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  • #16
    Quoth eltf177 View Post
    There's one case I would give the owner a pass on. I can change my own tire except when the last idiots who changed my tires ignored my explicit instructions and used an _air hammer_ to put the lug nuts back on. When they do that my short tire iron can't get nearly enough torque to get the @#$*#&^$ things off and I'm pretty much screwed...
    Quoth manybellsdown View Post
    I've had the similar problem of simply being unable to budge the lugnuts. I'm a small person, and if putting my entire body weight on the tire iron won't turn them (I literally stood on it once), I'm SOL.
    I have a solution. Go to one of the discount tool houses and buy a breaker bar - one of the longer ones, and an 'impact' socket of the appropriate size for your vehicle. It doesn't usually need to be of particularly high quality. Trust me, it makes a world of difference when you are stuck on the side of the road. Be sure to retrieve your breaker bar when you sell the vehicle, and if necessary, buy another socket for your next vehicle.

    Cheaper than a tow truck, I promise you.

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    • #17
      Quoth ADeMartino View Post
      I have a solution. Go to one of the discount tool houses and buy a breaker bar - one of the longer ones, and an 'impact' socket of the appropriate size for your vehicle. It doesn't usually need to be of particularly high quality. Trust me, it makes a world of difference when you are stuck on the side of the road. Be sure to retrieve your breaker bar when you sell the vehicle, and if necessary, buy another socket for your next vehicle.

      Cheaper than a tow truck, I promise you.
      That sounds like an excellent idea, I'll look into that! Thanks!

      Comment


      • #18
        I've found a lot of places will over-tighten lug nuts. I think it's just a side effect of today's hyperlitigous society, where they'd rather make them a pain for the next guy who has to take them off, rather than risk the wheel coming off and inviting mayhem/a lawsuit.

        Technically, lug nuts are only supposed to be (unless a manual says otherwise) tightened as far as you can go by hand, then go one half-turn with the lug wrench. That's it.

        Far too many are indeed put on too tight and strip when you try and take them off. A little grease on the threads, and for that matter, a little bit on the inside of the wheel where it mates to the axle won't hurt, aside from stuck lugs, wheels stuck to the axles/rotors by corrosion are also a pain.

        If the lug nuts are stuck, one trick I've learned is to attach the lug wrench, and then, make sure it's got a good bite so it won't strip, and then step up ONTO the wrench's handle and use your own body weight to break them free, push down with your leg while stepping off. It's a make-or-break proposition, if the wrench slips, you WILL round off the head, but it's worth trying it nothing else works. The breaker bar is a great idea too, the longer the handle, the more force you can transfer to that stubborn nut. Just make sure you get one from a trusted brand made out of tool steel, that way it won't bend or break when you have to use it.


        You CAN pick up a car with the tow truck instead of the jack, the problem is, the truck lifts from the wheels, so once up, you can't CHANGE the flat without switching the car over to something else. On a few occasions, the car's own jack has been so woefully rusted up or just outright junk that I'll lift it up, put my own jack or some 4x4 blocks down and put the car on THAT to change it. But, you can't change the flat while it's ON the truck.
        Last edited by Argabarga; 12-28-2013, 08:18 PM.
        - They say nothing good happens at 2AM, they're right, I happen at 2AM.

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        • #19
          Quoth Sapphire Silk View Post
          Even with a four prong lug wrench (I'm sure there's an official name for it, but I have no idea what it is)
          The official "Professional" term for it that we use, is, wait for it.......



          "A four-way"


          You're welcome
          - They say nothing good happens at 2AM, they're right, I happen at 2AM.

          Comment


          • #20
            On far too many cars, the jack that comes with it is a piece of cr*p.

            You can (almost) never go wrong by going to a professional car parts/car tools place, and getting a replacement jack, and a GOOD tyre iron. (tyre iron/lug wrench/whateveryoucallit. The doodad you use to take the lug nuts off.)

            If you have one of those rare, precious mechanics who's a damn good mechanic and looks after your car well; have him (or her) check your jack and tyre iron, and if necessary, buy you the replacements from his parts supplier.

            Then store the things in a part of your boot where they're NOT getting wet and rusty, and periodically wipe them down with a coating of light machine oil to keep them from rusting. Even if you have to make a storage pouch for them and hook it onto the top of the boot (trunk) somehow.
            Add a spot for a tyre pressure gauge and a tread wear gauge: and remember to check the spare as well as the other tyres.

            A note with tread wear: if the wear is uneven, there's something wrong with pressure, alignment, or both.
            Seshat's self-help guide:
            1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
            2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
            3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
            4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

            "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

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            • #21
              Quoth Seshat View Post
              On far too many cars, the jack that comes with it is a piece of cr*p.
              Amen, I had the factory spec scissor jack on a then-brand-new Suzuki bend over when I tried to use it. Even had a sheet of wood under it to spread out the force, put it exactly where the manual said to put it, and it promptly failed to pick up the only thing in the world it was, allegedly, designed to pick up.
              - They say nothing good happens at 2AM, they're right, I happen at 2AM.

              Comment


              • #22
                I had a tyre blow on my classic Mini at 70mph while in the fast lane... I can tell you that I wasn't overly concerned with where I stopped so long as it wasn't on the carriageway, and so unfortunately ended up stuck in a soft verge. My jack wouldn't fit with the remaining clearance, so I had to call the auto club, but I made sure they knew I had everything else & exactly what they'd need to be sure we could get the car fixed!

                Nowadays I don't just carry a spare but a pump as well!
                This was one of those times where my mouth says "have a nice day" but my brain says "go step on a Lego". - RegisterAce
                I can't make something magically appear to fulfill all your hopes and dreams. Believe me, if I could I'd be the first person I'd help. - Trixie

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                • #23
                  Quoth Seshat View Post
                  On far too many cars, the jack that comes with it is a piece of cr*p.
                  Which is why something similar to this (but a little smaller) lives in my trunk.

                  http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...5429_200345429

                  Along with a 4 way tire iron and a random piece of steel I swiped from my father's garage (to use as a breaker bar if needed). There's also a bunch of other tools back there, but I drive an older car that likes to break down at the most inopportune times.
                  At the conclusion of an Irish wedding, the priest said "Everybody please hug the person who has made your life worth living. The bartender was nearly crushed to death.

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                  • #24
                    Sounds like one of our motor clubs. Frequently they will call for things not even in an area I'd ever know. AND usually its for something like a lockout or flat. Seriously?? How do you expect us to do it in a timely matter.

                    My favorite "Can you give us a 30 min eta?" Yeah sure..IT WILL TAKE LONGER TO DRIVE THERE THEN THAT!

                    Our main office boss is the type to want to take them all too. And then gripes about fuel prices.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Quoth JarethsPet View Post
                      Sounds like one of our motor clubs. Frequently they will call for things not even in an area I'd ever know. AND usually its for something like a lockout or flat. Seriously?? How do you expect us to do it in a timely matter.

                      My favorite "Can you give us a 30 min eta?" Yeah sure..IT WILL TAKE LONGER TO DRIVE THERE THEN THAT!

                      Our main office boss is the type to want to take them all too. And then gripes about fuel prices.
                      See? INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION THAT I AM NOT A CRACKPOT!
                      - They say nothing good happens at 2AM, they're right, I happen at 2AM.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        The first thing i do when get my car back from a service that requires my tires coming off, is to break the lug nuts loose right in the shops parking lot. If i can't do it with my breaker bar, it goes right back in for them to break it loose and not tighten so much again. There have been some unhappy grease monkeys about that but then again, I'm not gonna be all that happy if I can't install my own spare and have to call for someone to come do it for me (assuming I can reach someone, a lot of the areas I go to don't have cell reception).

                        I also ditched the factory jack in favor of a small bottle jack that's a lot easier to use than the factory pos. Useable jack, breaker bar w/good deep socket and a small square of plywood (so the jack can't sink) go a long way in making swapping a flat out a lot easier.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Quoth Seshat View Post
                          On far too many cars, the jack that comes with it is a piece of cr*p.
                          Also, on every single truck I have owned, without fail, it doesn't go high enough to jack the truck off the ground. Some, but not all, will get the front end up, but none have ever gotten the back end once the leafs relax. Found that out the hard way in the middle of nowhere once (luckily on a job site, so lots of pieces of wood to keep building the jack up with) and have checked it with every truck I have bought since before I needed to know.
                          Pain and suffering are inevitable...misery is optional.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Memory Jog:

                            The absolute WORST experience I ever had was with a flat tire. Shall we count the ways it went wrong?

                            - Person had no idea where they were except on Interstate 80, which, kinda runs almost the ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE COUNTRY.

                            - Once we figured it out, it was, predictably, immediately BEFORE an exit ramp going east. So, the only way to get to them was drive to that exit, wave at them as you drove past, go 20 MILES down until you got to the first crossover. Due to the unique geography in their particular area, the area between those exits lack the usual state police/emergency turnarounds every 5 miles, the road at that point is bi-level and clinging to a mountainside, you wanna go from eastbound to westbound at that point? It's a 100 foot drop pretty much straight down, and hope you hit it, otherwise it's another 800 to the valley floor.
                            - Get on scene, car has been fitted with an aftermarket lowering kit, there's now only 1'' of ground clearance, my jack won't fit under it, the factory jack won't fit under it, the front bumper has been replaced by a body kit that's literally scraping the ground, so I can't pick it up with the truck and I can't lift from the back because you can't turn around and face the wrong way in a freeway situation, against company policy and probably DOT too.
                            -Spend an hour DIGGING up the shoulder to make a hole to PUT the jack in to jack the car up.
                            -Get car up, go to undo lug nuts, wow, the car has aftermarket rims, the factory lug wrench won't fit in the holes, none of the options on my 4 way fit in the hole, you need a thin-walled socket to get to them.
                            -Drive down exit ramp to nearest town, go to Wal-Mart, buy cheap set of thin-wall sockets, drive back, past car, 20 miles up, cross over, 20 miles back down.
                            -Get wheel/flat tire off car
                            -Get spare out of trunk
                            -Try to put spare on, *clunk* huh? *clunk* *clunk*
                            -Take measurements, the car not only had aftermarket rims, but aftermarket brake rotors and calipers, with different lug patterns, the spare WILL NOT FIT.
                            -Inform driver and passengers of problem, they're a bit upset, but ultimately understanding, especially after they called Dad (who they borrowed the car from) who tells them he TOLD them that you can't use the spare in the trunk months ago.... oh well.
                            -Hook up car to tow, call for another driver to take one of the bodyshop loaner cars and bring it up to me so he can ferry the passengers and I'll take the driver.
                            -Wait for him to drive by, go 20 miles, crossover, and come back.
                            -FOUR HOURS after it started, the call ends when we drop them at the local Pep Boys and tell them they're on their own

                            On the plus side, they were only coming to town for a concert, that was over when we finally got them to the garage, karma did what I couldn't, hope they learned a lesson.
                            - They say nothing good happens at 2AM, they're right, I happen at 2AM.

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Quoth NecessaryCatharsis View Post
                              Also, on every single truck I have owned, without fail, it doesn't go high enough to jack the truck off the ground. Some, but not all, will get the front end up, but none have ever gotten the back end once the leafs relax. Found that out the hard way in the middle of nowhere once (luckily on a job site, so lots of pieces of wood to keep building the jack up with) and have checked it with every truck I have bought since before I needed to know.
                              I've found they're good for compressing the suspension though. I'll use my bottle jack to lift the truck up, and then use the factory jack to compress the leaf so I don't have to jack for 30 minutes to get enough clearance to get the tire off. Works for compressing front suspension too.

                              dual-wielding jacks, be proud Mr. Woo!
                              Last edited by Argabarga; 12-29-2013, 02:06 AM.
                              - They say nothing good happens at 2AM, they're right, I happen at 2AM.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                I guess I've been lucky with the factory jacks with my cars. I've never had a problem. It's the tire irons that I can never get enough leverage with. So I always carry a four prong in the trunk.

                                Of course, now having said that I will likely blow a tire tomorrow and be unable to use the factory jack. Not looking forward to that actually, getting the spare out of my truck is a BITCH because of how the manufacturer designed the trunk.
                                They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

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