Loose lugnuts

matteas

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2004
Location
N. New Mexico
TDI
15' tdi GSW
I rotated my tires today at 5500 miles on the GSW. Surprisingly loose lugnuts all around !
Felt like if they were on there for another 5k miles they would have been real loose.
Hopefully just one case but just an FYI to check them out.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
All the rest have bolts, and they do not require as much torque, which is why so many places commonly mess them up. Are you sure they were "loose"? Was your car wheel swapped at the dealer or something?

Those are installed by a machine in the factory, so generally they are never an issue unless someone messed with them for some reason.
 

matteas

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2004
Location
N. New Mexico
TDI
15' tdi GSW
Woops, meant bolts..
2-3 barely required any torque to remove w/ the VW wrench.
I don't know if wheels were swapped..
 

mheat

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2003
Location
Shawville, Quebec
TDI
15 GSW, 03 JSW
I've had a front wheel loosen a couple of times. The first time I was sure it was just me, forgetting to torque the bolts on one wheel. However, it occurred again a few years later same '09 wagon. Torqued the bolts to 89 ft-lbs with an analogue torque wrench that I keep calibrated. Came loose after about 2500 miles. I have read that you are supposed to check the torque on alloy wheels after a couple of hundred miles, because they can come loose. Well, it happened to me.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
I don't bother with a torque wrench on the lug bolts. The threads tend to get enough corrosion on them to throw off the torque values. I just tighten them up good and tight by hand with a tire iron. Never had any loosen up that way. The tire shop guys usually torque the crap out of them with their impact wrenches- whenever possible I bring them rims and mount myself.
 

Stealth TDI

Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 1998
Location
Newport News, VA
TDI
2017 GTI APR Stage 3 (395 hp/376 lb-ft)
Cheers to this!

The tire shop guys usually torque the crap out of them with their impact wrenches- whenever possible I bring them rims and mount myself.
I thought it was just me. I don't trust tire shops with my pinch welds or my lug bolts. So I transport the wheels and drop them off. Then I get to hope they don't drop them on their faces. :mad:

Scott
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I take the wheel bolts to the wire wheel if necessary to clean them up. If you keep the threads clean, and the hubs clean, they'll torque down properly easier. I know you poor folks in the salt belt will have to work a little harder at that, but it is not impossible.
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
I thought i'd be smart by tossing some antiseize on the 2010 bolts back when it was new and reapplied every fall during summer to winter swap, yeah yeah i'm aware the antisize messes up torque values, all was fine until the prob the 4th coat and antisize started gooping up and I couldn't easily thread the bolts in by hand.

I'll just toss one coat on the '15 Passat and the Alltrack later this fall and call it good.

I torque to 95-97 ft/lb with a cheap craftsman torque wrench. My believe is the value isn't as important as long as its tight, but the consistency between all 5 lugs what really matters to prevent warping of rotors, but that could be an old wife's tale.
 

Sad Panda

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 15, 2015
Location
Pingree Grove IL
TDI
2015 Golf Sportwagen SE TDI
I thought i'd be smart by tossing some antiseize on the 2010 bolts back when it was new and reapplied every fall during summer to winter swap, yeah yeah i'm aware the antisize messes up torque values, all was fine until the prob the 4th coat and antisize started gooping up and I couldn't easily thread the bolts in by hand.

I'll just toss one coat on the '15 Passat and the Alltrack later this fall and call it good.

I torque to 95-97 ft/lb with a cheap craftsman torque wrench. My believe is the value isn't as important as long as its tight, but the consistency between all 5 lugs what really matters to prevent warping of rotors, but that could be an old wife's tale.
That is not an old wives tale, it is absolutely the #1 cause of brake pulsation (warped rotors). I normally re-torque all my lugs when I get home from the dealer, by loosening and re-torquing. The last time I forgot and 3k miles later I know feel a very small pulsation starting, I am very very pissed about it. First tire rotation, car now has 13k on it, and I need new rotors.....
I am checking torque on them tonight to be sure, and then attempting to get them to pay for the rotors.
 

jerrymander

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2012
Location
ur mum
TDI
f
I have read that you are supposed to check the torque on alloy wheels after a couple of hundred miles, because they can come loose. Well, it happened to me.
Any wheels. Just check the torque about 50-200 miles after install and - if you are paranoid - every 1 to 3 thousand miles.
 
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