dodgy tyre firm

[teddybear1873]

Got 4 new tyres put on my car about 2 weeks ago from a tyre firm in Caithness, will not mention who. the front wheel nearly came of whilst as i was driving and now my wheel is totaly ed which is going to cost me about 150 quid to replace...Does anyone think i have a case to answer for, for me to get the tyre firm to pay and replace my wheel....all the nuts were loose and 1 fell of..... :(

[bobbyjoeufb]

The last time I got tyres fitted it did state on the receipt that the wheel nuts should be checked after so many miles.

So I reconn you wont get the company to pay compensation. But then again its worth a try.

[teddybear1873]

Ye i can understand so many miles to check them but v only done about 500 miles since v had them fitted..i got a mechanic to look at them an he said it was badly fitted...the studs on the wheel r ed noooooo...well cheesed off i tell u

[Biker]

If this other mechanic is willing to state that the failure was due to poor initial workmanship then you probably do have a leg to stand on.

First approach would be to approach the manager with the problem.

No joy then go higher.

Could also try the small claims court.

They may well never admit fault but may make a gesture of goodwill!

[Joey]

Last time I had tyres fitted i was told that the studs are supposed to be checked after about 30 miles running.
Sorry but i suspect you wont have comeback after 500 miles, even if they were badly fitted. :~(

[EDDIE]

Well the big question is were the wheel nuts or bolts tightned up by a torque wrench to the correct tightness which is the correct procedure or did the tyre fitter just tighten the the wheel bolts up with the air gun or a power bar which is incorrect procedure.
And in my opinion the garage should tell you how many miles you should do before getting the wheel bolts re checked for tightness.
What a lot of people dont relise if you have alloy wheels and if the bolts are tightned up by air gun it damages the taper fitting on the wheels were the bolt locks on to so theres no way the wheel bolt will stay tight thats why you should always torque the wheels to the manufacture settings.

In my opinion its the garage fault for your wheel nuts comming loose because they should have told u to come back to them either in few days or by so many miles to get your wheel bolts rechecked for tightness

It has to be there fault because they done the job they are trained tyre fitters its there job to insure the wheel and bolts are serviceable before fitting them back on to the car and if the wheel or bolts are worn or unserviceable its there responsabilty to advise u and most importantly advise u of getting your bolts retighned after so many miles.

[George Brims]

Those twits with air guns are my pet hate. My son's girlfriend recently got new tyres and they broke a number of the studs by tightening them too much with the air gun. My son had to drive round there very slowly with only two of five studs left on one wheel, to get the problem fixed. I know a few people who have had the same thing done to their cars.

Even if the air gun is the calibrated type that puts on the nuts to a set torque, there is still room for idiots to mess things up. I watched one of them one day pick up the first nut, stick it in the socket, then go to put it on the stud with his finger on the trigger. Needless to say, when I yelled at him to stop, he had no idea what was bothering me. Apparently he had not been trained to put the nuts on a few turns by hand before using the tool. A couple of times now I have had nuts cross-threaded onto the studs, ruining the studs completely in the process.

I now always watch how they do things when I take my car in to one of these places. Of course I might be watching the one properly trained and conscientious bloke in the place, while the pimply eighteen year old they hired last week is going to be putting on my tires in a wee while...

[Fran]

Surely any work done is guaranteed, and the receipt for payment is your guarantee. i have always found this myself and gone back with any faulty work done. good luck. :(

[mareng]

Got 4 new tyres put on my car about 2 weeks ago from a tyre firm in Caithness, will not mention who. the front wheel nearly came of whilst as i was driving and now my wheel is totaly ed which is going to cost me about 150 quid to replace...Does anyone think i have a case to answer for, for me to get the tyre firm to pay and replace my wheel....all the nuts were loose and 1 fell of..... :(

After 500 miles, I think you would have a hard time convincing anyone that it wasn't subsequent malicious damage. As mentioned elsewhere - it is normal to require a check after 30-50 miles.

I was impressed by Costco in Edinburgh who use a torque wrench, check sheet and a second person who checks the first person's tightening.

[webmannie]

Somebody could have maliciously slackened your wheel nuts when the car was parked up?

[wicker]

thats wild but you should post and say who it is so we know not to go near them ourselves

[linzy222]

About 5 years ago i got alloys put on my car by a tyre company and all i had keeping them on was the original wheel nuts, the boy did warn me i would have to get the proper nuts for them in time, BUT i got about 100yds from the garage went round a corner and 1 of the wheels fell off,the nuts had gone through the holes, so the car tipped and put a big dent in the wing

There was nothing i could do, the boy did it as a homer and if i claimed he would get into big trouble and so would his boss for doing homers and they were doing me a favour at the time

But now i think about it i could of went back to the garage paid full price for getting it done and them complained

Oh well never mind the car is long gone and i won't fit alloys again, i hate them i'll stick to wheel trims, SAFER i say!!...............Unless u have the proper nuts that is

[teddybear1873]

Thanx 4 all the posts and help..been in contact wi the CAB an they say i have a good case under GOODS AND SERVICE....As i had a qualified mechanic to check the wheel, they will happily write a letter 4 me to explain how the problem happened...I wish not say who fitted the tyres, dont think a message board is the right place to say it lol.