Date:         Thu, 3 Oct 2019 11:49:02 -0400
Reply-To:     Ed McLean <email99@NC.RR.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Ed McLean <email99@NC.RR.COM>
Subject:      Re: Checklist for beginning Medium Vanagon Roadtrip

This has been a pet peeve of mine for 50 years.

If any shop removes my wheels I tell them to only use a torque wrench to
tighten the lugs to the proper specification and under no circumstances
use an air powered impact wrench to tighten the wheel lugs.  I think VW
Vanagon specs are 133 ft lb and Go Westy alloy specs are 80 ft lb. I use
80 ft lb because those are the wheels I have.

You have to be careful because sometimes a shop will use an impact
wrench to tighten the lugs and then us a torque wrench to be sure they
are tight enough.  This is not satisfactory since the lugs are most
likely already over tightened.  Tell them never tighten with an impact
wrench.

Many times the shop will protest and say they use "Torque Sticks" which
are colored extensions that are supposed to limit the torque of a
properly adjusted air impact wrench.  I tell them "Absolutely not!  Use
a hand torque wrench.  If you don't have one you can use mine."  I
watched a Volvo dealer shop use torque sticks after this request.  When
the shop manager pegged a Snap-On dial indicator torque wrench at well
over 150 ft lb removing 5 of the just tightened lugs while trying to
prove they were tightened to 62 ft lb his face got very red with
embarrassment.

I carry an inexpensive click type 150 ft lb torque wrench and a 6-point
impact socket in the bus all the time to use when I tighten lugs.  A
cheap 1/2" drive torque wrench that is good enough for lugs can be found
at Harbor Freight for 20% less than $20.  I wouldn't use this for
cylinder head bolts but it's good enough for wheel lugs.

Discount Tire has been very willing to follow this request and they have
noted it in their records so I don't have to mention it each time.  They
actually tell me that they are going to only hand tighten the lugs with
their torque wrench.  They get all my tire business.

This is what works for me.

Ed