411/412/603 wheel nut torque?

[RGSchmitt]

"Common sense would dictate prudence on the part of both the
mechanic and the owner."

In other words, if you would rather not be driving with a wheel
falling off, know the right torque values and watch the wheel being
reinstalled accordingly!

[Rubbond]

In my experience, wheels usually fall off because the garage mechanic simply
forgot to tighten the nuts at all.
In small garages usually the result of going off to answer the 'phone.
If do your best with a standard wheel wrench (with the wheel back on the
ground of course) this will normally be more than adequate.
I wouldn't advise the mechanic about anything. Let him pretend the wheel is
a brand new component, and he should be able to get his head around that.
I lost 4 out of 5 wheel nuts on the front left-hand wheel of a Range Rover
(on the motorway!) about 3 years ago. It starts with a vibration as if
you've lost a balancing weight, but when you slow down, it's not nice at
all. The Anti-theft nut seems to stay on longest.
On that occasion the garage actually admitted they had forgotten to tighten
the nuts after replacing the brake pads. (It happened within 40 km).
How could you sue someone that honest? He even supplied the new nuts at his
cost! Don't use him any longer of course.
I also once got a cup of boiling water spilled over my stomach at an airport
in the USA (they call it coffee there). I guess that was the first million I
lost?
More recently I lost 2 nuts on a Discovery, over1000 miles after the last
service. I think that time it was the front right wheel.
It is logical isn't it, that the left wheel nuts will always loosen more
quickly, due to friction and gyroscopic forces?
Maybe Top Gear could put this to the test on their track.
Wheel nuts on Land Rovers by the way are very expensive. I believe they are
stainless steel, so they don't rust solid as with many cars.
I wonder if people just steal them?

[Hydroglen]

Alfa Romeo and many Chryslers + had reversed threads so that left is left
and right is right so basically self tightening.
I always tighten my own wheels and in the rare occasions when a shop does
it, I have them use a hand wrench.
Anybody who allows a garage to use an impact gun on wheel nuts is inviting
disaster. The impact damages the nuts and may overtighten them as in an
effort to be safe, the settings are set too high....then try undoing them
when you have a flat.
Dorien

[lansdownplace]

You would need to show that the mechanic was negligent to succeed in
a claim. Trying to show he did not torque the nuts properly would be
nearly impossible and very expensive to prove especially if he had a
good laywer.

If you specify the torque and it's wrong it definately ends up back
in your lap.

[Kevin H]

This isn't about to become the subject of a law suit, but the topic came up (again) yesterday because I finally picked my 411 up from the mechanic who has had it for the last 9+ years.

The mechanic and I have had quite a lot of correspondence lately in which I have criticised numerous events in relation to my car, which in a roundabout way I was saying were down to either his negligence or at the very least a poor decision on his part. Yesterday he went about denying responsibility for every one of these events for one reason or another, in most cases claiming we had conversations that we did not in fact have. One of these issues was the wheel falling off when I went to road test the car earlier this year.

He said he asked me for the torque settings, which he didn't, and went on to say that in the absence of any manufacturers information regarding wheel nut torque I supposedly told him to use the same settings as a Jensen, which apparently is 55 ft/lbs. This is in fact a complete fabrication of the truth because we never had any such conversation.

Originally Posted by RGSchmitt

"Common sense would dictate prudence on the part of both the mechanic and the owner."

In other words, if you would rather not be driving with a wheel
falling off, know the right torque values and watch the wheel being
reinstalled accordingly!

Okay, so what should the torque value be for the wheel nuts?

And in real life how many owners of Bristols, or any other car, (a) know what the torque spec is, and (b) supervise the mechanic doing up the wheel nuts with a torque wrench?

[Kenneth Andrén]

Hi,

I discussed this with Norman at Motor Wheel Services and he suggested 80ft/lbs for my Arnolt.

Best

Kenenth

[Nick Challacombe]

Wow, I am so glad you have got the car back, it has been a long saga
demanding immense patience on your part.
I think I might in my younger days have given him a Rugby kiss on the nose.
Have you now to finish the car?
You could do a TV programme on Rogue Traders.
Kind regards,
nick

[Kevin H]

Originally Posted by kenneth

Hi,
I discussed this with Norman at Motor Wheel Services and he suggested 80ft/lbs for my Arnolt.

Best
Kenenth

Thanks Kenneth. I have seen figures of 70-100 ft/lb quoted from Geoff Dowdle, but this is quite a large range. Mine are apparently now 95 ft/lb. Of course I only have the mechanics word on this, which is beginning to prove quite unreliable, so I will check them!