At 51 years of age I have been behind the wheel for over 35 years. Needless to say I've had a few flat tires in that time. It has never been a big deal, certainly a nuisance. I can change a tire. No one is going to put me on a pit crew, but I manage. Until the other day...
Out to lunch with my lovely bride and after we came out lo and behold right rear is flat. No problem, dear. Stand back, let me roll up my sleeves and I'll have us back on the road in no time. Ha! I have a 4 way wrench in the car. My Ford takes a 19 mm, or at least it did last time I had to change a tire. But no. Wrench won't fit over lug nut. Odd.
Long story short, I tried and failed. I was bewildered and beside myself. A simple task suddenly not simple. Took an Uber home, grabbed the sockets and wrench. Returned to no avail. Tail between my legs I called roadside assistance. Really nice guy. Had to hammer sockets on but got me switched up. Drove to the tire store.
Turns out that Ford in their infinite wisdom have a chrome or cover on the steel of many of the nuts which can swell. My vehicle is only a few years old. Needless to say there are now new nuts all the way around that are single piece solid steel.
So if you have a few minutes you might want to do a quick look up to see if your vehicle could be subject to swollen nuts. It is not an issue limited to Ford.
Out to lunch with my lovely bride and after we came out lo and behold right rear is flat. No problem, dear. Stand back, let me roll up my sleeves and I'll have us back on the road in no time. Ha! I have a 4 way wrench in the car. My Ford takes a 19 mm, or at least it did last time I had to change a tire. But no. Wrench won't fit over lug nut. Odd.
Long story short, I tried and failed. I was bewildered and beside myself. A simple task suddenly not simple. Took an Uber home, grabbed the sockets and wrench. Returned to no avail. Tail between my legs I called roadside assistance. Really nice guy. Had to hammer sockets on but got me switched up. Drove to the tire store.
Turns out that Ford in their infinite wisdom have a chrome or cover on the steel of many of the nuts which can swell. My vehicle is only a few years old. Needless to say there are now new nuts all the way around that are single piece solid steel.
So if you have a few minutes you might want to do a quick look up to see if your vehicle could be subject to swollen nuts. It is not an issue limited to Ford.