411/412/603 wheel nut torque?

[Kevin H]

Does anyone know an official recommended figure for the 411 wheel nut torque with the Avon Safety wheels fitted? (I assume the same would apply to the 412 and 603)

This leads to another question - if a 3rd party car mechanic is working on your car, is it your responsibility to tell him/her what the wheel nut torque should be?

Or put another way, can a mechanic deny or reject responsibility for a road wheel falling off because I as the owner of the car have not told them what the torque should be?

[browning l]

Originally Posted by Kevin Howard

Does anyone know an official recommended figure for the 411 wheel nut torque with the Avon Safety wheels fitted? (I assume the same would apply to the 412 and 603)

This leads to another question - if a 3rd party car mechanic is working on your car, is it your responsibility to tell him/her what the wheel nut torque should be?

Or put another way, can a mechanic deny or reject responsibility for a road wheel falling off because I as the owner of the car have not told them what the torque should be?

So long as the legal system (ours, perhaps yours) allows anyone capable of paying the fees to file a lawsuit. you'll get as many answers as there are suits. Logic plays no part in it unless you have precedents already established.

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

[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.

[AlanD]

"PS: [I]Picking up on the other forum discussion on Fighter's knobs[/i], it seems Mr. Silverton is honouring the aeroplane heritage in detail design in the cars. This is good, in my view, as it has a sense of authenticity rather than branding. I have always enjoyed the no-nonsense design aspect of aero, milspec functionality. I like the idea that a gauge is held in by screws I can see, rather than requiring special tools or disassembly of half the dash in order to get to change the bulb on an instrument. It is an ethos of the company, and of its aficionados on this forum."


Hi
First post on this forum. My I ask what other forum is being referd to in the above post? Many thanks.

Regards

AlanD
Sydney

[Claude]

Originally Posted by AlanD

"PS: Picking up on the other forum discussion on Fighter's knobs, it seems Mr. Silverton is honouring the aeroplane heritage in detail design in the cars. This is good, in my view, as it has a sense of authenticity rather than branding. I have always enjoyed the no-nonsense design aspect of aero, milspec functionality. I like the idea that a gauge is held in by screws I can see, rather than requiring special tools or disassembly of half the dash in order to get to change the bulb on an instrument. It is an ethos of the company, and of its aficionados on this forum."


Hi
First post on this forum. My I ask what other forum is being referd to in the above post? Many thanks.

Regards

AlanD
Sydney

Alan

See http://www.bristolcars.info/forums/b...te-2007-a.html

Cheers
Claude