Complaint Review: Gwinnett Place Ford - Duluth Georgia

Frank is nuts and Nate is right, think about it Frank read the complaint by the customer before you start making conclusions, she had the vibration from the beginning, the dealership "claims" she did not complain for 10,000 miles. How is over torqueing the lug nuts going to warp the rotor anyhow? Explain this conclusion and as Nate said provide some proof. Nate is right in stating that the lug nuts will break before the rotor gets close to warping, I don't know what books you have been reading but I would not use the "Tire Guide" as a good source because that book is about proper tire fitment. Let us all know when you find it in Mitchel.

Nate, I don't know what department of NASA you work for but sart at the begining.Brakes were fixed,no problem was noticed.10,000 miles later,right after Sears put tires on,problem started. Now reach into your vast depth of knowledge of rocket science and think real hard.........what place caused the problem?

I challenged you to provide a specific example of an automotive repair manual stating that over-torqueing lugnuts causes brake rotors to warp. Not only did you not provide any proof at all, but you also just proved that torqueing the lugnuts DID NOT cause the warping. If it had caused the warping, why did the problem not occur until she had put 10,000 miles on the brakes? It didn't! The owner states that her brakes were pulsating from the beginning- before she ever went to Sears. When the dealer found out that she went to Sears for the tires instead of them, they then have a scapegoat. You must work for this dealership because your logic is just as erroneous as theirs is. The shop has complete responsibility because they were informed of the problem from the beginning and they chose to ignore it. By the way, simply putting quotation marks around a word doesn't make it an official title. Who is the author of the "Tire Guide"?

Nate, Look in any "Tire Guide" book and in the very begining you'll see instructions on "wheel torque". The Tire Guide is the basic of all tire knowledge.Don't get me wrong.I'm not saying the warped rotors in question were warped by Sears. What I'm saying is;over torqueing wheels "can" cause rotors to warp.I do agree that heat is the major cause. The thing that angers me is when owners/drivers refuse to accept any responsibility for their own actions.10,000 miles after a brake job is done,how much liability should the repair shop have when a vehicle starts to pulsate upon braking? I mean really,"10,000 MILES". That's almost half way around the Earth.How may hard presses do you think the driver made to that cute little pedal to the left of the gas pedal?Back to what I said before.How much liability should the repair shop/s have at this point?

To Frank in Georgia, I challenge you to produce a single example in any respected automotive manual that specifically states your assertion. You say that 'any' repair manual states that over-torqueing lugnuts causes brake rotors to warp. Now let's see the proof. We are not talking about over-torqueing in general. Only lugnuts or lugbolts. If you cannot provide it, we will see if you are 'man' enough to admit it.

There are many ways to "Warp" a brake rotor.Rapid heating and cooling would the the major cause. Over torqueing the wheels WILL cause the rotors to warp. Over torque or wrong torque sequences will warp a rotor just like it will warp a head. Open "ANY" repair manual,Mitchels or AllData and read!!!!After you're done reading, lets see if you're "man" enough to say you were wrong.

First of all let me inform everyone that I too am an ASE Cert. mechanic on: Automobiles/ Light/ Heavy Duty Trucks,certified by Cat,Cummins,Mack,and Detroit Diesel. I am an independent con tractor, and I do not work at a dealer because of people like Mark, not telling customers the truth and making himself and others at their place of employment look like fools. All dealerships,lube joints etc. have one or two [techs] like Mark hired off the street to work for next to nothing. You get paid for what you know! How much money do make Mark? I just get tired of people getting screwed by these so called [mechanics] and then not knowing who or what to trust.

I have to agree Mark you are not telling the entire truth even your response is not actuate.

I have to agree Mark you are not telling the entire truth even your response is not actuate.

Mark YOU ARE A LIAR! I have been an ASE certified mechanic for almost ten years. I have much experience in brake system repair as well as tire, wheel, suspension, and alignment issues. There is NO correlation between overtightening lugnuts and warped rotors. Brake rotors are warped by excessive heat that can be attributed to low brake pads, excessive braking (or brakes binding), and age. The lugbolts would break completely off before they would alter the shape of any part associated with the brakes. You are either the worst mechanic in history or a complete liar. You are the reason dealership service centers have a bad reputation. If I were you I would consider a career more suitable to your skills (fast food for example). The dealer should have replaced your rotors when you brought it back. A road test would have shown that they were warped.

Dorothy weaver came in on 3/14/03 at 78,836 miles requesting a brake inspection. She was advised she needed front and rear brakes. She elected to only have the front replaced. She returned on 4/17/03 at 80,322 miles to have the rear brakes replaced. Ms. Weaver then returned on 9/04/03 to have two Ford recalls performed, her mileage at this time was 87,159 and there was no mention of a Brake Vibration. Ms. weaver then came in on 10/16/03 at 88,882 miles with a brake dust concern, she was advised that the brake dust was a normal concern, that the wheels had to be washed periodically. It was noted at this time that she needed two front tires, but the customer declined to have them replaced. Ms. Weaver then returns on 10/21/03 with 89,145 miles on the vehicle complaining of a Brake vibration, which had not been mentioned on any of the previous visits. She had gone to Sears and had the tires replaced since her last visit to our dealership. The lug nutts were installed on so tight that we couldn't hardly get them off with an air gun, therefore causing the rotors to warp and creating the vibration. We instructed Ms. Weaver of this and she said she would go back to Sears, they said it wasn't their fault. There is a special tool used called a Torque stix that prevents this and obviously Sears didn't use one, otherwise the lugs could have been removed much easier.