I may have mentioned this before but my son, 29, is utterly disorganised with a side serving of zero mechanical interest, sympathy or whatever.
He had new tyres fitted to his Pug 2008 in January but his failure to deal promptly with worn droplinks and/or wheel alignment means the fronts now are now worn to the point of near illegality.
He's had his bum bitten by the cost of living crisis so while he was with us for the weekend I said I'd sort out replacements and pay for them. At 195/60 R16 I guessed around £100 each for a known mid market brand.
Spent a bit of time on t'internet and found Kumhos on Black Circles for £89.66 each fitted on Monday morning at the local Formula 1 chain's place up the road near Sainsburys. Used them for years and near enough to nip over to Sainsbo's cafe for a full English while they do their stuff.
However Black Circles emailed me on Friday morning to say F1 couldn't do Monday, how about Tuesday? NBG for us as he's back home by then. A refund was sorted albeit only after 20minutes of comprehension issues with the heavily accented Bahvgita speaking over a piece of wet string from Bangalore. She's got a promising future in politics - getting her to confirm that no, she could not find another fitting on Monday was blood/stone territory.
Another session on the 'net and booking made for this morning at the aforementioned F1 for a pair of Hankooks. 11:00 for an 11:15 fitting.
Arrive on time and, as you'd expect I'm asked for the wheel nut key. The Lad cannot tell me where it is other than 'it might be in the boot Dad'. The car's interior is a mess of discarded sports drink cans, biscuit wrappers etc with a thick top dress of Spaniel hair. No locking nut found. TBH he didn't know what it even looked like. My joke about about the stereotype a man living in Liverpool and alloys didn't go down well :-P.
Started to contemplate options for using brute force/ignorance to get the nuts off when Manager comes over and tells me the tyres I've ordered are van specific and he won't fit them to a car....
Not sure how that happened as I used the reg to determine what to order and just ensured size given was right. Perhaps the fact that 195/60 R16 was shown multiple times should have given me a spidy sense of a problem.
So I've got a refund and will need to sort him out somewhere in Liverpool where he can go after work.
Still, on the bright side, I was out and about far earlier than I normally would on a wet, cold and grey first Sunday in Advent....
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Do you want advice?
Because...
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No advice sought. Just venting.
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You’d think, if it’s a popular size, that there would be somewhere near you that could do them today/tomorrow?
Kwik Fit or the like? They won’t have a problem with the locking nuts if you’re happy to buy a new set from them.
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Thanks Humph - I'm looking at that as we speak. He will have to decide whether the 'surgical' solution is justified.
EDIT Kwik Fit also muddy the water with van tyres.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sun 3 Dec 23 at 13:27
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Back in '92 I bought an ex demonstrator 309 with steel wheels. Unusually they had locking wheel nuts fitted which I never noticed. In the glove box was this funny looking hex nut with prongs sticking out of it and I had no idea what it was for so after a few months I binned it. Then came time for a couple of new front tyres....out came the garages angle grinder.
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>> In the glove box was this funny
>> looking hex nut with prongs sticking out of it and I had no idea what
>> it was for so after a few months I binned it.
I've suspicion The Lad has done something similar. He'd no idea whag a locking thing actually looked like.
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I am sure you checked but the forums say some recent Pugs come without locking nuts (dealers often after fit them though). Its not obvious until you take off the plastic nut covers.
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Defintely has locking nuts.
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"No advice sought. Just venting."
Also known as a 'cathartic release' :)
Last edited by: Fullchat on Sun 3 Dec 23 at 19:43
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Why doesn't your son hold his own hand, because you will be doing this forever?
Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.
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>> Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.
But in the right measure...
This is a one off and not ongoing.
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>>This is a one off and not ongoing.
You say in your first post:
He had new tyres fitted to his Pug 2008 in January but his failure to deal promptly with worn droplinks and/or wheel alignment means the fronts now are now worn to the point of near illegality.
I had a daughter like that. It was only after several 'fender benders' and numerous tyres that she learned it was better to drive carefully and check tyre pressures. I refused to bail her out!
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Son needs to grow up and stop being molly coddled whatever the expression is. If he were 19 then perhaps that would be another matter. It's incumbent that anyone who drives a car knows the basic and has common sense.
I knew how cars worked when I was 13 years old.
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>> Son needs to grow up and stop being molly coddled whatever the expression is. If
>> he were 19 then perhaps that would be another matter. It's incumbent that anyone who
>> drives a car knows the basic and has common sense.
>> I knew how cars worked when I was 13 years old.
Oldgit by name and Old Git by nature.
With appropriate emoticon natch...
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Alongside my daughters learning to drive I covered some of this stuff with them, so they are both capable of (if not enthusiastic about) petrol pumps, checking and topping up oil and windscreen wash, checking and inflating tyres, and, with limitations, changing light bulbs. They also know about locking wheel nuts (purpose and importance of not losing!) and other stuff I can't now think of.
It's worked out well for them (and me!!) more than once, though I still occasionally get lumbered...
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>> It's worked out well for them (and me!!) more than once, though I still occasionally
>> get lumbered...
My Daughter was the go to person in her student house whenever domestic appliances plaid up. She'd been well trained at my knee on how stuff worked and how to solve simple problems like what to do if the mains trips off.
Son just wasn't, and isn't, interested. He's very like my own Father that way. He even holds a screwdriver in a clenched fist like Dad did....
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>> Oldgit by name and Old Git by nature.
>>
>> With appropriate emoticon natch...
>>
What's the saying, 'Spare the rod, spoil the child' figuratively speaking of course.
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try ebay elitetyresolutions got to maxis for£120 EBAY ADD A VOUCHER.
i've taken off the locking wheel nuts . alloys are scuffed and the tpms makes it less attractive. More likely have the cat stollen
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Tyres - Arrghhh... - Duncan
