Hi there,
I decided to take out the car's wheels and check the brake pads and disk wear.

The BMW garage that I used to take the car, have overtightened the wheel nuts. I tried to break them using both an impact wrench and the wrench that comes with the car, without any luck.

Any ideas how to unbolt the nuts? Once I do it, should i replace them as well?
I will try with a breaker bar the next days, but I don't expect much luck. I am afraid that I will damage the nuts...

The correct torque is 140 Nm....

 

use a good quality 6 point half inch drive socket. Put a pipe on the end of your breaker bar if you need. Be sure to hold the socket nice and square and you will not damage the bolts.

 

for the record there can be quite a difference in performance between two impact wrenches.


The first one I had was what came included in a kit of tools with my compressor. At the recommended service pressure for the tool, it would not budge even GEN1 MINI lugs which were only 81 ftlbs, 110Nm

So I went and bought a decent impact wrench - a decent brand and not the cheapest one - suddenly wheel bolts/lugs were NO PROBLEM ..... same compressor and same service pressure

 

Stand on the edge of the breaker bar. Works every time for my grand cherokee.

 

Take your car back to the guys who installed your wheels. Have them break them loose & re-torque to spec. If you break a lug bolt it is on you. If they break do they'll have to fix their screw up.

 

If they were extremely over torqued you should consider replacing them as the threads could well be distorted and not hold properly any longer.

 

^^^ Good point the bolts could very well be stretched. Have the shop that did this replace them while they are making things right for you..

 

I agree you should take it back to the shop that over-torqued them.

That being said, when I read the title I thought a good solution would be "just switch to wearing boxers".

Eric

 

Going back to original shop in theory is the thing to do, then again are they going to admit faults and then fix them properly? I would fix myself or find a better shop if it was my car. Nice to have a torque wrench at home to check.

Also is corrosion a factor?

 

When I get tires replaced I always take my torque wrench with and insist on setting the bolts myself. I go around each wheel twice. Then, I'll take it for a couple miles on the highway then re-torque. I always find a little slack on a bolt or two.

 

What he said! I never trust a tire shop's torque wrench.

 

Thanks guys. After some complicated (for me) thoughts, I managed to unbolt everything and re-tightened to factory settings.

(Still LMAO with the "just switch to wearing boxers" boxers!)

 

thanks for the update, most of the time i hear about this its was at a NTB or other tire/wheels shops that put them on with impacts. Yikes. I always back them off and retighten them with a torque wrench and a good long impact 17mm socket after I get new tires put on. Most MINI dealerships have coupons (online or in the mail) where the mount and balance is the same price (with discount) as everyone else.

 

The only shop that ever over tightened lug bolts for me was my local MINI dealer. My local tire shop uses torque sticks & then does the final torque with a torque wrench.