A day or two before we were due to leave on our trip to Exmouth I went to the Ian Diffen's Tyre Centre in Malaga to have the tyres checked for any damage and that the air pressures were correct as I do on a regular basis at that centre. I also buy my tyres there and have done for a long time. When I arrived at the Centre it was closed and 3 men were in the office. I knocked on the door and was told Malaga will be closed for a few days as they were renovating. I left without getting the tyres checked.
On the 21st of April we headed from Perth to Exmouth for an Anzac Day re-union with 2 Troop 1 Field Squadron Royal Australian Engineers. We got half way there and stopped at the Billabong Homestead Roadhouse overnight which we booked ahead. On leaving the next morning at around 7am we got about 7.5 kms north of the roadhouse when we blew the right rear tyre. I pulled to the side of the road, far enough to be safe from passing traffic to change the tyre. It was then I found out that at the last tyre rotation done at Ian Diffen's Tyre Centre in Malaga the person who did the rotation got over exuberant with the rattle gun and the lock nut was on so tight I broke the lock nut key trying to get it off. In this situation the only thing I could do was the ring the RAC to see what to do next. They sent a tilt tray tow truck from Geraldton.
We sat on the roadside waiting for 3 hours for the truck to arrive. After the truck arrived the driver assessed the situation and decided the only option was to load the car on the truck and take it back to Geraldton Ford to have all the locking nuts removed. We had a 3 hour trip back to Geraldton in the truck, the driver told us the car would be locked up in their compound overnight as it was Sunday and no one was at Geraldton Ford and we'd need to find a room for the night. Being in the middle of School Holidays and knowing rooms would be in short supply we asked the driver if he knew where we may get a room and he suggested the Best Western Hospitality Inn where we were lucky to get a room. The room cost $139.00 for the overnight stay. While there I rang the RAC to organise the second tow from the compound yard to Geraldton Ford as requested by the driver. The next morning at 8am we caught a Taxi to Geraldon ford to get repairs organised. The truck arrived near 9am to drop the car off. We were at Geraldton Ford for approximately 7 hours before the job was finally finished with a bill of $603.87 for which I have the receipt. The mechanic told me he had quite some trouble removing all the locking nuts due to them being exsessively over tight and also mentioned that locking nuts should not be tightened with a rattle gun but done by hand to avoid damage to the key. I also paid the Tow driver the $80 as was requested by the RAC. We rang the Billabong Roadhouse again to book a room as it was now 4.30pm and we would get there just before dark, so that was another $90.00 out of pocket that shouldn't have been needed.
We finally arrived at the Ningaloo Lodge at 2pm on the 24th of April ( I was booked in for the 22nd to the 29th so I lost 2 days) at least in time to march on Anzac Day with the guys from the troop I was in Vietnam with.
Once the car was repaired we didn't have anymore car troubles heading up or back. I went back to Ian Diffen's Tyre Centre but it was still closed and no one was around. I have no idea on what's going on at Ian Diffen's or how I can solve the out of pocket expenses they caused me to have, but I do wish to have this resolved.
I have since found out that the Malaga branch of Ian Diffen's City Discount tyres has gone into receivership and I was offered a chance to be included as an unsecured claimant which as we all know I would then have 2 chances of compensation, mine and Buckleys. So be wary where you get your tyres.
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Sounds like you had a shit of a time mate $603.87 to remove 4 lock nuts jesus profits not a dirty word, that was way excessive over pricing!, Ive never done wheel nuts up with a rattle gun for that reason, I always remove them with a rattle gun, but manually do them up by hand then torque them up with the torque wrench
Last edited by Rick; 16-05-18 at 09:41 AM.
I carry and use a rattle gun (Milwaukee) as my back isn't great so anytime I have to change a tyre I want it done as quickly as possible. I put wheels on and take them off with it, even on my new Redline.
But I would NEVER tighten a lock nut with one. Jesus mate, it sounds like you scored the apprentice.
The fact that there's a highway to hell and a stairway to heaven says a lot about the anticipated traffic flow.
One year I had 'some' new tyres fitted and for some reason a few days later I needed to take one off and I could NOT undo the nuts, even using a star type wheel brace and putting a bar or pipe over to increase leverage.
I went back to the Tyre service and got them to go around all the wheels and re-tension them.
I have no idea if the 'fitter' was new and didnt know how to set the Toque on the 'Rattle Gun' or didnt give a shit and worked on the principle that one setting did all, ie Cars, Trucks, Bus's and Trains......(yes, Trains do have Rims and Tyres only they are fitted a little differently)
The next time I had tyres attended to there or elsewhere, I asked the fitter to make sure I could remove the tyres using a suitable wheel brace.
Not only does over tightening cause all sorts of dramas as experienced by Egalem but there is the danger the wheel stud(s) could snap if over tensioned.
Last edited by gordon_s1942; 16-05-18 at 12:46 PM.
I stand unequivicably behind everything I say , I just dont ever remember saying it !!
Bugger!!!
In hindsight, there was really no point in the vehicle going to the Ford dealer at all, given the tyre work had to be outsourced anyway.
The car could have gone directly from the towies compound to the tyre dealer, as no doubt, the Ford dealer was the major part of the expense... and the greatest waste of your time.
The tyre dealer could have done the nut removal that you waited all day for the Ford dealer to do.
Rattle guns are OK if they are set to a low toque range and nuts are then hand-tightened.
Glad you got to enjoy some of your break. That's terrible. I've had the misfortune of breaking down north and south of Geraldton, it's a lonely and expensive place.
Nearly 30 years ago smoke came billowing out of the engine of my fiat (!) on Great Northern Hwy heading for Kalbarri. I was young, stupid and broke. Limped into a workshop at Kalbarri fearing the absolute worst - death of my car, loss of all money, coach trip home - and out came the mechanic. He looked like super mario, he had done his apprenticeship at Fiat on my old model no less, and fixed the problem (pcv valve) in under an hour for $20. All these years later I still can't believe my luck. Although now I'm old, stupid and broke
I use a big 3/4" drive Milwaukee to tighten wheel nuts regularly.
Difference is i use it just to bring the nuts to the rim softly and then complete the job by hand. (last half turn if that)
I also tighten lock nuts just like my wheel nuts.
Its very rare (and special) to see a tyre shop use a torque wrench on wheel nuts.
I have only witnessed it twice in my lifetime, each time letting the tyre shop owner know he really has a good team working there.
There have been a few times i have needed to get lock nuts off that had no keys, most cases a spare undersized socket sledge hammered on did the case.
Not a nice thing to do through regardless.....
eaglem (16-05-18)
I'm glad there was a tyre in that price because I was thinking wow I never charged that when I was in the car service game.
Leroy
Sorry you had such a sh*t of a trip. At least you made the march, which was the important thing. Good luck getting some return on you expenses. I've never seen a torque wrench at a tyre place, I didn't think that they knew about them.
I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message...
eaglem (18-05-18)
I forgot to add that one of those places has 2 chinese (no speak engrish) workers fitting the tyres to the cars.
Got home and noticed my directional tyres were on the wrong way around....at least the wheels were not going to fall off.....sigh, now to drive back and show the shop owner.....
The fact that there's a highway to hell and a stairway to heaven says a lot about the anticipated traffic flow.
enf (17-05-18)
Bob Jane T-marts crossthreaded two wheel nuts on my old Pajero. Luckily I am pretty skilled with the Dremel. Probably could have done those lock nuts with it as well.
If I get tyres changed these days I always loosen them and tighten them myself again.
They all use high pressure rattlers.
Another tire company wacked in almost 50psi in my new 32psi designeed tires. I noticed it when it when the car started shaking around 110km/h.
Another mechanic totally overtightned my steering rod while trying to set the alignment. I actually caught them using a huge pipe extension to do a right turn on a left handed thread, which I only found out later on.
For me, if you don't/can't DIY you will be screwed at some point. At least learn how to check
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enf (18-05-18)
I've decided to write it off to experience as there'd be no hope of being compensated but I have got Geraldton Ford to refund the GST they charged me after I supplied them with a GST Free Form. I'm starting to think most firms are out to screw me!
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