Lug nuts fell off? Just had tires replaced

[azturbo3d]

So I'm driving around today and start hearing a weird noise from my rear wheel. At first I think its suspension but notice it gets more intense the faster I drive. So, I pull over and notice my wheel is missing TWO lugnuts. And one of those happens to be the locking one I got when I bought my car.

I just had my tires replaced two weeks ago, so I have reason to be believe they messed up.

Question is: can I just go out and buy ordinary lug nuts? And is it going to be hard to find new wheel locks? I know they gave me a special key to get mine off in the first place.

I'm new to this, so any help would be appreciated.

 

[mortimersnerd]

I would go wherever you bought those tires and express your unhappiness in clear terms. Let them figure it out.

 

[blackmica_es]

...but to answer your question, you can go and buy ordinary lug nuts as long as they're in the 12 x 1.5 size. you might have to get a new set of wheel locks, however, seeing that you've already lost one. a set of mcgard locks should set you back about $25 on ebay. it's just best to replace the whole set rather than have 2 keys, imo...

 

[essejkcamraw]

haha if it makes you feel any better this is what happened to me once after a new rim was put on my car (old one got curbed so i replaced it.)

doin about 40mph felt what seemed like a flat. went to pull over an off it went hah. only thing left of my forged lugs nuts were the threads left on the lugs haha. hope that makes you feel better though =]

 

[azturbo3d]

i appreciate all the help guys. gonna get some lugnuts tomorrow. makes me wonder if someone was trying to steal my car.

esse sorry to hear that happened to you. maybe get her some more mods to make up for it lol

 

[Wastegate13]

Stories like this should remind everyone to double check your torque if you don't personally install your wheels. I've seen far too many instances of tire shops being lazy or forgetful.

 

[BillTheCat]

Each time I've tinkered with my wheels, I've torqued them down, then re-torqued them 2-3 days later. They seem to loosen up over the first few days, but after the 2nd torque down, they seem to stay put.

 

[noobinacan]

what kind of forget lug nuts were you running ?

 

[Kain]

Stories like this should remind everyone to double check your torque if you don't personally install your wheels. I've seen far too many instances of tire shops being lazy or forgetful.

+eleventy. I always re-torque the lugnuts after any shop has had to remove the wheels. Most places just gun them on or sometimes even forget to tighten them all down to get you off the lift quickly and get the next customer on.

 

[Hank3]

Each time I've tinkered with my wheels, I've torqued them down, then re-torqued them 2-3 days later. They seem to loosen up over the first few days, but after the 2nd torque down, they seem to stay put.

Ditto. In my case, if my wheels have been tightened by a shop/gorilla, they tend to be overtightened instead of not tight enough.

 

[ElGaspo]

haha if it makes you feel any better this is what happened to me once after a new rim was put on my car (old one got curbed so i replaced it.)

doin about 40mph felt what seemed like a flat. went to pull over an off it went hah. only thing left of my forged lugs nuts were the threads left on the lugs haha. hope that makes you feel better though =]

aw man, that's just plain scary - horror movie scary. i can already tell i'm gonna have nightmares the night before i rotate or get new tires...

 

[Darth Vader]

My wife had the same thing happen to her MZ 3 GT. Came back from the shop (a dealer) where it had its brake pads replaced. She says, "It's driving funny, can you check it out for me?" I put my thinking cap on and get my torque wrench out and, sure as s***, all 10 on the back are on hand tight.

I went back there, spoke reasonably and, we didn't have to pay for that service.

 

[essejkcamraw]

i appreciate all the help guys. gonna get some lugnuts tomorrow. makes me wonder if someone was trying to steal my car.

esse sorry to hear that happened to you. maybe get her some more mods to make up for it lol

yeah it was right after leaving the place haha. shes almost fully bolted now an its as far as im goin.. it happened awhile ago though, they replaced the new wheel with a new one. and fixed all the damage done AND fired the guy who worked on the car. kind of just a funny story now.

what kind of forget lug nuts were you running ?

they were blox forged lugs. i had them for a little over a year, quality wasnt the greatest really. they faded from black to a bronze color in a matter of just a few weeks.

 

[MikeHTally]

Ouch! I always check the lug nuts' torque when I get home from a rotate/balance and then a week or so afterward. If I could get my floor jack in position, I'd just do it myself. WAY faster.

 

[H3br3w_Ham3r]

Horay for the torque wrench!

 

[azturbo3d]

Just an update.

Got some new lug nuts at pep boys and they said even the 3 remaining lug nuts were loose.

I emailed my service department and they really quickly called me. They are going to get me new lug nuts and wheel locks for all four wheels. They made it right, so I am very happy with their customer service.

 

[madvillian]

holy s*** jesse, thats intense!

 

[vtakk]

I can't believe ppl still trust tire shops etc.
When after balancing wheels on my RSX I grabbed wrench and checked every nut guys from the shop looked at me like I'm crazy. But believe me or not two nuts were not tighten. I said nothing just drove away.

+1 to the guy suggesting to recheck torque after few days of driving.

 

[H3br3w_Ham3r]

I remember when my brother first got his Cobra. Drove it for ten min and a wheel fell off in the middle of an intersection.

 

[bigdaddy]

I remember when my brother first got his Cobra. Drove it for ten min and a wheel fell off in the middle of an intersection.

do they need to be torqued to a certain amount, or just super tight?