I had 4 new tires put on today and when I picked the car up the salesman told me one stud broke off while taking the tire off. He suggested I get that fixed (obviously). The car is a 2002, in good shape, 60,000 miles. The last people to have the tires off was a different repair shop (approx. 4 months ago). I can't help but think with care the tire shop could have gotten the lug off without incident, since the car is not all that old/rusted. So I guess the question is, does one have any recourse against the tire shop or is this simply a risk one takes when having the tires of their car taken off? (I was firm with the sales manager, at that instance I felt like I was being ripped off, and he "offered" to "buy the cheap bolt and pay the bill".)
2006-12-09 08:08:32 · 12 answers · asked by nvan5 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
I had 4 new tires put on today and when I picked the car up the salesman told me one stud broke off while taking the tire off. He suggested I get that fixed (obviously). The car is a 2002, in good shape, 60,000 miles. The last people to have the tires off was a different repair shop (approx. 4 months ago). I can't help but think with care the tire shop could have gotten the lug off without incident, since the car is not all that old/rusted. So I guess the question is, does one have any recourse against the tire shop or is this simply a risk one takes when having the tires of their car taken off? (I was firm with the sales manager, at that instance I felt like I was being ripped off, and he "offered" to "buy the cheap bolt and pay the bill".) (Also, in my particular case, it looks like much of the stud is still intact, it comes out maybe a 1/2" to 1" past the rim hole, and the end is a little more narrow/mangled, if this helps to determine how or why it broke.)
2006-12-10 07:35:44 · update #1
it is the responsibility of the tire shop to replace this stud. it wasn't broken when you dropped it off so why should it leave there broken. i have been an auto tech for a long time and if i screw up someones car it is my responsibility to fix it (free of charge).
2006-12-09 09:51:45 · answer #1 · answered by vw tech 3 · 1⤊ 3⤋
stuff like that happens. Could be the last person overtightened or cross threaded it. But I am in the auto business and doing tire rotations I have come across many cars that have snapped a stud. Most of the time it is a easy/cheap fix. I keep studs in stock for the popular cars and if easy to do I just put them in. I know that in most cases it is not my fault but to try and explain that to a customer causes more headaches. So I just put a new one on and eat the cost. I tell the customer what happened and they are normaly VERY happy for what I did. I figure this is a good way to show your customers you care and it helps for a good business. I still make money on the rotation. I get $15 fore a tire rotation and if one stud breaks its about a $2 part. It takes a few extra minutes but oh well the customer is happy and I still made $13. But to answer your question I would not be mad at the place that snapped it. Most people will charge you for that problem and it should not be expensive. But how can you blame the tire company for this. If anything it should be blamed on the last ones who rotated or changed the tires. Care or not if it was going to break it would have and it is not fare to think that they could have been more carefull. Same type of thing happened to me last week. As part of a routine oil change I test the battery and charging system. When I put the tester on the battery it came up very low. When a battery comes up low I always check the terminals to make sure they are tight. Well when I put my hand on the positive terminal to see if it was loose the terminal fellm off in my hand Upon further inspection I saw a lot of corrosion and rust on the battery and terminal. Now when I told the customer about this I was called everything in the book. I was told that I even "ripped" the terminal out just so I could sell a battery. Now this is probably one of the most rediculous things I have ever dealt with. In the end I ended up putting a new battery in for my cost. So I didnt make any money and the customer got a new battery for $30. Even this was not good for the customer. She was still very upset and will never come to me again. My point is that things wear out and break. Sometimes it just takes a small touch or something to find out a problem.
2006-12-09 11:52:15 · answer #2 · answered by rwings8215 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As someone with years of experience in this area I can affirm it was the previous shop you went to that caused the problem.
The last time they had your wheels off they "cross-threaded" that stud. This is usually caused by a technician who is in too big a hurry to properly start the lug nut on the stud by hand. To save time they just stick the lug not in the impact gun, put it up to the stud and let er' rip! If the the lug nut is not properly threaded at the start it will just tear through the threads on the stud with several hundred foot-pounds of force until it stops - usually far short of fully tight on the wheel. The technician who did this may or may not know he did it. If he does know, obviously he didn't say anything, hoping to make it the next guys problem.
So now you go to another shop and they try to remove this lug nut from the stud but the damage is already done. When the tire shop tried to take the lug nut off it got stuck partway or maybe didn't even move at all. The only way to get the wheel off then is to brake the stud, which then needs to be replaced along with the lug nut. On some cars this is pretty simple, on others its a pain in the butt.
Or... short version;
You can't cross-thread a stud taking it off, it can only be cross-threaded going on so no, it is not the tire shops fault.
2006-12-09 11:16:15 · answer #3 · answered by Naughtums 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Wheel Stud Repair
2016-12-18 17:38:31 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well being an owner of a muffler & brake shop and having this issue come up before i can help...if the stud broke off then removing the lug nut it is usally caused by the last person to put the lug nut on...it was probley cross threaded and forced on...then the next time its removed the stud will break....usally you can tell when the lug nut is being loosed and you can tell that it will break and i will let the customer know and they will let me know if they want me to continue...the tire shop i'm sorry to say is not really at fault and the previouse repair shop is...the cost of the stud is really minimal it's the labor to install it...all the brakes have to come off to axcess the hub....they just didn't let you know before it happened(sometimes you really can't tell it does just snap off)....good luck
2006-12-09 09:26:27 · answer #5 · answered by blueman2 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Check for any recalls on your car. Ford Fusion wheel studs are breaking due to unknown reasons and are being replaced for free under a factory recall. The studs apparently fail because the steel wheel they are used on is flexing and causing fatigue failure from bending as the wheel rotates.
2014-04-28 09:27:50 · answer #6 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have done tires for a long time wheel studs do break the shop that broke it should repair it for no charge it happens when you take the lugs off and on they get streched out and loose there strength
2006-12-09 08:58:56 · answer #7 · answered by cowgrlup318 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
a wheel stud is about $6 and about 10 minutes repair time to replace it. I have had many tires replaced in the time I've been driving and on about 3 occasions the shop broke and replaced the stud without charge.
They need to replace it.
2006-12-09 08:17:27 · answer #8 · answered by Jeffrey F 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It may not have been their fault, on occasion a lug-stud combination suffers from galling and starts tearing itself up on removal, resulting in the need for a new or rethreded stud and or nut. If they fix it for you great.
2006-12-09 08:35:06 · answer #9 · answered by done wrenching 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The shop should have replaced the stud, rather than telling you that it needed to be replaced, and expecting you to have it done yourself.
With their attitude and lack of customer service, I would NEVER spend any money with them again, and I would be sure to tell my friends to avoid them too!!
I would go higher than the sales manage, if this is a chain store, and complain to the corporate office!!!
2006-12-09 09:01:21 · answer #10 · answered by fire4511 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋