To not want to go back to the garage?

[Roififfufu]

I’m feeling really shaken today. Yesterday I came home from a holiday four hours away. I drove on the motorway for the first 100 miles, and then thankfully turned off ten miles early to have lunch in the countryside. I then made the decision to come home via country roads instead of rejoining the motorway.

Five minutes after leaving lunch, going 60mph on an A road, the car suddenly swerved into oncoming traffic and I couldn’t get it under control. There was a lorry coming towards me but thankfully, somehow, whether through his actions or mine, we didn’t collide and I finally slowed the car and parked and rang breakdown. I looked at the wheels and one was completely bent out of shape.

When they arrived they took the covers off the wheels and it revealed that two of the four bolts were entirely out, one was very loose and just holding the wheel on, and the fourth had snapped under the pressure of being the only one properly connected, and when it snapped it caused the swerving. I can’t stop thinking about if the car had swerved ten seconds later into the lorry, or if I hadn’t decided to turn off the motorway early.

The tyre of that wheel was changed by the garage as part of the car’s MOT two weeks ago.

Anyway, people are telling me to take it back and that the garage should be providing a new wheel (the metal had contorted under the strain and I drove home with the spare wheel on). I know the garage has taken on a 19ish man who they seem to be training up, and he was the one who told me which tyre had been changed so I assume he did the work. But 1. I think the garage will be arsey and try and deny responsibility and 2. I really don’t trust this garage any more.

The breakdown mechanic said I should tell them so they can get more training. Should I bother taking it back to them? I still feel really shaken by it all.

I didn’t suggest they needed to be checked every time you drive though……..

I’ve had tyres changed on my cars for 30 years, nobody ever told me to do this and my wheels have never come loose.

If you did several hundred miles it suggests they had been tight when the car left the garage.

it’s always possible that someone has tampered with them at some point since when the car has been parked up.

But wheel bolts and nuts do sometimes come loose. I have had it happen twice on cars and both times they hadn’t recently had a wheel removed.

I now always check a couple of times after the wheels have been off for whatever reason.

Funnily enough I’ve just got two new tyres today and I actually read the invoice - it does say to check the bolts after 30 miles (I think). I’ve never seen this before, have probably never looked at the invoice before!

Went back to the garage today. He suggested I might need the hub cap replaced because of the broken screw. He asked if I’d had the tyre changed recently and I politely said yes, at his garage. He then said he could probably get the bolt out and I probably need a new wheel. He said it was strange and someone might have tampered with the bolts. Anyway, it’s done for £40 but I’m a. not happy I’ve had to pay to get their mistake which could’ve cost a lot more fixed and b. concerned that they won’t do work right again.

But they’ve always been so good, so bit torn.

I check them weekly along with my tyre pressures which are also altered according to how heavily laden my car is.
I check them before I do any long journey on the motorway.
If I ever hit a big pothole, I check the tightness of the bolts as the state of the roads can cause stress on all suspension and can loosen the wheel bolts.

It takes minutes which I'd rather do to ensure my car is as safe as possible.

Have you considered whether some of the brain space you’re currently using for facts about wheels could be dedicated towards not being an arsehole instead?

I think you needed to be more honest and straight with him. Tell him that the wheel wasn't fitted properly and that the trainee didn't do a good job. I certainly wouldn't have paid for it.

I drive a motorbike and after getting new tyres a few years ago, I drove about half a mile to meet some friends. They were looking at the new wheels and we realised that the nut to fix the wheel to the chassis hadn't been put back on. I went straight back (very slowly and carefully), and pointed it out to them. The lads were horrified and fixed it straight away. They also gave me a partial refund. That's good customer service, and I went back to them for years.

I’ve had to pay to get their mistake which could’ve cost a lot more fixed and b. concerned that they won’t do work right again.

You don’t even know it was their mistake. As you’ve been told by multiple posters, it’s absolutely a thing that properly torqued wheel nuts/bolts can come loose. It’s not common, but it’s completely plausible that’s what happened here.

Who? Who?!

Okay, I have been and collected the car. Nothing said again about having to get the bolts tightened/checked so many miles, so I asked.

He said that larger brand garages do do that, but it tends to only be necessary for transit vehicles and older vehicles, and that is a hangover from when most vehicles were older. He said they’d double checked the bolts and they weren’t coming off and so there was no need to bring it back.

I asked, in that case, how did they all become loose. He said he didn’t know. I asked if it was just a freak accident, and he said it could be the case that the snapped bolt snapped first which loosened the others.

I believe they weren’t tightened properly in the first place, and will be checking them myself regardless.

But I am relieved to realise I’m not mad and that not everywhere advises getting the bolts tightened after 50-100 miles.

Continental certainly recommend it still and explain why www.continental-tyres.co.uk/tyre-knowledge/retorquing-wheels/

They said big companies do but it’s not necessary.

So, who knows? Freak accident or the garage’s mistake.