Uhhh How Does This Happen!?

[d4rk_hrs]

I can't imagine a bunch of old people plotting to remove lug nuts from a LEO's car because they don't like you. You must be living with a bunch of old dried up gang members and since you said it is a wealthy neighborhood. i doubt it.

Depending on their age, they might not even have the strength to do it.
I can see the next doctor appointment going like this.

Old Dude: Doc, my back is hurting really bad. I think I pulled something.
Doc: What were you doing?
Old Dude: Me and Jimmy were removing the lug nuts from that young whippersnappers car.
Doc: You were doing what???
Old Dude: Yeah, me and Jimmy are going to teach him a lesson
Doc: Good job! Got to teach them young'ins a lesson. Here is a script for some more pills.

Tragically, I think your issue has more to do with someone targeting you because you are LEO and you are not the most popular group of people at the moment.

This is a very dangerous situation and you really need to get that camera set up ASAP.

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[PJR202]

I doubt it has to do with him being LEO. Rich old white people love cops.

 

[2morrow]

I doubt it has to do with him being LEO. Rich old white people love cops.

Lol, truth!

 

[Grimmer]

I also looked further at the parts, and I believe the screw on for the lug nuts in the back tire are completely gone...I can't imagine how expensive that's going to be.

I haven't looked specifically at the G6 mustang lug studs, but generally they press in and press out. Sometime the sstumps can be hammered out, or you might need a special tool to press them out. Usually you can press in the new ones by simply tightening on the lug nuts. The lug studs are cheap and available at any auto parts store.

If the studs broke off, be sure to inspect the wheel. Many times (especially with aluminum wheels) the lug holes get wallowed out when driving loose. If they are wallowed out, you'll likely need a new rim.

 

[Grimmer]

If you caught the nut remover red-handed would you shoot him?

We don't have a constitution that allows us Brits to keep and bear arms so I'm interested in the etiquette of blowing away a nut remover.

That depends on which nuts are being removed...

If we are still talking about the ones on the car, then it would depend on the state. My state doesn't allow for the use of lethal force in defense of property, but there are states that do.

 

[VNTGSPD]

So, I went to Ford today to see if they could repair my lug nut heads that are completely ripped off. Ford was stomped and they said they would call me.

Eventually they did and stated that when we put the winter wheels on, we removed the plastic pieces and never put them back on. So, the cost is going to be $497 dollars to repair everything (labor included).

1. When we did the winter wheels, no plastic rings were included nor were on my car.
2. Is this a rip off? It feels like it.
3. Who do I talk to if it is!?

Thoughts?

Based on your new thread quoted above, this doesn't look like anyone tampering at all. This looks like broken wheel studs...possibly due to being over-torqued at some point or the nut being seized and then hammered off with an impact gun. The rust on the stud ends indicates that this didn't just happen a week ago either.

 

[saf1]

If you caught the nut remover red-handed would you shoot him?

We don't have a constitution that allows us Brits to keep and bear arms so I'm interested in the etiquette of blowing away a nut remover.

"If you caught the nut remover in the act" - no. It wouldn't matter what state in the US or territory you live in. You would be arrested, and charged. Do not pass go, etc. Stand your ground, self defense, or any other commonly used defense wouldn't hold water because your life is not at risk by their act. You fix the problem and move on. In the event that you catch them, and they engage further, and you are endangered, then it becomes another issue all together. But we should leave it at that.

I live in Ca. We had a gang that would steal catalytic converters from Toyota and Dodge SUV's. Start around Sacramento and work their way through to Stockton. Anyway they hit our Toyota one night. Report to police, call insurance, replace, move on. About 2 months later happened again. Same thing and get them replaced. A couple months later my daughter comes home late one night from work. Heard a noise, comes in, wakes me up, says what is going on. Say to self that I need to let the dog outside to go potty, take her out front to the lawn, when she notices something under the Toyota and goes to investigate. She moved a bit too fast, caught me off guard, rushed the truck, small kid scurries out from under, starts running down the street. Chevy Luv pick up (I think it was anyway) comes hauling around the corner. He jumps in the back just as my dog was about to grab him and they get away. Recall the dog, goes potty, and I call 911 to provide truck info to the best of my ability. If it matters, my dog is a 120 LB German Shepherd...she must have had a off night...anyway my point is this.

Police came by, had a few laughs, then pulled me outside and sat me down. Look, I understand what happened and the dog getting lose. If the dog had bit the thief/thug/boy/kid/whatever they could have sued. Please do not do that again and put yourself in financial risk because they have rights believe it or not. Or, your dog could be put down. So I say, straight face and calm, my daughter just got home, she was scared, so I went outside to check. Do you want me to shoot them instead?

No. No shooting, no dogs, protect yourself. Lock the door always. If they enter the house while the door is locked, uninvited, and you feel threatened, you have rights. They don't. Outside, caught stealing, does not warrant the use of force from the homeowner...

What my local police said anyway. Respectfully of course. Really was looking out for me and just said what could have happened and why it was wise to just let them go. Also said take the car to a exhaust shop, have them weld on a piece of rebar, and their quick cut pipe cutter won't work and the problem is solved. Never happened again.

 

[srf52]

...however, one can affect a citizen's arrest, as a witness and/or victim. And one can use whatever force is necessary to make that arrest. The law does allow one to protect themselves, their family and their property. Common sense prevails of course, and YMMV, but arrest and detain is a very effective and satisfying tool.

 

[Grimmer]

Using the Communist Republik of California as a measuring stick for the rest of the country is not accurate. I'll agree that in most states the law reads "in defense of life and limb" but there are a few that read "life, limb, and property". The finer points of the meaning thereof is for a jury of their peers to decide.

I also agree that it would be very risky (legally and financially) to take any action unless it is a clear cut case of self defense. In fact even though my state allows for the defense of a third person, I see your defense as your responsibility... Defending you is not worth the legal and financial risk to myself. If your choice is to rely on police protection, then the consequences of that choice are yours to live with.

I would never personally consider lethal force in defense of property as justified. The state where I live (Utah) is a "life or limb of self or others" state. I also agree with the officers that not exiting the house and calling the police much sooner is the best course of action in the scenario you described.

 

[srf52]

Using the Communist Republik of California as a measuring stick for the rest of the country is not accurate. I'll agree that in most states the law reads "in defense of life and limb" but there are a few that read "life, limb, and property". The finer points of the meaning thereof is for a jury of their peers to decide.

I also agree that it would be very risky (legally and financially) to take any action unless it is a clear cut case of self defense. In fact even though my state allows for the defense of a third person, I see your defense as your responsibility... Defending you is not worth the legal and financial risk to myself. If your choice is to rely on police protection, then the consequences of that choice are yours to live with.

I would never personally consider lethal force in defense of property as justified. The state where I live (Utah) is a "life or limb of self or others" state. I also agree with the officers that not exiting the house and calling the police much sooner is the best course of action in the scenario you described.

...California is not a communistic state; it is democratic one just like Utah. I agree to the rest of your statement however. If you are not up to it, don't intervene, let the perp go and be a good witness for the cop report.

Now, with respect to Utah, it has some of the most beautiful state parks in the nation. Absolutely awesome! :cheers:

 

[PJR202]

...California is not a communistic state; it is democratic one just like Utah.

Unless you enjoy having any rights compared to most of the states in the country. Like..owning firearms without a hassle, carrying them without proving your life is more important than joe schmoe, driving any car of any age without harrassment, and not having to lay down and take it when someone is stealing your property (no I would not shoot someone for stealing my converter).

No offense intended, but it most certainly NOT like most other states.

Beautiful place though, for sure. The more disturbing part of the direction this thread has taken is that someone in the UK thinks we possibly just shoot each other for trivial things..lol

 

[HoosierDaddy]

In case the OP doesn't get around to it: Mystery solved in another thread.

The plastic hub-centric rings from his winter wheels were left on the hub when the factory wheels were reinstalled. That broke while tightening the lugs leaving the wheel able to move under load which resulted in three studs breaking off over time and taking the lug nuts with them.

 

[superman07]

I take my torque wrench with me and watch them. I always ask they let me do final torque. When I get home i check them again and put the wrench back in the box. Too many horror stories. Discount tire damn near killed my wife and had to replace several studs on both front wheels after they"forgot" to torque them down. I told her to let me do it but women know everything right.

And this is why I despise taking my car ANYWHERE for anything. I've found a reputable shop for doing tire changes and will stick to them. Mounting/changing wheels and any and all other maintenance is done by me.

 

[DickR]

In case the OP doesn't get around to it: Mystery solved in another thread.

The OP left plastic hub-centric rings from his winter wheels in the hub when the factory wheels were reinstalled. That broke while tightening the lugs leaving the wheel able to move under load which resulted in three studs breaking off over time and taking the lug nuts with them.

The ultimate cause was the wheel never fully seated against the mounting surface because the centering ring was "in the way".

I'm pretty sure that Mustangs wheels are "lug centric" as described in this TireRack article. I've run my 15 many thousands of miles on aftermarket wheels without centering rings with no balance issues or lug nut loosening. However I'm always careful to make sure the wheels are properly seated and to use the "star pattern" torquing sequence with the wheels unloaded prior to putting enough weight on the wheel to be able to reach the final torque of 150 lb-ft. Note that the friction between the mounting surfaces is what keeps the wheel from rotating and breaking studs due to acceleration or braking forces. The centering during installation is provided by the tapered seats of the lug nuts.

https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=91

The centerbore of a wheel is the machined opening on the back of the wheel that centers the wheel properly on the hub of a vehicle. This hole is machined to exactly match the hub so the wheels are precisely positioned as the lug hardware is torqued down. Keeping the wheel precisely centered on the hub when it is mounted will minimize the chance of a vibration. Some wheels are vehicle model specific and will come from the factory with a bore machined to match that vehicle. Some wheels are designed to fit multiple vehicle models and will use a centering ring system to reduce the bore size to match the hubs of different vehicles. These rings keep the wheel precisely positioned as the lug hardware is torqued down.

Some wheels are non-hub centric by design. These are known as lug centric wheels. With these wheels it is critical to torque the lug hardware with the vehicle on jack stands, off the ground. This allows the nuts or bolts to center the wheel and torque down without the weight of the vehicle pushing them off center.

 

[jasonstang]

Most wheels I have come across are lug and hub centric.
The center bore is exact size as the lip on around the axle nut and the lug nuts are tapered to further center the wheels.
On exception was my FJ Cruiser which the lugs are just straight nuts that goes into straight holes in the wheels. No tapering.

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