So, I'm driving down Bank Street south yesterday with the windows down and hear a peculiar kind of creaking noise from the left front.
I pull into the Loblaws at South Keys and the slight creaking has grown to a very loud grinding noise. I proceed at a slow pace to the nearby Donnelly's Ford service department. Test drive with a tech. He's not sure what it is, but says I'd better not drive it.
Three hours later, they call me. The problem: Lug nuts on both front wheels were coming loose, almost certainly due to improper torquing.
Background:
On May 22, four new tires installed at Frisby's. I watched the guy hand-torque the lugs on all four wheels to 95 pounds.
On May 23, I take the car to Campbell Ford for a front-end check and a check on the alignment. They find nothing wrong anywhere (my left front tire had disintegrated within a thousand kilometres after an alignment at Campbell's earlier in May).
As an aside, I find it odd that no one can explain why that tire went so bad so suddenly...I think maybe Campbell's did find a problem on May 23, and just didn't tell me about it for fear I'd demand they pay for the new tires.
Anyway, I fax a copy of the "loose lug nuts" work order from Donnelly's to Campbell's. They call to say the tech who looked at my front end never took the wheels off, so it's a mystery to them.
I pointed out that the rear lugs were fine...only the fronts were loose. I could hear the Campbell's guy shrugging his shoulders over the phone.
Comment:
a) Not a very thorough front-end check if the wheels were not taken off the car, if you ask me.
b) I think Campbell's is telling me a fib.
