Wheel Woes + Fire Extinguisher Explosion
 

I just got back from American Tire and getting my wheels rebalanced, I was getting some large vibrations. They fixed the balance issue, but gave me two new problems.

First, they stripped two lug nuts and two lug holes on the car. They got one back in, but I have to go buy a new lug nut for the other hole. They also rethreaded one of the holes. Has anyone had this happen before? Should I be concerned about the rethreading?
Second, they lost the bag the wheel lock was in, that had the wheel lock serial number on it. Is there anyway I can find out which of the 30 wheel locks I have? Is this a problem?

I don't think I will be returning to this tire place again, even if I end up spending double somewhere else.
Thanks! :cheers:

I just a had a major mishap.

I got the new lug nut and installed it using the wrench from the spare tire kit. When I secured the spare tire back into place, I was putting my fire extinguisher back between the tire and the amp and the extinguisher went off!!!
I covered the entire front trunk with dry chemical fire extiguixser powder.
Does anyone have tops for getting it out of the car?
Also, can anyone recommend a better type of replacement in the under $50 range?
Thanks!

rick3000,

Sorry to hear about your mishaps. Unfortunately I don't have any great solutions for you.

I'm always concerned about something like this happening when dealing with my 986. It is a pain, but whenever I have a tire mounted and/or balanced I take them off of the car and deliver them to the tire place in my daily driver Jeep. Of course you have to own another vehicle to do this, but it offers a lot of peace of mind for me.

Best of luck getting this resolved.

ddb

Man that's just brutal. That's total carelessness on their part.
At the very least they should cover the new bolts plus the cost of another security socket. ( i believe only dealers have a full set). Personally I wouldn't trust them to get the threading right. I'd be concerned too. Did they even torque the lugs?

get a halon extinguisher next time. you can get them recharged & they don't leave a powder mess.

I got the new lug nut and I can deal with $8.50, and there isn't much I can do about them rethreading the hubs. They didn't change the threading but they tried to correct it because it was slightly stripped. They did torque the lug nuts. I just won't be going back though.

I am an looking at a halon extinguisher. After spending 3-4 hours cleaning the powder out of the trunk, I am just glad it didn't go off in the car. Can anyone make a recommendation for a halon extinguisher under $120?
Also, how big of an extinguisher do you need? The average seems to be 2.5 lb. but would a 1.4 lb. be alright?

Sorry to hear about that. That tire dealer sounds like the Discount Tire shop I took my mom's Benz to, to get new tires. Real sloppy service. I purchased 4 new tires from them, and when they installed them, they put wheel weights on 3 of the tires (one didn't have any put on), and when I touched one of the weights lightly, it fell right off. Then I take a look at each wheel, and notice that only one of them has tire valve covers on them. I ask them to find the other 3 metal covers, and they can't find them, so they offer me 4 cheap plastic covers with a faux chrome look. Never again.

For your own safety's sake, I would suggest that in a week after driving the car, go back and check the torque values of the wheel where they re-threaded the hub. It should be at 96 ft lbs. You don't want the wheel coming off at speed.

Rick3000,

Make a claim against the tire shop, if they're worth a ******************** they'll fix it. If they don't want to work with you get the work done right at a reputable shop and take them to small claims court then register a complain to the Better Business Bureau in your area.

Don't pay for their screw-up.

Thanks for the tip, I'll check the torque in a few days. And now that you mention it, they also lost my $15 metal valve caps.

I am not going to take them to small claims court over $15 caps, an $8.50 lug nut, and a plastic bag with the wheel lock serial number.
Unless your suggested that them rethreading the hub is something they need to replace, due to diminished value or a safety problem.

Sounds like some moron put your wheel bolt (not lug nut) on with an impact wrench and cross threaded it. Seeing that these hold your wheels to the car, I would demand they pay for a new hub; I certainly wouldn't settle for something that has been chased or re-threaded.

Sorry about the chemical extingiusher...nasty stuff. There are a number of places to order a halon unit; do a Google search. Most sanction bodies require at least 2.5 lbs, but it doesn't sound applicable. Expect to pay at least $150...

I am definetly looking into a 2.5lb. Halon extinguisher, then I can get a mount for my passenger seat.

I just sent American Tire a letter letting them know what happened. I am definately going to pursue getting my front hub replaced because that is the one they rethreaded two of the holes on. I am not going to risk the wheel coming off because some teen decided to try a rethread my hub because they didn't know what they were doing. Hopefully, I can get this taken care of without to much trouble.
Does anyone know what a drivers side front hub runs? :cheers:

I lucked out and scored a 2.5lb. Halon Extinguisher with the BK Boxster mount for $112 on eBay.
American Tire also called, and they are going to replace my hub, and refund me for my tire change to compensate for gas. They are great and really haven't given me any hassle. I would recommend them if you make sure to tell them not to use an impact wrench while putting your lug nets back on. :cheers:

That's really great news man.