Taxi needed a Lift..

[GRUMPS The Towman]

Picked this one up this Xmas morning for one of my loyal, regular customers. Typical Chrysler product issue when the lugs are over-tightened. Luckily, the driver had just pulled off into a housing complex off the highway when the wheel let go. Driver also claims there was zero warning that anything was amiss with the van untill the wheel simply fell off. ( No, I dont believe him and neither does his boss ) Some cribbing, a quick lift to remove the jammed up wheel, a skate, a plank of wood and off we went back to the taxi companies terminal shop. This is probably the 5th or 6th one that has happened to this taxi company. Majority of their fleet are these vans or Chevy Malibu's. I have tried telling their "mechanic" to stop hammering the lugs on full blast but he doesnt seem to be getting it..

[Kjband13oc]

I pick up 5 to 6 of those vans every year with the same rims .They absolutely come off without warning .I would not have believed it if it didnt happen to me.I was test driving one with a stalling problem turned into a parking lot and wheel fell right over .There was no warning,no wobble,no noise. The corrosion between the rim and rotor hoods them solid until it doesnt.I dont know if this is coincidence or not but most of them are taxis.

[GRUMPS The Towman]

Wow. that is really nuts.

Then I stand corrected. I will say I would not believe it if I didnt hear it from another pro. 

Not really doing any repair work anymore has put me out of the loop with a lot of the common failures happening on the junk being built these days. 

I have been the towing provider for This taxi company for over 6 years now and when he started buying these things up and using them, I told him he was probably going to regret it. Prior to these, they were using Honda Odyssey's and Nissan maxima's but they are hard to come by on the cheap.

[Stubborn66]

I hate those aluminum wheels in general.  Any sign of corrosion when I take the wheel off and I take the scotch pad wheel to it an remove all the corrosion and check the hub mounting surface, it gets caked up on the steel as well.  you have to torque them to spec, I have seen the air guns split those rims at the lug nut  as well when overtightened.

 

I had one come just about off on a good customers years ago, thankfully it did give him some warning and he pulled over and called me.  It still make a customer think you didn't tighten them