Snapped lug bolt

[Mikester86]

Had oil changed and 5 tire rotation at Dealership using the Jeep Cares program. When completed, the tech drove my Jeep out of the bay and parked it. He walked away and left his torque wrench on the rear bumper. I informed him and he grabbed it.

Drove home and thought it would be a good idea to double check the torque settings. Torqued spare to 59 ft lbs and then set it to 130 ft lbs for the rest. All went well until I got to the rear passenger where the spare was rotated in for the first time ever. Two of them torqued right up while the other 3 continued to tighten and tighten and tighten without ever hitting the set torque value. Then I snapped one off. Not happy. Off to the dealership tomorrow hoping warranty will cover it somehow. I don’t understand why 3 of the lugs never torqued down.
Anyone else experience this?

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[Chocolate Thunder]

Sounds like your torque wrench might be the issue.

 

[Mikester86]

Sounds like your torque wrench might be the issue.

Not when I hit all the other lugs with it and no issues, including 2 on the rim in question. I think something is funky with the rim, since the lugs worked fine on the original rim. But who knows.

 

[oceanblue2019]

Could be grease/oil on the stud or seat cone of the ones that did not torque. That lowers the friction and if not compensated for on your torque wrench setting will over torque about 30%.

Same goes with anti-seize compound.

 

[Mikester86]

Went to dealership today and it appeared that warranty would cover the broken lug bolt. However, once they removed the tire, 2 others were stretched to go along with the broken one. I know I did not stretch them, so my assumption is they were already that way.

Since I already torqued them all, there was no wiggle room for warranty coverage, and I had to eat it.

From now on, I think I will have Discount Tire rotate them, as I have had great luck in the past, or do it myself weather permitting. Just happy that it is fixed and life can go on.

 

[blnewt]

Bummer @Mikester86
I never have a shop install my wheels/tires, don't trust them to do things right
I'll have them mount the tires on the wheels but I'll load them up and install them myself, same goes for rotations. Sure it takes a bit more time and sweat, but much better than wondering if something wasn't done properly.

Sounds like the lugs in question were severely over-torqued

And FWIW I don't gamble when it comes to the most important part(s) between my rig & the road

 

[MarkY3130]

That sucks. I had this happen once at a 4wp except they cross threaded them. That was an impactful moment where I realized no one will ever care about my vehicle except for me, and that if the idiots down at these maintenance/repair places can do it, than I can likely figure it out too.

I hope this doesn’t happen to you again.

 

[BCalvin]

I put the Jeep on jack stands and take the wheels and tires in if they need work.
I don't like the way they use impact drivers for everything.

 

[Geronimo]

Went to dealership today and it appeared that warranty would cover the broken lug bolt. However, once they removed the tire, 2 others were stretched to go along with the broken one. I know I did not stretch them, so my assumption is they were already that way.

Since I already torqued them all, there was no wiggle room for warranty coverage, and I had to eat it.

From now on, I think I will have Discount Tire rotate them, as I have had great luck in the past, or do it myself weather permitting. Just happy that it is fixed and life can go on.

Why not rotate them yourself. A five tire is quite easy, actually easier than a four tire rotation. One floor jack 15 minutes . You can also look at your suspension, breaks, and brake lines at the same time.

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