Hi all,
Now and then life serves up a bit of a meal that is not what we desired. One such meal came to me a few days back. A simple enough situation -one tyre was flat on my car. No prob? Just jack it up and change it, right?
Before jacking it, always “crack” (slightly undo) the wheel nuts while the weight of the car is on the tyre. OK, we knew that, right? But wait – with my star brace, I can’t undo any of the nuts on any of the wheels. I also have a pipe about 2 metres long – put that on the star brace and lift – nope, still won’t budge, but I’m starting to bend the star brace !!!!
WHAT is going on?
Whenever we get new tyres, the mechanic puts our wheels back on with a “rattle gun” (impact driver is the technical term). These tighten the wheel nuts FAR tighter than you or I can tighten them. So of course, it means we also can’t UNDO THEM, and that is a problem next time you have a puncture while “on the road”.
So, your mission today (should you choose to accept it) is to go get your wheel-changing gear out of the boot, and go around your car tyres, ensuring you CAN undo every nut on every wheel. Tighten each one after you undo it so you don’t create a bigger problem. And if you CAN’T undo them, you may need to go to a tyre place, have them undo the tight ones, and have YOU tighten them with the gear you have. By doing so, it gives great peace of mind knowing that you just averted a far bigger problem (being stuck on the side of the road hoping for a friendly passerby with the right equipment to come by). Oh, and check your spare too – is it holding enough air?
OR, make sure your RACQ subscription is up to date.
Benny
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