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My local dealer had a special on for oil and filter change including tire rotation and carfax report.
I needed an oil change so it seemed a no brainier. Booked it it in same day and they did it whilst I waited. Free coffee, cookies and playing with the loaded S8 in the show room was very nice. Car was returned to me nice and clean and I was on my way for a relative bargain so I was happy.
Anyway...went for a weekend trip away with the family and noticed a slight vibration at highway speeds through the steering that seemed like a minor wheel imbalance and nothing to worry about. Few days after getting back I was driving around and a rubbing/grinding noise from the front left wheel suddenly started. Brake pad warning light had come on a few days earlier so thought it was the brakes. So I drove it to my local shop and asked them to replace the brakes and see why it was suddenly rubbing.
As the tech was driving the car into the shop, a lug bolt dropped onto the ground and the front left corner collapsed....WTF!!!!!
Turns out that during the tire rotation at the dealer, the lug bolts in the front left wheel weren't tightened down properly and they gradually fell out as I drove, leaving just two in loosely by the time I got to the shop and why it suddenly started rubbing. The 4th one dropped out as the tech drove it into the shop and the single remaining loose bolt was not enough to hold the wheel on so it essentially fell off the hub.
Fortunately the damage was limited to a ruined hub, spacer, wheel, rotor dust sheild and upper control arm which the dealer picked up the tab for without any argument (could have been disastrous for me as well as them). So ultimately they put their mistake right and no harm was done.
But moral to the story is, always check your lug bolts after the wheels have been taken off by anyone not yourself. These dealer guys are worked to death and elementary mistakes like this happen, even though its reasonable to assume you wouldn't need to check something so basic.
Im just glad the wheel didn't detach whilst on the highway or during the emergency stop and swerve I had to do as one of Michigan's finest deer was on a suicide mission on our weekend away.
Glad to hear it worked out okay. I did that once on my 4 lug 73 100LS when I was about 18, had to jack it up with my only worm gear piece of junk Audi widow maker jack back in the trunk I used about 100x before getting a floor jack, and had to lower to ground and remember to tighten rears fully with those oh so effective rear drums with no cooling fins even let alone wear manual adjustment. Think it was another year until I had a (pointer type) torque wrench. Likewise sudden weird vibration came on. Fortunately I was the prior (dumb) mechanic and remembered the work; 5 minutes and back on the road on the way to another 100K. Cars and tools have come a long way, but sometimes young or old the human component fails.
I have heard of easier ways, but at least one wheel bearing can probably be checked off the D3 balance of life watch list too.
I have to admit I did the same thing to rear passenger tire on my old BMW 740il, after changing the brakes. Went for a drive and when coming to a stop the rear felt like it was riding on a egg instead of a round tire, plus there was a really weird sound that resembled a light and quick bell ring. I am assuming the noise was coming form the wheel knocking up against the hub. Funny thing is I stopped right before an inclined train track, hopped out and tighten the bolts. The few people behind me had the weirds look on their face. I told my father whenever I got home to which he responded with a quick laugh and:
Reading this reminds me of the comedian Ron White in his standup routine called "They call me Tater Salad". He tells the story of going into Sears to have new tires put on his van and when he leaves, one of the wheels "falls off" "falls the F@&k off" It is absolutely hilarious when he talks about it but its not funny when it happens
They aren't hanging your brake caliper by your brake hose, are they?
Picture isn't clear, and I know those things are HEAVY.....
I've had the same thing happen to me, only it was my own stupid fault. Jeep Grand Cherokee, took a corner and it went all wobbly... luckily was only a few blocks from home and brought my wrenches with me for my test drive after my morning tire rotation....
It even happens during an Indy or Nascar race when one of the highly trained, crackerjack wheel guys doesn't tighten the wheel bolts correctly during a pit stop. Seen it happen many times.
Funny you should mention that, as I was thinking it while reading down the page… Beginning in 2015, the race stewards in NASCAR no longer require all five lugs to be tightened securely, so some of the stops are resulting in only 2-3 lugs actually being tight. Lot's of failed wheels last year and again this year. Shaving a second-or-two in the pits can be a recipe for disaster. Of course, things can be worse. A colleague of mine brought his 911 in for an oil change and by the time he got back to the university, the car was making a horrific noise. The tech forgot the oil - lunched that motor (a $19K mistake for the dealer to correct).
03-25-2016, 08:13 PM
Unintended consequences
