Freightliner Broke my Wheel Stud

[buswarrior]

Really?

This is playing out like a "reality" tv show...

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

they are on wrong and the wheel is ruined.

have you sent the picture to the installing shop ?

Yes, I sent them pix and they did not say the nuts were on backwards, but when I brought it up, they said they will replace the wheel, so I guess they noticed but were not going to say anything to me.  So I guess they will be having words with the "mechanic" that worked on it.   I am supposed to call them back tomorrow morning and talk with the Service Manager and a supervisor or someone to determine how we can find a Freightliner shop near me in Anaheim, CA that can do this work.  They have not yet agreed to replace all of the studs, but I am going to try to get them to do this.  I also would like the wheels pulled and the bearings and seals checked too as I am also concerned they may not have been installed correctly either.

[luvrbus]

  now you know why"no customers are allowed in the working area" that is terrible I never saw anyone that dumb before and I have seen some good ones     

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

now you know why"no customers are allowed in the working area" that is terrible I never saw anyone that dumb before and I have seen some good ones     

What Cliff?  They tell me it is for insurance reasons.   

[Tony LEE]

MCI require clean dry threads with only a drop of oil to prevent galling if necessary. Splashing goop all over studs and bearing surfaces can reduce friction to 1/3 of what it should be so applying the specified torque puts 3 times the stretching force on the stud.

Once the goop goes on it is a hell of a job to remove it from the studs and even harder to get it out of the nuts.

[buswarrior]

Tony Lee, you know better than to bring engineering to an emotional debate!!!

For the novice, the manufacturers all publish procedures and best practices.

The rest of the world chooses to do whatever it is they do.

Novices, consider who carries the most liability...

I bet that's the safest route...

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[luvrbus]

Here is somebody a huge law suit use never seize and lose a wheel then you can sue Permatex it states on their bottle for use on lug nuts and studs anyone up for a class action law suit ?

[Jim Eh.]

(facepalm)

If you have your lawyers business card, send it to them without explanation.

[DoubleEagle]

Never-Seize is sort of like Brylcream Hair Smuck, a little dab will do you. Gary, those are the most tortured lug nuts and wheels I have ever seen; it should be a felony to treat wheels like that. 

[csrddcd]

Am I crazy or did the guy put these Lug nuts on upside down?  And is this may be what the problem is?

Hard to believe someone collected a paycheck to do that..... WOW!

[eagle19952]

now you know why"no customers are allowed in the working area" that is terrible I never saw anyone that dumb before and I have seen some good ones      

me too.

lol..(not really...well sort of). 

you should be grateful the nuts were put on backwards, the mutt could have rung them clear through the rim...wallowing holes big enough to throw baseballs thru...you'd have lost a tire 8 miles west of the install...

[B_K]

me too.

lol..(not really...well sort of). 

you should be grateful the nuts were put on backwards, the mutt could have rung them clear through the rim...wallowing holes big enough to throw baseballs thru...you'd have lost a tire 8 miles west of the install...

Yeah, but at least at 8 miles away it would have been very easy to determine who and to what extent was liable!

I can't believe Freightliner would even let a guy that would put lug nuts on backwards handle an impact gun!
They are clearly at fault here and are responsible not only for replacing your wheel and ALL the studs and nuts on that wheel Gary, but also having a mechanic that doesn't have his head up his @$# check any other work done while at that time. (since the proper way to replace the studs is to remove the hub, the bearings will be removed and redone in this process, and a new seal should be re-installed as well!)

Gary you should get a hold of Tom C as I believe he might have some pull at Fontana's Freightliner Dealer and maybe able to help get them to do the work for you. However at this point if it were me (notice I did say IF IT WERE ME), I'd insist that they pay my travel expenses and the total repair bill at the shop of my choice after a major screw up like that. Then I'd call Clifford and see when he could \
schedule you in, and take it to where you know it will be done right the first time!

You can rest assured if you have Clifford do it, it will be done right and both of you will be properly compensated for the job!
  BK 

[luvrbus]

I wouldn't be driving that bus he got lucky the inner nuts just go on 1 way

[Geoff]

You guys have it all wrong!  Those lug nuts are not upside down, that would have been okay.  They are inside out for Christ sakes!  The mechanic obviously suffers from dyslexia, and you mess with him you will incur the wrath of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Sorry, I had to throw that in.  It's a bad situation.

[TomC]

I worked with L.A. Freightliner in Whittier, Ca (Fontana is a branch) for 15 years. I've seen their work. I would bit the bullet and take it to a bus dedicated shop, like what's also out there in Fontana.
When you have the wheels changed, you should put never seize on the threads so there isn't a problem with removing wheels maybe 12 years later. I had never seize on my wheels on my truck and those wheels had not been off the bus in 20 years, yet no problems with stuck outer or inner nuts.
If you want a good tire shop, try Ray's OK tire in S. El Monte. I've been dealing with them for almost 40 years. Good Luck, TomC