I had had to order a FULL SET (24 total) of new wheel studs as I have had two break off recently. These cost $125 + labour to fit. A reasonably significant maintenance cost on a vehicle less than 2 years old.
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I have no hard evidence but a VERY GOOD IDEA of how this happened.... short story is NEVER let ANYBODY do up your wheel nuts with a rattle gun. I am sure that many or even most rattle guns are set and used competently, however some are not and it only takes one friggin idiot.
![Twisted Evil :twisted:](./images/smilies/icon_twisted.gif)
The two breakages have occurred since my 30,000km service and although I think it was this service that was the 'straw that broke the camels back' I do NOT blame Mitsubishi for this. In fact I blame the massively uneducated tyre fitter who put on my new mud tyres at 40klm (yes 40 one more than 39 - not 40,000). I won’t name them only because it is impossible to prove but this is my reasoning…. (PM me if you live near Blacktown in Sydney)
Almost two years ago (March 09) I had new tyres placed on to replace the standards almost at delivery (one of my biggest regrets now for a whole host of reasons). I recalled the other day (actually my wife reminded me to her credit) that when I brought the car home with my new mud tyres I tried swapping an ML wheel with one of my old MK wheels (to see if they would swap - they don't) and I needed a long bar and all my 110kgs to undo my ML nuts. Once I went around and loosened them all (I am quite paranoid about this item as you cannot undo them on the side of the road when they are too tight) I did not think much more about it. However in hind sight this massively over-tightened moment stretched the studs or certainly weakened them.
In the subsequent 30,000 kilometres they have had numerous services, tyre swaps, wheels off for suspension, brakes etc. but on all these occasions I have not had to swing off any nuts to undo them.
On the occasion the first one broke off I was doing them up with my very short wheel brace and the second more recently (and a different wheel) when a mechanic was doing it up – he advised that he did not feel it was them and based on the fact that it had only just happened to me a few weeks prior I felt that was reasonable. The broken studs have been ‘stretched’ and you can see how the thread pitch has elongated between the nut and the hub.
So I dare say that the Mits 30,000klm service did go a little hard on the ‘rattling’ and probably pushed the already weakened studs over the edge I would have a hard time getting this past as they have no history of this on other Tritons.
I am a reasonable bloke and although they have replaced the first two broken studs they would not do any more, which I will accept.
Ultimately I have had to make a risk assessment and although it may be unlikely to lose a whole wheel simultaneously it is certainly a hazard outcome I am not willing to accept.
It would seem that once they are done up too tight the damage is done – even if it does not appear to break immediately.
One item which perplexed me was Mitsubishi saying they could not warrant it because I had taken my wheels off………WTF.
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