Are your nuts swollen?We take a break from our regularly scheduled Quit programming to bring you this important public service announcement: Do you have chrome lug nuts on your vehicle?
Recently, as my wife and daughters were on their way back to Georgia from a family visit in Texas, they suffered a flat tire somewhere in Alabama. Not to worry, my 16 year old Rachel thought, Dad made sure I knew how to change a tire (I had her and her sisters jack my truck and rotate the tires as a practical exercise in changing tires). To their frustration, the lug wrench supplied with their Toyota did not fit the lug nuts on the vehicle. They called me near tears and were trying to explain to me that it didn’t fit. I was exasperated; surely they were doing it wrong. We punted and called for a wrecker as they waited it out in a hotel room, night quickly descending upon them and the tire store not open until the following morning.
When they returned home I got that lug wrench and tried it myself. Sure enough, that thing did not fit the lug nuts. I went to the Toyota dealership, checking my anger, I explained to the parts dealer that the wrench that they supplied was the wrong size and their ineptitude left my wife and children stranded on the side of the road out of state. His answer only stoked the flames of my wrath. They knew about the swollen lug nut issue. He even explained to me the ‘swelling phenomenon’. They were altogether willing to sell me a complete replacement set for ~$120.
All that to tell you:
Check your vehicles for the chrome lug nuts (the condition is not isolated to Toyota, there was actually a class action lawsuit against Ford for this very issue). If they are installed, see if the lug wrench supplied still fits them. Your actions now could save you from having your family stranded on the side of the road at a future date.
