Lost a wheel.

[93GreenX]

Last week I had a local service station replace my brake pads and change my oil. Things I probably should have done myself, but didnt have time to. I wanted it done before I went away for a few days this weekend. Thursday night coming back from the beach with my girlfriend, about an hour drive each way. I got to within a few miles of her house where there was a stop sign. I accelerated to somewhere between 15 and 25 MPH when the entire vehichle started to shake badly and making a really loud vibrating noise, I let off the gas to stop when I see my left front tire fly from the wheel well off somewhere . . .

crunch

grind

slide

Put it into gear to get it out of the middle of the road..which fortunatly was a very deserted back road, not a single vehichle went by us in our lane in the two hours we were there.

All I had was the worthless Ford supplied bottle jack. Couldnt do anything with that. Called my parents...then called my g/fs family who were just down the road. Finally found my tire which rolled 100 yards or more into a hayfield.

Not a single stud was a broken, I found two lug nuts on the road. No telling where the rest of them fell off.

Clearly the lug nuts were not tightened properly. I have yet to find another explanation.

It messed up the rotors and all my new brake components on that side, the rim got messed up, my left fender, innerfender and tubberware got smashed pretty good and my bumper doesnt look quite right.

We talked to the guys at the service station, people my parents have dealt with for over 20 years. They've refused to take responsibility for it, yet They cant explain how 5 lug nuts could somehow back off, enough to cause a wheel to come off while driving. They also claim to not have liability insurance.

My X has been up at the Ford dealership all weekend and will remain there until sometime tuesday getting the brakes re-fixed. So I am without a vehicle until then. :frustrate : :fire:

The good news is that it wasnt any worse. I had been doing 60-65 on the trip to the beach and thankfully it didnt come off then.

Safe exploring,

Denny

 

[general x]

wow that sux. You have to eat the cost of a second repair??? Wouldnt it be illegal to not have liability or does the customer sign somthing saying if somthing happens to their ride it isent their fault, Id be pissed it that happened to me. Thats why i do my own work

 

[aldive]

I would go after the placed that did the first work.

You are mighty lucky, my friend.

 

[jimbo74]

you tell the shop look ****heads... pay for that..... its your fualt... if a shop doesnt have liability insurance, they are dumbshits.... thats their problem.. it isnt your fualt they fell off... contact a lawyer....

 

[BradE.]

Sue the place that did the repairs for the cost of the damages, I don't give a crap what they say, they are responsible. No insurance? Tough. Guess they have to pay it out of thier pocket then.

There is no excuse for this, you, or someone else, could have been seriously injured or even worse. I'd sue thier ass for sure, don't let this one be water under the bridge.

 

[bmxking5]

that sux. sorry to hear it.

 

[Hartman]

DON'T let those guys jerk you around, pursue them swifty and decisively! I know what it's like to loose a tire when in motion, and it's not fun!

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

Same thing happened to my dad about 5 years ago. Took his car to a local gas station to get the tires rotated, and one flew off on the highway while he was doing 60. Caused a lot of damage to the car; not sure who ended up footing the bill for repair - though I don't think we did! The gas station closed up about a year later, though he never went back for gas or service after the incident.

Sometimes they put too much torque on the lugnuts, and make them almost impossible to remove. I always throw my tire iron on the lug nuts if a service station/tire place has to touch my truck to make sure the nuts are property tight, and not overtightened.

Glad to hear you're ok.

 

[jimbo74]

if they overtightened them, the studs would have snapped due to the stress/fatique... however he said the studs were fine... meaning they probably just zipped them on and didnt torque them to the 100 ft #s they are supposed to get

 

[Hartman]

BTW tell them that it is very possible for all 5 lugs to back off the studs if you're going a constant speed on the highway.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Are they aluminum rims?

 

[jimbo74]

Are they aluminum rims?

i think i know what he is getting at... let me explain... aluminum rims sometimes deform and allow a lug nut to self loosen itself.....

however to have all of them fall off on their own! i think its shop negligence... a court of law will see it that way too....

if i was hte one who worked on that car at my work, i would be fired immediately on the spot and the company would have made restitution for all damages to the vehicle and given you a courtesty pack of stuff like lifetime free oil changes or something like that.....

 

[Mbrooks420]

Any time I have had aluminum rims mounted/balanced/new tires whatever, they always say to either bring them in for a free check, or to check them myself within 50 miles. They do this for a reason. If they didn't tell you this then they are 100% responsible.

 

[jimbo74]

that is done industry wide for new wheels... as their seats have never been used for lug nuts.... after the wheels have been on and off several times, the lug seats are alreaydy seated and should need that again..... to me, it sounds purely like they didnt torque it at all....

 

[93GreenX]

We are by no means letting this slide. When my parents first talked to the mechanic/owner, he said that he was sure he tightened the lug nuts...but then said that he would repair the brakes and mentioned something about going halfs on the deductible of MY insurance. It wasnt until a little later in the day when he called us back that he denied all responsibility.

We took it to the dealership so we can be alittle more confident it will be fixed right this time, Ford is also going to give us an estimate on the body repair. Then its going to small claims court. My dad is particularly pissed because of the long time we've dealt with this place, they always seemed like decent people. But now they won't take responsibility for their own screw up.

 

[SoBeLover]

It messed up the rotors and all my new brake components on that side, the rim got messed up, my left fender, innerfender and tubberware got smashed pretty good and my bumper doesnt look quite right.

The good news is that it wasnt any worse. I had been doing 60-65 on the trip to the beach and thankfully it didnt come off then.

Safe exploring,

Denny

Denny, I really feel for you. I had the same thing happen to me last November on the way to a New Hampshire offroading trip with other members of the forum. The difference was that I WAS going 65 mph when it happened. My brother checked my brakes the night before the trip and didn't tighten down the lug nuts enough. I was in the middle lane of the highway when it happened and all I was thinking was getting off the road before something bigger than me came by and hit me and my youngest daughter who was riding with me.

I lost the back brake drum, cylinder, pads, and completely destroyed the backing plate. It cost $680 to have it fixed and three days before I got my X back home, the auto repair place couldn't find a backing plate at any of the auto parts or junkyards there and had to order it.

When we went to pick it up, my brother made sure the lug nuts were all tight before we went home

 

[Charlie's_93EB]

wow, that just sucks, sorry.

 

[Ford_Racing_Guy]

i myself have almost lost a wheel because i didn't tighten the wheels properly,


where i work the wheels have to be torqued by a different person then the one who tightened them with the impact wrench,

and then we suggest that they come back later after 100 miles or so and have them re-torqued just to make sure that they are tight, i guess this is away for them to protect their ass

 

[jared ajlouny]

if you payed with mastercard, mastercard can get your money back. if that doesnt work sue the hell out of the, u could have died!

 

[93GreenX]

I paid with my Visa card, but the cost of the work they did is the least of it. After we get the estimate from Ford, hopefully tomorrow, we are going to the court house.

Thanks for the concern yall,

Denny