Paying a shop rant........

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I keep my lug studs brushed up with Permatex anti-seize. That way after taking the car to a tire shop for whatever reason, I'm able to take the lug nuts off easily with my 18 inch ratchet the next time I need to.


I've never tightened anything I own so tight that I couldn't get it apart. Both parties took it for granted that when you pay a pro you get the job done right. We know better here. I tell the tire shop "make sure I can get those lug nuts off." Not that it matters. Next time I need tires I'm seriously considering removing the wheels, tossing them in my van, and bringing them to the shop along with the new tires. Then have them mount and balance them and throw them back on myself. That will save me a lot of grief I think. I don't have to worry about them damaging the vehicle bringing into and out of the shop, looking for work that doesn't need to be done, or (removed bypassing censor word) something else up.

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
It seems that it's getting to the point we need to add tire mounting equipment to our set of diy tools.


Right?

My dream is to just have a full service shop as a hobby where friends/family can come and do their own work and not get ripped off.

That's pretty much my driveway now. Friends and family show up and ask if they can do things to their cars lol.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
It seems that it's getting to the point we need to add tire mounting equipment to our set of diy tools.


If you've got $40 harbor freight has the back breaking all manual option for you!

 

[Chris142]

For what its worth I run customers nuts up with a 65ft lb torque stick then finish them with a tq wrench making sure that they turn with the tq wrench.

 

[bullwinkle]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I keep my lug studs brushed up with Permatex anti-seize. That way after taking the car to a tire shop for whatever reason, I'm able to take the lug nuts off easily with my 18 inch ratchet the next time I need to.


I've never tightened anything I own so tight that I couldn't get it apart. Both parties took it for granted that when you pay a pro you get the job done right. We know better here. I tell the tire shop "make sure I can get those lug nuts off." Not that it matters. Next time I need tires I'm seriously considering removing the wheels, tossing them in my van, and bringing them to the shop along with the new tires. Then have them mount and balance them and throw them back on myself. That will save me a lot of grief I think. I don't have to worry about them damaging the vehicle bringing into and out of the shop, looking for work that doesn't need to be done, or something else up.
YES-and that way you don't have to listen to them complain about them being a slightl;y different size, and they can't DESTROY the clearcoat in the lug holes on alloy wheels!

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: dogememe
The auto parts store I work at does a lot of delivering of 1-2 lug nuts and studs to this one shop. Very few to any other shops we deliver to. I won't name any names but it's a chain shop. I wonder what the story is there - perhaps they put wheels on with impacts and then they break off when repeat customers come in? IDK...


Maybe they have cash flow issues or a variety of poor management?

If I ran a tire shop I'd have some Dorman (tm) mega-kit so I wouldn't have to buy them by onesies and twosies.

My own saturn, maintained by myself, lunched a few studs one November for snow-tire changeover. The running torque of the 15-year old studs was enhanced by rust and general old age. I mount my own tires and they don't come off for inspections in my state so I was literally the only person to touch them for years, so I wouldn't call it stud stretching etc.

If a stud breaks when you get your car serviced, it's a good test of how honorable the shop is. They're cheap enough they should just comp you. If a MBA gets involved in some of that stupid "Just in Time Delivery" Six Sigma junk and they bill you for absolutely everything, you need to ask if it's worth it.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I go to a tire shop that torques lugs properly-with a torque wrench, not a stick...I watch them do it.

I will note that I once had lugs so tight a 300+lb dude with 4' shoulders needed a cheater pipe on his breaker bar to get two of them off. The gorilla with the impact wrench was at a dealer! (They'd just done the brakes.)

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
If a MBA gets involved in some of that stupid "Just in Time Delivery" Six Sigma junk and they bill you for absolutely everything, you need to ask if it's worth it.


Ha, 6 sigma.

I remember one place I used to work 15 years ago use that just in time method for cash flow management. We end up not getting one paycheck on time and one manager got upset (he was living paycheck to paycheck, single earner family of 5) and raise a complain to the CEO / owner of the company. That six sigma guy end up compensating everyone for $100 with his own money, but he still got fired the next month.

 

[JTK]

I know it's frowned upon, but I put a tiny bit of never seize on my lug studs. I have for 30 years. Never had a seized or snapped stud, even after shop work.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
It seems that it's getting to the point we need to add tire mounting equipment to our set of diy tools.

It's to the point that if I ever have to have a shop do something, such as putting on the tires in the first place, I go home and loosen everything off and torque them properly. The Infiniti dealership seems to have been pretty good here, but all it takes is one guy who loves the impact too much.

 

[Colt45ws]

Luckily I know a few people at the WalMart still, so I have them do my tires. They use torque sticks for the inital and torque wrench for the final. Is okay. They also know I dont like anti seize so they dont put any on for me. Havent had a problem getting tires off and Ive gone through probably 8 sets.

Originally Posted By: JMJNet
I am not sure what is going on but if there is a flat tire and the car is continuing to be driven for a few miles, the lug nut on that flat is tightening to the point that you cannot take it out with regular forces.

I usually have to use my body weight to loosen it.


Not happening. Nothing happens to the lugs on a flat to make them magically tighten.
As an example, on my car, with five 1/2 inch studs tightened to 100ft-lbs, there is 30 TONS of total load applied to the wheel, holding it to the hub. Anything that would make the wheel move on the hub would destroy the wheel and suspension.
I had a blow out once and had no trouble removing the tire with the (short) factory wrench.

 

[UberArchetype]

I stopped taking our vehicles to tire shops about 10 years ago. It was right after Discount tire ignored my specific request to not use the stock steel wheel torque spec on one of my truck's forged aluminum Centerline wheels. Fortunately no damage was done. I checked it myself and immediately re-torqued the lugs as soon as I got it home. Except for rare special cases, I take the wheels with old tires to the shop in the truck and mount them myself later after bringing them home.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: UberArchetype
I stopped taking our vehicles to tire shops about 10 years ago. It was right after Discount tire ignored my specific request to not use the stock steel wheel torque spec on one of my truck's forged aluminum Centerline wheels. Fortunately no damage was done. I checked it myself and immediately re-torqued the lugs as soon as I got it home. Except for rare special cases, I take the wheels with old tires to the shop in the truck and mount them myself later after bringing them home.


I had Mavis Tire destroy not one but all four center caps on my van's wheels. What bothered me most was the moron at the desk advised me of the difficulty they were having removing them after the fact. A little common sense and the center caps would have come right out. He gave me a cock and bull story, which I didn't have the time nor the patience for. Simple solution: I was going to pay cash, then I told him I was paying on the credit card and disputing the damage they did with the credit card company. He wasn't happy, his slightly reduced price for the damage wasn't cutting it for me either. I'm sure he was even less happy when Mavis Corporate called me and ended up settling for a lot more than four replacement caps were worth. They'll never see another one of my vehicles again.

 

[SHOZ]

4
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I keep my lug studs brushed up with Permatex anti-seize. That way after taking the car to a tire shop for whatever reason, I'm able to take the lug nuts off easily with my 18 inch ratchet the next time I need to.


I've never tightened anything I own so tight that I couldn't get it apart. Both parties took it for granted that when you pay a pro you get the job done right. We know better here. I tell the tire shop "make sure I can get those lug nuts off." Not that it matters. Next time I need tires I'm seriously considering removing the wheels, tossing them in my van, and bringing them to the shop along with the new tires. Then have them mount and balance them and throw them back on myself. That will save me a lot of grief I think. I don't have to worry about them damaging the vehicle bringing into and out of the shop, looking for work that doesn't need to be done, or (removed bypassing censor word) something else up.
That's what I have to do as I don't use the stock size tires. They will refuse to mount them on the car if they don't match the door sticker size.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

I burnish anti-seize into the lug bolts, wipe them down until only the color shows and never touch them again. I also remove the brake discs and do the same thing to the hub/disc interface. Never a problem with disassembly.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I've never tightened anything I own so tight that I couldn't get it apart. Both parties took it for granted that when you pay a pro you get the job done right. We know better here. I tell the tire shop "make sure I can get those lug nuts off." Not that it matters. Next time I need tires I'm seriously considering removing the wheels, tossing them in my van, and bringing them to the shop along with the new tires. Then have them mount and balance them and throw them back on myself. That will save me a lot of grief I think. I don't have to worry about them damaging the vehicle bringing into and out of the shop, looking for work that doesn't need to be done, or (removed bypassing censor word) something else up.


You'd be surprised by how many mechanics skip the simple steps like cleaning the threads on a bolt or not lubricating the bolt. There's a guy on YouTube called JimTheCarGuy. He'll put a dry rusty bolt back in and it'll squeak. I cringe every time he does that.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I've never tightened anything I own so tight that I couldn't get it apart. Both parties took it for granted that when you pay a pro you get the job done right. We know better here. I tell the tire shop "make sure I can get those lug nuts off." Not that it matters. Next time I need tires I'm seriously considering removing the wheels, tossing them in my van, and bringing them to the shop along with the new tires. Then have them mount and balance them and throw them back on myself. That will save me a lot of grief I think. I don't have to worry about them damaging the vehicle bringing into and out of the shop, looking for work that doesn't need to be done, or (removed bypassing censor word) something else up.


You'd be surprised by how many mechanics skip the simple steps like cleaning the threads on a bolt or not lubricating the bolt. There's a guy on YouTube called JimTheCarGuy. He'll put a dry rusty bolt back in and it'll squeak. I cringe every time he does that.


It amazes me too. I'm fortunate in that I very rarely go to a dealer or shop. My nephew in law and buddy were classic examples of why. Unfortunately there are a handful of times where I have to go to a shop. My last visit to a local shop resulted in a messed up steering column, for a signal light switch. I needed the van fast and was in the middle of a job, and couldn't drive w/o signal lights. I haven't figured out how to be in too places at one time yet, so every once in a while I give in, or I just don't feel like doing the work, laziness. I ultimately pay for that in the end, as I did here. End result was signal lights work, steering wheel clicks when it turns, tilt wheel didn't work, wheel not properly orientated, twice! I heard the typical B_S one would expect after the mechanic failed to fix it on the second attempt. That's if he even tried! Chalk him off the list. I pulled the wheel yesterday, properly orientated it and now have tilt steering again, but I slight click when I turn it. Two out of three, not bad. One day when I have more time and patience I'll have another look. Amazing that these shops stay in business, but they do.