Tazz070299
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On my latest laning trip I managed to knock a few weights from my front wheels, leading to the inevitable 60 mph wobble. Simple enough I thought, just nip down to the local tyre depot. Yes, they said, we can balance your wheels, £7.04 a wheel. Then the fun started.
Firstly, the "junior" operative puts a jack under the chassis each side and starts pumping. "They won't lift it high enough - try under the diff" I said. "No they'll be fine". Smiling and laughing to myself, I watched the body go higher and higher, with the wheels firmly fixed on the ground.
Second time around, with massive wooden blocks on top of the jacks (still ignoring my advice) he lifts the Landy, and now managed to get the wheels off the ground by millimetres. With the body probably a metre off the ground, the "junior" operative then remember where he had left the locking wheel nuts key!
Down it came (but only after the workshop gaffer told him not to try and climb into the cab whilst raised on 2 jacks), and back up it went again.
The 2 front wheels came off no problem. First wheel onto the the balancing machine's spindle, Pushed on the boss which clamped the wheel to the spindle, except that it didn't. The diameter of the clamp being smaller than the hole in the centre if the wheel. We then had 20 minutes of trying different centre bosses; 2 bosses with one either side of the wheel - all to no avail. Gaffer gets called again. Off comes the quick fasten clamp, wheel and boss, and on goes (so I'm told), the precision balancer. i.e. a boss with wheel studs instead of the easy clamp. Now we're getting somewhere I thought. Checked my watch, 32 minutes so far.
They tightened up the nuts on the wheel, spun the machine, and got tremendous wheel wobble, so much so that it moved the guard they had placed over the wheel. Looking somewhat crestfallen, the gaffer announced, "looks like your wheel is buckled" - "where?" says I "well it's giving such wild readings. Yes I pointed out, "I told you I had lost some weights, and you've pulled another 2 off. If it didn't wobble, I wouldn't be here." "Sorry mate, too much wobble to fix with weights." "Tell you what" he says,being all generous, "let's try the other front wheel." So on with the other wheel. This didn't wobble nearly as much, but as I'd only lost one weight on this wheel, and he'd left the others on, not surprising really. But still too much for them to fix!
I then got a lecture on how heavy the tyres were, which might cause the excess wobble. On the fact that the wheels didn't match what the book said I should have fitted, ( I have 235/85 x 16!! and he was reading the imperial sizes!!) but his book said they should imperial and that I should really find a 4x4 tyre specialist.
By now I had spent 54 minutes at the tyre depot, had all the weights removed from one wheel, and no better off. "OK, put'em back on". So back on they went, BUT as they were taking the one wheel off the balancing machine, which been secured by their wheel nuts, I noticed the nuts had a flat face. "Aren't you supposed to use convex faced nuts where the wheel has dished stud holes? I asked. "Makes no difference" was the reply. Deciding enough was enough, I said nothing and left.
An hour's work, with no result, and for them no money. I did have a laugh though as it was a bit like watching Laurel & Hardy (Chuckle Brothers in Black & white for you younger types).
I've just got to find someone who can balance some wheels other than the super slim alloys found on most euroboxes. Any thoughts as to whether I should try that infamous national company (Kwik-Fit) which will try and tell me that I need new brake pads/discs while they're at it, and just happened to notice my shock absorbers will soon be worn out. I' don't fancy trying a back street mechanic, as he'll probably have more trouble than the first company.
Firstly, the "junior" operative puts a jack under the chassis each side and starts pumping. "They won't lift it high enough - try under the diff" I said. "No they'll be fine". Smiling and laughing to myself, I watched the body go higher and higher, with the wheels firmly fixed on the ground.
Second time around, with massive wooden blocks on top of the jacks (still ignoring my advice) he lifts the Landy, and now managed to get the wheels off the ground by millimetres. With the body probably a metre off the ground, the "junior" operative then remember where he had left the locking wheel nuts key!
Down it came (but only after the workshop gaffer told him not to try and climb into the cab whilst raised on 2 jacks), and back up it went again.
The 2 front wheels came off no problem. First wheel onto the the balancing machine's spindle, Pushed on the boss which clamped the wheel to the spindle, except that it didn't. The diameter of the clamp being smaller than the hole in the centre if the wheel. We then had 20 minutes of trying different centre bosses; 2 bosses with one either side of the wheel - all to no avail. Gaffer gets called again. Off comes the quick fasten clamp, wheel and boss, and on goes (so I'm told), the precision balancer. i.e. a boss with wheel studs instead of the easy clamp. Now we're getting somewhere I thought. Checked my watch, 32 minutes so far.
They tightened up the nuts on the wheel, spun the machine, and got tremendous wheel wobble, so much so that it moved the guard they had placed over the wheel. Looking somewhat crestfallen, the gaffer announced, "looks like your wheel is buckled" - "where?" says I "well it's giving such wild readings. Yes I pointed out, "I told you I had lost some weights, and you've pulled another 2 off. If it didn't wobble, I wouldn't be here." "Sorry mate, too much wobble to fix with weights." "Tell you what" he says,being all generous, "let's try the other front wheel." So on with the other wheel. This didn't wobble nearly as much, but as I'd only lost one weight on this wheel, and he'd left the others on, not surprising really. But still too much for them to fix!
I then got a lecture on how heavy the tyres were, which might cause the excess wobble. On the fact that the wheels didn't match what the book said I should have fitted, ( I have 235/85 x 16!! and he was reading the imperial sizes!!) but his book said they should imperial and that I should really find a 4x4 tyre specialist.
By now I had spent 54 minutes at the tyre depot, had all the weights removed from one wheel, and no better off. "OK, put'em back on". So back on they went, BUT as they were taking the one wheel off the balancing machine, which been secured by their wheel nuts, I noticed the nuts had a flat face. "Aren't you supposed to use convex faced nuts where the wheel has dished stud holes? I asked. "Makes no difference" was the reply. Deciding enough was enough, I said nothing and left.
An hour's work, with no result, and for them no money. I did have a laugh though as it was a bit like watching Laurel & Hardy (Chuckle Brothers in Black & white for you younger types).
I've just got to find someone who can balance some wheels other than the super slim alloys found on most euroboxes. Any thoughts as to whether I should try that infamous national company (Kwik-Fit) which will try and tell me that I need new brake pads/discs while they're at it, and just happened to notice my shock absorbers will soon be worn out. I' don't fancy trying a back street mechanic, as he'll probably have more trouble than the first company.
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