Super tight lug nut shop fault or not?

[Renol]

Wound up with a flat today...on the coldest day of the year no less. Using the kit included with the car the lug wrench lacked the leverage to break one lug nut loose. I broke 5 of the 6 loose with well placed stomps, but the last one resisted even me literally hopping on the wrench.

Now I had just had the very same tire off at a shop no less than 2 days prior so it wasn't necessarily a matter of corrosion. Could it have been a fluke due to weather conditions or is it more likely the shop went trigger happy on the impact? I know they typically do not torque to spec and just eyeball it. Normally I wouldn't care as they don't go crazy on the impact but with this flat I wouldn't have been able to get home without the aid of a nearby shop. I weigh close to 170lbs and my jumping and stomping hard on the bar didn't do anything. I highly HIGHLY doubt that nut was 83ft-lbs or even close to it.

I am considering telling them torque to spec every time from now on. Does that seem reasonable?

Also can anyone recommend a specific brand of T bar or other such large wrench I can leave in the car? I seem to have an attraction to flats on this car.

 

[Syr4RinNC]

Yea, I agree - sounds like either they just air gunned it, or possibly cross threaded, or some dirt or something go in the threads while tightening it.

Personally, I think the shop will just think your a pain in the ass if you make specific requests. I would just keep a tally of the things in general the shop seems to do well and not do well for your future repairs.

The lug nuts should be torqued to 83 ft pounds, so jumping on it should easily help it break free.

Id just get a breaker bar and 21 mm socket from harbor freight or home depot

 

[ArthurKotb]

When you removed 5 of 6, #6 had more tension on it. Next time try loosen the nuts in a 'star' pattern; loosen opposing nuts, but just enough to take the tension off each one. I have also had luck in tightening them back after I break them loose, then work on the stubborn nut to get it loose, then the first five.

Tire shops just use the pneumatic wrench until the bolts ratchet the tool. There's no proper torquing. When I have tire work done I bring my truck home and torque all the wheels to 83 ft lbs. I carry a Harbor Freight breaker bar and socket as well. Be prepared - Scout motto. :-D

 

[Syr4RinNC]

When you removed 5 of 6, #6 had more tension on it. Next time try loosen the nuts in a 'star' pattern; loosen opposing nuts, but just enough to take the tension off each one. I have also had luck in tightening them back after I break them loose, then work on the stubborn nut to get it loose, then the first five.

Tire shops just use the pneumatic wrench until the bolts ratchet the tool. There's no proper torquing. When I have tire work done I bring my truck home and torque all the wheels to 83 ft lbs. I carry a Harbor Freight breaker bar and socket as well. Be prepared - Scout motto. :-D

Yea that’s a good point- if it was the last bolt- the wheel may not have been straight- pushing on the bolt. I try to just break them/ but leave them threaded on the ground then lift the vehicle to remove them all

 

[ArthurKotb]

Yea that’s a good point- if it was the last bolt- the wheel may not have been straight- pushing on the bolt.

It applies to more than just car wheels. After struggling for a long time with this issue (last nut/bolt being impossible to remove) it finally dawned on me that it's the most difficult because I removed all the others, leaving all the pressure on the remaining one. I learned to just barely loosen each one (wheel, board, door, whatever) until they were all loosened, then start removing them. It works 90% of the time. For the rest there's WD-40, vice grips, Channel Locks or a Dremel cut-off wheel.

 

[Renol]

Thanks for the responses all. For context the stuck bolt was the last one only because I couldn't break it loose. I actually tried getting it loose as the 3rd bolt but gave up after several well placed stomps.

Regardless, I will take the suggestions under advisement.

 

[ArthurKotb]

Many years ago I had a flat on my '58 Volkswagen. I couldn't get the nut to turn and stood on the tire iron. It snapped off because the nuts on that side were reverse threaded. I had to take it to a shop and have the stud replaced. Since then I don't jump up and down on lug nuts. German engineering, I'm sure they had a reason.

 

[tom4416]

Invest the $30 in a Harbor Freight torque wrench and the proper socket and then as soon as you get home after having tire work done, retighten everything to spec with your torque wrench. Costco is the only tire shop I've seen that regularly uses a calibrated torque wrench to install lug nuts, everyone else uses a torque stick on their gun and hope that it comes "close".

 

[MikeinNH67]

Most likely they tightened it too much. I had one place do a state inspection, they gave me the car back with a broken lug stud. I've never done that myself on one of my cars. This same place didn't tighten a wheel's nuts enough on my niece's Jeep which ruined the wheel as it got loose. I don't go there any more and always check my lug-nuts after a few miles of driving no matter who has a wheel off including myself.

As mentioned, get a HF 2' breaker bar and the correct socket. I keep a set in my truck.