Dealer stripped my whee lug?

Dealer stripped my wheel lug?

I'm wondering if its possible to strip a wheel lug removing a nut. The reason I ask is because I had my 2 serviced last week at the dealer (oil change, tire rotation), and they did not follow the rotation pattern I asked for (cross rears to front), since the tire with the lowest tread somehow ended up on the right front.

When I went to swap it with one one of the rears, I noticed that one of the lug nuts was difficult to remove. I was able to remove it, but noticed that now the lug is stripped (almost looks like one of the lug threads is bulging out), and half the threads on the nut are also stripped.

I sincerely believe that the dealer stripped it when putting the nut back on after rotating the tires, since I have never seen a lug, screw, bolt, etc. get stripped when REMOVING a nut.

I plan on taking it back to the dealer, but knowing dealers I am prepared for a fight. Any thoughts from the community?

They probably over torqued it(causing the threads to gall), or there was some junk on the threads(take a lug nut off, and knock it on a hard clean surface... Metal dust will come out) that they didn't clean up before reinstalling. If you can't thread it down by hand you really need to clean it up.


If it was rough when they removed it, they should have informed you then... That's my normal practice when working on a customer's car.


Fwiw I've got most of my stock studs and lug nuts left from when I installed ARP studs. Come down to VA Beach and I'll change it out for you if the dealer gives you hell about it.

BTW is it a front or rear?

flatlander937 said:

They probably over torqued it(causing the threads to gall), or there was some junk on the threads(take a lug nut off, and knock it on a hard clean surface... Metal dust will come out) that they didn't clean up before reinstalling. If you can't thread it down by hand you really need to clean it up.


If it was rough when they removed it, they should have informed you then... That's my normal practice when working on a customer's car.


Fwiw I've got most of my stock studs and lug nuts left from when I installed ARP studs. Come down to VA Beach and I'll change it out for you if the dealer gives you hell about it.

BTW is it a front or rear?

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Thanks for the invite, but I moved to Miami last year (need to update my profile!). Also it was the right front.

What was bizarre was the lug itself was so badly torque that the last 1/3 of the free end was not concentric with the rest of the lug. The dealer went ahead and fixed the lug, after having to special order the part.

After I got the car back, over the weekend I went to rotate the wheels, and guess what - one of the other lugs on the same hub is now stripped, but not as bad. The end is still slightly non-concentric and slightly galled.

Last time I ever take it back to this dealer. They failed to mention this when they returned the car, and got grease all over my a-pillar

I'll just order a lug and new nut and get it replaced next time I get an oil change. Very annoying..

Whee lugs sound like fun. WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Sounds like they cross-threaded it. The tech probably didn't hand-thread it before hammering away with the impact wrench. The joys of flat-rate repair, some (not all) techs just don't care.