Lug nut torque discrepancy

outpost22

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2015 Mazda CX-5 Touring
For those of you that have never had your wheels off the car since you owned it, you may wish to check the torque on the lug nuts. I have less than 100 miles on the new 2015, and removed the wheels to put splash guards on (yes we live on a gravel road). I have a high quality impact air wrench to remove lug nuts. For reference, My F350 uses a torque value of 150 ft. lbs. and my impact wrench removes them quite easily. When I removed the CX-5 lugs, I almost couldn't get 5 (out of 20) off with my impact wrench. I had to turn my compressor (3 hp Ingersol Rand) up to almost max to remove those 5 lugs. Some of the other lugs were not loose, but certainly not even 50-60 foot lbs. I'm only warning those that may wish to check them because if you were to get a flat tire, I KNOW there is no way those lugs would have come off on the side of the road if you or I had to put a spare on with only the supplied tools. You might want to check them BEFORE you need to ever remove them.
 
Spank the dealer - this should be something they check. For reference, I had no problems when I switched over to the snows on our 2014 GT - all nuts seemed to be torqued about the same.

Flymo
 
Well the dealer will be spanked on a few items in the upcoming survey. It should be noted that this is a Mazda dealer that services everything through their Ford side. The car supposedly went in for "detailing" before pick up. (Why one "details" a new car is odd anyway)
I found the following before I even took possession of the car:
1. The windshield washer reservoir cap was open and just lying on top of the opening.
2. The washer reservoir was only 1/2 full.
3.A fistful of leaves were clumped up below the windshield wipers and immediately evident when the hood was raised.
4. There are 3 paint chips on the drivers door.
5. The front grill was dirty and obviously not "detailed".

In hindsight, I should have brought one of my torque wrenches with me to check the wheels...(boom03)

Needless to say, if this is "detailing, I would hate to see their standard "car wash".

One of the survey questions at the dealership was "Will you be bringing in your car to the dealer for maintenance?" Let me think about that one... (yupnope)
Now you know why when I bought new race bikes I would tear them down to the frame and reassemble them. It's amazing what is not greased or tightened. My next adventure will be to check torque on the nuts and bolts on the undercarriage and suspension. Geez, it's not like I don't have other things to do (gah)
 
I find it highly unlikely that the factory would let cars go with less than recommended lug values. Something doesn't seem correct here but, I can't figure out what could cause that problem. New car "detailing" is usually a money maker for the dealer and amounts to nothing being done. ed
 
In using the term "detailing" they may have been referring to the pre-delivery inspection. They PDI is what they do to make sure the customer gets a good first impression. Even if everything is perfect, they need to remove plastic wrap from the seats, make sure everything works, and wash the travel dust off. It's a bit unusual to have the factory not torque the lug nuts correctly, but not unheard of. In the bad old days, the dealers use to have to rebuild and repair a lot, more so on Monday and Friday cars. But today it's usually pretty good.

Sound like your dealer really blew it.

Flymo
 
I found that my optional locking lugs were way under torqued, they were slightly more than hand tight. I had removed one of my wheels to weigh my rim tire combo and discovered the loose locking lugs. After I discovered the first one being loose I went around to the other three, and they were all loose. I seem to remember the locking lugs began to grab at about 40-50 ft lbs on my torquer. All of the normal lugs were torqued appropriately to around 100 ft lbs. I wonder if the optional locking lugs are an option that the dealer installs?
 
Does your state require a state inspection sticker? It's required here in Pa. Wheels are supposed to be removed to inspect brakes as part of the new car service/state inspection, some dealers don't because it's new and they feel they don't have to. Maybe a dealer mechanic got overzealous with the impact gun.
 
New car "detailing" is usually a money maker for the dealer and amounts to nothing being done. ed

You are right as NOTHING was done since I test drove the vehicle.

RE: State inspection stickers: None are required to my knowledge in this state.

I have a philosophy of not relying on other people for many things, including mechanical issues. Thankfully when I have mechanicals beyond my repair skills, I have a local trusted ASE mechanic that is bone honest. That's almost as rare as hen's teeth.
 
Yes, the locking lugs are an option the dealer installs. Anyone want some? Yours for the price of shipping.

The locking lugs were the second thing I took off our CX5.

Flymo
 
@OUTPOST: Did you check the oil? I checked the oil level on my new CX-5 when I got home from the dealer, it was low by more than 1/2 of a quart. So much for PDI. At least it got washed.
 
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