Malfunctions of wheel bolt

• seizure
• bolt breakage in mounting seat
• butt part abrasion
• thread wear
• contamination or rusting

Signs of Wheel stud malfunctions

• driving or braking are accompanied with strange sounds, which resemble friction of metals
• drive socket slipping on bolt while trying to unscrew it
• bolt is unscrewed from mounting seat with creak and crunch
• the can be hardly unscrewed or, on opposite, goes off too easily to mounting seat and stays there loose

Causes of wheel bolt malfunctions

• usage of lubricant, which is not suitable for high temperatures
• incorrect wrench torque
• wear of mounting seats with subsequent bolt sinking
• insufficient or complete lack of bolt lubrication
• violation of usage rules
• force impact as a result of crash

Diagnostics

Wheel stud diagnostics does not require special knowledge and tools, that is why you can accomplish it on your own. Unscrew bolts from mounting seats and have a visual inspection of them. Replacement is needed if a thread or bolt head are damaged. Also it is necessary to have visual inspection of mounting seats for damages. Make sure, there is no rust on the parts and that they are sufficiently lubricated. Working lifespan of wheel bolts depends on manufacturer, material quality and terms of usage. Bolts need to be replaced at any damages.

Repair of Wheel stud

Wheel bolts repair is about cleaning from rust and lubricating. Recovering works in the form of thread cutting or cutting away damaged turns is prohibited. For lubrication use oil which is resistant to high temperatures. This will allow avoiding bolt sticking and seizure in the mounting seat. Also make sure that the lubricant covers only thread part of the bolt.

Replacement of wheel bolts

You can replace bolts on your own. The following is needed:

• loosen the bolt
• lift the car with a jack
• unscrew the bolt
• inspect the mounting seat for damages
• oil thread of a new bolt and screw it
• let the car down and tighten the bolt

For replacement surely choose the bolt, which will be identical to the others. During replacement of all bolts, screw them the following way: outer top - bottom, outer left- right and the rest one by one from different sides. This will allow avoiding hole displacement for bolts on the disc relative to mounting seats on the wheel.

Wheel stud finder for

• FORD Fiesta Mk6 Hatchback (JA8, JR8)
• FORD Focus II Hatchback (DA_, HCP, DP)
• FORD Fiesta Mk5 Hatchback (JH1, JD1, JH3, JD3)
• VAUXHALL Corsa Mk III (D) Hatchback (S07)
• MERCEDES-BENZ C-Class Saloon (W204)
• NISSAN Qashqai / Qashqai +2 I (J10, NJ10)
• BMW 3 Saloon (E90)
• FORD FOCUS III
• VW POLO (9N_)
• VW Golf V Hatchback (1K1)