>I had new tires put on at Sam's the other day( I know I should know better)
>and now the brakes are making wierd noises, and it gives you kind of a
>pulsing feeling under braking, not to mention it sounds as though I am
>skinning a cat, could they have screwed something up?
Far from a dumb question. I hate to suggest this, but they may have
warped your rotors, and possibly the drums too, particularly if they're
the aluminum units. Most tire dealers these days use torque limiting
shafts on the air guns while putting lug nuts back on, and then they
doing the final tightening using a breakover (rachet) torque wrench
supposedly set for the max torque for the wheels and car. This is often
80 to 85 lb/ft.
The problem is that they go to the full torque in a single step, so you
end up with one nut tightened down to 80 lb/ft., three with effectively
zero clamping force and often a warped rotor or drum from the uneven
clamping forces. I make them torque the wheel down in 20 or 25 lb/ft
increments, which most of them don't like because it takes them longer,
is more hassle than they want to deal with and frankly most of the folks
in these shops, including the managers don't have a clue as to why this
grouchy old SOB is such a PITA.
That's why I watch these guys while they work. It's not that they can't
do the work right, rather that they've not been taught and they're always
under pressure to do it faster and get on to the next job.
FWIW, Ron
The ACL Group
Arlington, Texas
(817) 572-0873
ronday@home.com
ronnie_day@acd.org
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