuts have just deteriorated with age, surely there must have been some indication of this in the mot?

In the last picture it looks as though one of the studs has snapped?

[[email protected]]

Do you have a picture of your wheel nuts?

[minisilverbullet]

Are you getting at, that it was the MOT mechanics fault? 

 

Definitely looks like the nuts have been overtightened and that they may even been the wrong shape for those wheels.

 

But the MOT mechanic would have no reason to remove the wheel...

[scrumpix]

This happened to my friends mini, just after an expensive restoration at a garage

[alex-95]

+1 Any pics of the wheel nuts? I would also say the nut's have been done up too tight with a impact gun. Check that the others haven't done the same.

[gazza82]

 

But the MOT mechanic would have no reason to remove the wheel...

 

 

They aren't allowed to remove anything!

[thirty6289]

Christ! Glad you're ok after that.

Can you get a more detailed picture of the threads on the studs? Also of the wheel nuts if that's possible? With Alloy wheel nuts you have to be very careful. They need to be checked quite often and must not be done up with an air ratchet of death. This can strip threads easily.

 

Thanks Steve, nice to have some sympathy as there were quite a few W*****S about laughing if you can believe that!

 

Unfortunately I didn't take anymore pics and everything is with the mechanic. 

one of the nuts that were retrieved was completely shredded but that's all i can remember I'm afraid.

[thirty6289]

At least you are ok, everything else can be fixed.

 

+1 for not using an impact gun. 

 

 

Glad no one was hurt, I had this happen to me last year, it really is terrifying when it happens!

If the nuts have just deteriorated with age, surely there must have been some indication of this in the mot?

In the last picture it looks as though one of the studs has snapped?

Thanks for your sympathy guys. 

One thing i failed to mention was the wheels were brand new 4 years ago and maybe covered only 5000 miles in that time...

nothing on the MOT, do you think i should bring this up maybe?

Yes one of the studs has snapped off! 

[Steve220]

Did the wheel nuts come with the wheels? I've heard of tapers not matching and them coming loose, garages have subsequently over tightened them to compensate however this ends up stripping them.

 

Not sure why anyone would laugh when it comes to safety.

[thirty6289]

+1 Any pics of the wheel nuts? I would also say the nut's have been done up too tight with a impact gun. Check that the others haven't done the same.

 

I'm afraid I don't have anymore pics than the ones above. Thank you for the suggestion.

[thirty6289]

Do you have a picture of your wheel nuts?

I'm afraid not Simon.