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Warning: I stopped trusting the torque spec chart on the wall and it saved a comeback
I know this goes against what most guys in the trade do, but I quit using the laminated torque chart hanging by the bay door about six months ago. It happened on a Thursday back in March when a 2016 F-150 came in for a rotation and the chart said 150 ft-lbs on the lug nuts, but the owner's manual in the glovebox said 100. I torqued to 100, wrote it on the ticket, and the guy came back a week later saying the wheels felt loose on the highway. Turned out his aftermarket rims needed a different spec entirely, and if I had gone by the wall chart I would have been on the hook for new studs at least. Since then I pull the spec from the manual or a manufacturer database every single time, even if it costs me two extra minutes per car. My boss thinks I am slow, but I have not had a single wheel comeback in six months while the guy next to me has had three. I get why people rely on the chart, it is right there and it is fast, but I think that habit is how shops eat $400 repairs they never saw coming. Does anyone here actually keep a written log of the torque specs you use, or do you just trust the chart?
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josephb359d ago
Man, this reminds me of when I worked at a tire shop and we had this old guy who kept a spiral notebook in his back pocket with every spec he ever looked up. Dude retired and took the notebook with him, and the whole shop was lost for a week. Funny how the "slow" guys are the ones who never eat a comeback.
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