I don't trust garages-my wheel flew off!

[Nathan]

This morning I was delivering papers. My front end started to fibrate some so I got out a few times to inspect the tires and see what the problem was. I could see nothing. A few minutes later driving down a one way road my tire(with the wheel) flew right off! While controlling my Jeep to a stop I jokingly said, "well, there's your problem!". That darn tire rolled 200 feet then hit a pole and rolled down a long bank into a corn field! It took me forever to find that darn tire as I could not see where it went into the corn field. Damage is not too bad but will still cost me. I will need a new rotor as that was growned down pretty bad. Bad enough to leave a big gash in the road. I will also need new studs as they are rounded down and I might need a new wheel too. Thank god it did not damage the axel. At lest I hope it didn't.

I had gotten new tires a few weeks back and I think they did not put the lugs back on tight enough. I shoulda looked at their work like I usually do when I take it to a garage. But that time I didn't because how hard is it to tighten the darn lug nuts?!

Anyway, I am alive and it's kinda funny but still.....gotta spend my hard earned money.

-Nate

[mennie]

I guess you are lucky that it was the tire rolling in the corn field an not the car with you!
Last time that I bought new tires for the Alfa the garage put some sort of loctite on the bolts, so I hope I'm safe. Never hurts to check once in a while though.

[Former Member]

Nate,

Glad you and nobody else got hurt.

Loosening the lug-nuts on car wheels is also a favorite with vandals from time to time so you just never know who the culprit might be.

John

[oscardeuce]

The same thing happened to me about 6 months ago.

$2400 bucks damage, 3 days after the tires were rotated. The place that did the work fixed my car and gave me a rental.

[Steve Nelson]

Same thing happened to me about 20 years ago, but it was my own stupid fault. I was talkig to my neighbor while changing a tire. I finger-tighted the lugnuts, then took it down of the jack..but forgot to finish tightening them with the wrench. Next day, I thought that grinding noise was a wheel bearing going out, until the left rear tire passed me. Unfortunately, it bounced off an oncoming car. No injuries, but it bumped up my insurance rates.

SN

[Chris Brame]

In my case, it was on a '63 Ford Galaxie I had been fixing up - Monkey Ward replaced everything in the brake system (to the tune of $900!) and I traded the car to one of my car club friends for a '72 Cadillac. Two days later he called me and said the right front wheel had come off on an S-curve on his way home; luckily neither he nor the wheel hit anybody. We towed it to Ward's and showed them the damage; the service manager's eyes got real big - since there were several customers at the counter who heard me telling what happened! At least they fixed it right away...