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Showerthought: I torqued lugs by feel for 6 years, now I use a $40 wrench and torque sticks
When I started at the shop in Fresno back in 2016, I did lugs with a 3/4 impact and my own judgment, which worked until a customer came back with a warped rotor on a Subaru. My old boss just shrugged and called it "feel", but I got tired of comebacks, so I bought a $40 torque wrench and a set of torque sticks and now every wheel gets set to spec before it leaves the bay. Last month a guy asked why I take an extra 30 seconds per wheel, and I told him it's cheaper than a $400 brake job on my dime. Funny part is the old timers still give me a hard time about it. Any of you actually measure lug torque or is it all feel in your shop?
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joseph9322d ago
The old timers giving you a hard time is wild to me because they're the same guys who'll blame the new kid when a wheel falls off. I work flat rate so I get the "no time for that" excuse, but a comeback eats way more time than 30 seconds a wheel ever will. You start adding it up, warped rotor here, stripped stud there, and suddenly the impact-and-pray method costs you half a day plus parts you're eating. Honestly the torque stick thing is smart too because it keeps you from overdoing it with the gun before the wrench even comes out. Let them laugh, your comebacks are probably lower than theirs.
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