So I just picked up my brand new r52 last month. I decided to get aftermarket wheels and the shop I bought them from had the wrong lug nut size and completely messed up one of the holes where the lug nut goes in. He had "retapped" the hole but tonight I noticed a strange noise and I got out of the car to see the lug bolt had fallen out. Normally I would go back to the shop, but the whole process of getting wheels was a big problem and I don't trust the guy. What part do I need to replace? The rotor? Is it a tough job? Thanks

 

Sorry, the rotor is not part of what holds the lug bolt. You may need a new hub. Is it front or back? I'd also check the other lug bolts before driving another mile then take it to a Tire Rack Dealer and get it fixed.

 

Pictures?

It's usually safer to buy from NAM vendors that sell wheels and tires than from a local source that doesn't know MINIs.

Normally you should complain and take your problem back to the same shop to get it resolved.

Tirerack.com has a list of shops that they work with all over the country.

 

Yep - the problem is that the 14mm X 1.25mm lug bolt that your MINI uses are not used by *any* other car on the market. Also, the recommended torque setting (103 lbf-ft) is significantly higher than most other small cars use.

So if you've gotten aftermarket wheels that require new bolts (for example, you need longer bolts, or your new wheels require ball-head bolts rather than taper bolts), you're better off going with someplace that knows MINIs.

Unless the shop you went to did properly re-tap the threads and the only problem was that they didn't tighten the bolts enough, I'd say they owe you a new hub and installation.

 

Thanks! As I did more research last night I found out that it is the hub I'm talking about. This problem did start with the wrong bolts and from there it's been a mess for something so easy to get right. I went back to the shop that I bought the wheels from and they did the re-tap, but after this last episode I'm not sure I'm willing to take the car back there to replace the hub even if its for free. I can't trust them.

 

If that shop is responsible for the problem you have then-
They need to fix it properly
or
They need to pay someone to fix it properly
You should not have to pay to fix their problem

So they had to re-tap one hole on the hub and the 14mm bolt fell out?
So does that mean the re-tap was too loose?
Or are you talking about the wheel being re-tapped because the holes are 12mm and the MINI bolts are larger at 14mm.?
Pictures?

 

they must have rethreaded the hole at the wrong size its the only thing I can think of. I'm going to take the wheel off right now to see the exact problem...

I should've just done it myself ... the mechanics out here are just not reliable. this is the second bad experience I've had. When I do things on my own this doesn't happen but the jobs I do take me forever because I triple check everything.

 

Ok... I guess this is different than I thought. When I took the wheel off the bolt that was NOT re-tapped is the one that the bolt fell off of. I was able to just put the stock wheel back on with stock lugs (as I'm now missing a tuner lug). I've attached a picture, the hole to the left is the one that had to be re-tapped, the hole to the right is the one that the bolt fell out of.

I do need to add to the story. I did do my first track day a couple of weeks back and I also hit a major pot hole a week ago... Do you think this was all about the torque of the bolts??? Thanks so much for all your help. this has been an eye opener.

 

If the bolt fell out then it might have not been torqued to specs as mentioned before.

Once you install a wheel it is good to check that it is tight enough after about 20 miles of driving.

Hard to say if there is any problem with the hub. Looks OK.

Need to check that each tuner bolt fits the thread and pitch of the MINI hub even with the retap. Why was a retap needed? Crossthreaded?

Thanks for posting the picture.

 

re-tap was needed because the wheel installer forced the wrong bolt into the hole... thanks