Chuck A6 4.2

I had my tires rotated and balanced today. As I drove back to work, I felt a little vibration at 60 mph. I thought great (sarcastically) - I guess I had an uneven wear pattern that I will now have to live with for a while. (The shop has a Hunter machine, so I didn't suspect a bad balancing.)

But, on the way home after work, the vibration quickly increased. Then I thought, oh sh*t. I immediately stopped the car. The driver side rear tire was missing one lug, another lug was halfway out, and the other three were loose. I jacked the car and tightened the four lugs in a pattern. The other wheels checked out ok. I then drove slowly home the rest of the way (fortunately, I could in light traffic).

I don't see any damage to the wheel in the lug nut holes (that is, with the remaining lug nuts in).

Of course, I am going to raise heck with the tire shop tomorrow. But, I am wondering if I should have the dealer look for any damage. (I don't want the tire shop to "assess" any potential damage that would cost them money.) Any thoughts on what might be damaged, if anything?

Finally, if anything is wrong, does Tire Rack have any influence over the tire shop to persuade them pay for any damages if they initially resist? I bought the tires through Tire Rack and had them installed at one of their recommended installers. I've had the tires rotated at that same shop every 7500 miles.

Gary@Tirerack.com

Sounds like you got to it before any damage occurred. If something does come up, contact my customer service department at 1-800-428-8355, ext 360 if you're not able to work with out with the installer.

Chuck A6 4.2

Thanks for the response.

I called the Audi dealer this morning. They had the same response as you.

I am heading over to the tire store now to get them to look at the wheel.

Chuck A6 4.2

The owner/manager said that the tech did tighten the lugs, but he neglected to clean the hub (onto which the wheel attaches) before he mounted the wheel. The tech is supposed to do that.

The owner/manager said that if you don't clean the corrosion off the hub, the wheel might not seat correctly when you torque down the lugs. When you start driving, the wheel seats more closely to the hub, leaving the lugs slightly loose. As you continue to drive, the lugs begin to work their way free.

The shop pulled the wheels, cleaned the hubs, and rechecked the balance on all the wheels. There was no damage to the threads on the wheel that lost the lug.

This jives with the symptoms I experienced. It was more than five miles before I felt a vibration and not until I got up to 60 mph. As I drove more, the vibration started to move to lower speeds. At that point, I thought a balancing weight had come off. But, later that night, I started out and found that the vibration was significant. I pulled over and found the missing/loose lugs.

Does this sound like a valid explanation?

This is an independent shop, not part of a chain. The owner/manager did not make excuses and was very up front with me. He didn't try to minimize the danger that could have occurred. So, either he's a very good actor or he is as sincere as he appeared to be.

Reggie

since no damage was done.

If the wheel was off when it was seated - it would have vibrated from being off center.

Human error is more common than and more probable

Chuck A6 4.2

Yeah, that's what I think - human error. But, since the damage seems to be none and he wasn't a jerk, I think it's best to live and let live.

Reggie

Tell him you accept what he says and that you appreciate his honesty and that you appreciate how he handle this situation. Might be worth better treatment in the future.

But on the other hand document all that has occurred