Wheel lock laugh

[14AWD3.5]

OK so my neighbor across the street is a mechanic and works for cash on Saturdays out of his garage. After getting a $1,400 estimate from Firestone for brakes and struts I asked him if he would like to do my Edge brakes (still stock with 105K, having no issues).  Firestone had reported "deep scoring" in the rear rotors and all 4 needed R&R to include pads.  I've never felt any shuddering or heard any squealing so I wondered about that diagnosis.

 

So he gets my wheel lock key (McGard) and takes off the wheels. He finds the fronts about 50% left on the pads and the rotors are fine. The rears have a slight scoring and pads are about 50%, but he said it really didn't need to be replaced at the present.

 

Since he had the rear rotors and pads already (at half the O'Reilleys retail cost to me), I had him put on the rear rotors and pads, leaving the fronts alone for now. Total bill for rear brakes was $170. Firestone wanted $440...

 

He reinstalls the wheels and I drive it around to check braking, can't tell much difference (it was fine before anyway).  Next day I am looking for the wheel lock and can't find it. Thinking he still has it I ask. "Nope, I think I left it on the rim".  Uh oh, it's gone.  Probably fell off and I never heard it.

 

So a week later he's located 4 junkyard lugnuts and proceeds to use a socket to over-ride the wheel lock, like several YouTube vids said can be done. Now all is well.

 

I go to check tire pressure of the spare a week later and tucked down by the space saver spare is the original McGard plastic envelope with the code #'s and the 4 original lugnuts.  Sheesh!

[handfiler]

The first thing I remove when I buy a new car are the wheel lock nuts followed by the green valve stem caps.

[akirby]

11 hours ago, handfiler said:

The first thing I remove when I buy a new car are the wheel lock nuts followed by the green valve stem caps.

Which new cars come with green stem caps and wheel locks?

[Perblue]

Mine came with green caps to indicate they were nitrogen filled.

[ben senise]

38 minutes ago, Perblue said:

Mine came with green caps to indicate they were nitrogen filled.

 

I always fill my tires with a mix of 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.04% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. It works very well.

[handfiler]

4 hours ago, akirby said:

Which new cars come with green stem caps and wheel locks?

Mine. It's part of the dealer installed sales gimmicks playbook here in Canada. I've never paid for any of it.

Edited June 30 by handfiler

[handfiler]

22 minutes ago, ben senise said:

 

I always fill my tires with a mix of 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.04% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. It works very well.

 

I fill mine with whatever comes out of my air compressor. It's been working well for me for the last several decades.

[akirby]

1 hour ago, Perblue said:

Mine came with green caps to indicate they were nitrogen filled.

Not from the factory.

[akirby]

1 hour ago, ben senise said:

 

I always fill my tires with a mix of 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.04% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. It works very well.

Hey that’s my line!  
 

It’s amazing how many people think air is mostly oxygen.

[akirby]

48 minutes ago, handfiler said:

 

I fill mine with whatever comes out of my air compressor. It's been working well for me for the last several decades.

What he posted is exactly what comes out of your air compressor.

[Perblue]

1 hour ago, handfiler said:

Mine. It's part of the dealer installed sales gimmicks playbook here in Canada. I've never paid for any of it.

 

Me neither.

[handfiler]

2 hours ago, akirby said:

What he posted is exactly what comes out of your air compressor.

 

I occasionally fail at reading comprehension 🤦‍♂️ 

[enigma-2]

On 6/30/2021 at 1:08 PM, ben senise said:

 

I always fill my tires with a mix of 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.04% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. 

 

Wait. You put gas in your tires?

[akirby]

5 hours ago, enigma-2 said:

 

Wait. You put gas in your tires?

I do.  I also inhale it.  Great stuff!

[enigma-2]

Tried that when I was younger. Made me tired!

[normkol]

When my wife bought her Honda Odyssey in 2016, dealer charged $200 for nitrogen fill. I wasn't with her, and she paid it.

 

The last time she buys a car by herself.

[ben senise]

3 hours ago, normkol said:

When my wife bought her Honda Odyssey in 2016, dealer charged $200 for nitrogen fill. I wasn't with her, and she paid it.

 

200 bucks? that's not funny. that's criminal. personally i would have gone back to the dealer and made them refund that money on the spot. that is disgusting.

[enigma-2]

I think nitrogen filled tires are great. Dry gas. Keeps the inside of the tires from rusting. 

[akirby]

9 hours ago, enigma-2 said:

I think nitrogen filled tires are great. Dry gas. Keeps the inside of the tires from rusting. 

In theory, yes.  But when was the last time you saw a tire or wheel fail from inside rust?

[enigma-2]

Yeaaaaaa. Can't say when was the last time I seen a rusty tire. 

 

Seriously, I read that the advantage of nitrogen in tires is because the nitrogen molecule is larger than air molecules!

 

Since nitrogen molecules are bigger than normal air molecules, it is harder for them to leak out. This means a tire filled with nitrogen will maintain air pressure longer. 

https://www.lesschwab.com/article/are-nitrogen-filled-tires-worth-the-cost.html

 

Guess all those tiny little oxygen molecules are the ones that leak out. That means when your tires lose air, there's only nitrogen molecules left (which are too big to leak out).

 

So, just over inflate your tires, let the oxygen leak out and you're driving on nitrogen. Ka-ching! 

 

(time for another Bloody Mary).

[ben senise]

but when you fill a tire with pure nitrogen, do they purge the existing air out of it? no, so there's still all those other gases left in there.

i believe that on race cars or maybe planes where they use nitrogen, there are two valves; one for putting the air in and another to let it out so they can "flush" the plain air out with pure nitrogen.

if you just add nitrogen, you'll still be left with a significant percentage of other gasses.