Scumbags Removed 4 out of 5 Lugnuts On My Friends Audi A4 17" Aluminum RIMs

[justice_guy]

So a friend/co-worker of mine was driving home on the 401 on Wednesday and had to make an emergency stop on the shoulder after his A4 started shaking violently. When he exited the vehicle, he noticed 4 out of the 5 lugnuts had been removed from his 17" aluminum rims. He was seriously lucky because the wheel was on the verge of slipping off. I can't even imagine the carnage if the wheel slipped off at 120km/h. And even worse if the wheel hit an oncoming vehicle in the windshield. Repairs to the hub and bearings added up the $1000. So now we're debating if it was a theft attempt and where this took place. He owns a house with a garage so we ruled out this happening there. Nor could we conceive of anyone attempting this in broad daylight in our office parking lot. He thinks this took place Sunday when he took his family to a movie. So you think it's possible that he was driving around with only one lugnut for almost 300km without it coming loose?

Just wanted to add that it's a 2000 and the rims were weathered and scuffed up accordingly.

[DavidY]

It is unlikely that your friend would be able to drive 300 km without noticing....the car would vibrating the whole time....was the last lugnut a locked type?

A number of years ago, I drive along a four lane road (speed limit ~70 kph) and my wheel came off.....a week or two before, my truck was serviced including either a tire rotation/changeover or brake check.....and the wheels were not checked for torque. Probably ended costing me around $500 or so....alloy wheel needed to be replaced since the wheel was iffy (replacement from a local auto wrecker). Ended my business with the auto shop. Now I check my own lugnuts on an infrequent basis....always retorque them myself immediately after any service check involving the tires.

Dave

[justice_guy]

....was the last lugnut a locked type

No, he thinks something spooked them off before they were able to remove all 5.

[Mark77]

When I was a kid, my father failed to adequately fully tighten 5 of the 6 lug-nuts on the camper-on-wheels that we pulled behind the car after a wheel change somewhere near Yellowstone.

It survived without incident and wasn't discovered until we hit Lethbridge coming up the I-15, but the bolts ended up somewhere on a Montana or Alberta highway.

So I think it is very possible because I've seen it happen.

[Mark77]

It is unlikely that your friend would be able to drive 300 km without noticing....the car would vibrating the whole time....was the last lugnut a locked type?


The car could have liberated the bolts one at a time, due to a situation like yours. Whether 1 bolt has the dynamic/sheer strength to withstand the loads in a car is really open to debate though. There's a good possibility it would, at least for a while.

[Canuck2fan]

I wouldn't rule out it having been in a parking lot in broad daylight I had stereo stolen in a golf course lot 15ft from the pro shop 2 HUGE windows facing the vehicle. Thieves are thieves because they are lazy not because they are smart...

A friend of mine went across the bridge in Windsor around 3PM one afternoon so he could stop at a convience store to grab a few cartons of smokes. Inside about 4 minutes according to him and the store owner, came out his car was on blocks rims and tires were gone. (I know it really happened because his boss was LIVID since it was a company car, and the boss asked me if I had heard what happened to my idiot friend LOL...)

[niroopg]

So how do you get a car to the car shop if its on blocks?

[sandikosh]

So how do you get a car to the car shop if its on blocks?

When the car was invented, someone came up with a brilliant idea, open a store to sell rims and tires.

[nasa25]

When the car was invented, someone came up with a brilliant idea, open a store to sell rims and tires.

Didn't know you could pimp out your model T back in the day. Good to know.

[jackrabbit000]

No, he thinks something spooked them off before they were able to remove all 5.

x2. or they couldn't get the locknut off.

[starboy869]

So how do you get a car to the car shop if its on blocks?

Are you that clueless?

[Avatar]

So a friend/co-worker of mine was driving home on the 401 on Wednesday and had to make an emergency stop on the shoulder after his A4 started shaking violently. When he exited the vehicle, he noticed 4 out of the 5 lugnuts had been removed from his 17" aluminum rims. He was seriously lucky because the wheel was on the verge of slipping off. I can't even imagine the carnage if the wheel slipped off at 120km/h. And even worse if the wheel hit an oncoming vehicle in the windshield. Repairs to the hub and bearings added up the $1000. So now we're debating if it was a theft attempt and where this took place. He owns a house with a garage so we ruled out this happening there. Nor could we conceive of anyone attempting this in broad daylight in our office parking lot. He thinks this took place Sunday when he took his family to a movie. So you think it's possible that he was driving around with only one lugnut for almost 300km without it coming loose?

Just wanted to add that it's a 2000 and the rims were weathered and scuffed up accordingly.

I though these German vehicles are using bolts instead of nuts at the threaded rod to lock the rim. Since one of my mechanic's customer with his MB trying to replace his flat tire with another one on a different rim. The tire seized up as the original bolt was too long and touched the brake part. So changing tires on MB is that you have to hold the tire and put the bolts in instead of hanging the tire on the rods and put on the nuts. That's really stupid if it's true.

So back to this topic. If it's using bolts instead of nuts, one bolt won't be able to support the car and go for 300km. The bolts probably came off one by one.

[vincent-poon]

Does it make a difference if the wheels were 15 and steel?

[mr_raider]

I though these German vehicles are using bolts instead of nuts at the threaded rod to lock the rim. Since one of my mechanic's customer with his MB trying to replace his flat tire with another one on a different rim. The tire seized up as the original bolt was too long and touched the brake part. So changing tires on MB is that you have to hold the tire and put the bolts in instead of hanging the tire on the rods and put on the nuts. That's really stupid if it's true.

So back to this topic. If it's using bolts instead of nuts, one bolt won't be able to support the car and go for 300km. The bolts probably came off one by one.

I think most new cars, German or otherwise use lug nuts now a days.

[DaLurker]

I think most new cars, German or otherwise use lug nuts now a days.

Actually, I know VAG (Audi, VW) uses lug bolts.

Not sure about MB or BMW.

[brian.gerson]

Actually, I know VAG (Audi, VW) uses lug bolts.


Not German, but Volvo too.

I think it is because the bolt is stronger, being larger diameter than a stud, and it is fewer parts for the manufacturer.

[Jon04CTS]

Why someone would attempt to steal a base A4 rim in daylight is beyond me.

Piss anyone off lately? Or did someone driving your car piss someone off?

[brian.gerson]

Piss anyone off lately? Or did someone driving your car piss someone off?

Sounds to me like somebody under (hand-?) tightened the fasteners, and OP was extremely lucky that the wheel didn't come off at 120 km/h, because that would absolutely ruin your day.

[MS MSP]

was the car in for service recently? Were the wheels removed?

I'm guessing the mechanic didn't tighten the wheel nuts.

Check the other wheels in the interim.