While were on the subject. Would some one who knows for certain, tell me and the rest of the motoring world, if the stock wheel studs on all S Types are created equal? I am in the process of replacing two wheel studs on my 07 S Type. I have done extensive research and as far as I can tell they are all the same. Correct or Incorrect?

 

I have no rust issues. My studs look new, just broken in half with the lug nuts still on them.

The first time it happened I blamed the tire store. I thought the guy mounting my brand new chrome 18" wheels hit the first lugnut with the impact wrench and then tried to tighten up the rest while the wheel was crooked. Maybe I was wrong.

The wheels are definately hub centered and not lug centered so you can't run one lug nut all the way on or it makes the wheel not centered. This is why I rotate my own tires. (a 6000 lb. lift in my garage helps) I'm tired of having to worry that the tire store guys won't do it right. But unfortunately I need new tires and have to let them do the work for me..............

 

Don't let them tighten them using an air gun. They all seem to own torque wrenches but don't bother to use them until you insist.

I suspect they could reduce the setting on the air gun.......

 

First off, I'm jealous of your lift!! I've been looking at installing one myself but want to build another garage first.

I feel your pain with the shop installs, I have actually resorted to pulling the wheels and tires off myself and putting the car on stands, then transporting the wheels/tires in one of the other vehicles to get mounted. Too many bad experiences with tech's cranking the lugs too tight with an impact. Short of buying a tire machine and balancer, I don't know what else to do.

Last time I had tires put on my X before I sold it, they forgot to put one of the hub centric spacers back on (aftermarket wheels). I discovered this while doing a brake job. I called them and they were like "oh yeah we have the ring, it's sitting here, we thought it may have been yours"....this was like 2 weeks later. WTF they should have called me!

The dealer however, will torque to spec with a calibrate torque wrench - I request this if the car happens to have to go to the dealer for something else. If i am there they will let me watch - they realized I'm an OCD a-hole. LOL..

 

I hear you loud and clear, Chris. Like you, I always remove my wheels and carry them to the tire shops in my Ram whenever I can. For the S-Type and the RX330, anyway. When my Ram needs tires or a flat repair, then the entire truck must go in and tough it out. But I stand there and watch it like a hawk while it's in the service bay, and I always loosen and re-torque all lug nuts myself in the parking lot before I leave. My favorite Discount Tire store manager completely understands my **** behavior and even jokes with me about it. As long as he keeps giving me fantastic deals on the tires I want, he can call me any name in the book....

Too many fools over-torque and strip too many lug nuts in today's tire shops. The air guns are a big reason why, but careless and/or untrained wheel jockeys are responsible for much of the damage too....

 

Just so everybody knows the Timkin front hub for the S-Type works like a charm. It actually looks beefier than the stock hub and fits like the original. The Timkin hub also includes the ABS harness and plug. It has the correct plug and the correct grommets where the clips are supposed to go to keep the harness out of the way. Great quality.

The dealer wanted $370.00 plus tax and I bought the Timkin part from www.partsgeek.com for $111.00. The dealer wanted $300.00 labor and I installed it myself in about an hour and a half including clean up time. Saved myself about $500.00.

I also ordered a set of 10 wheel studs from www.rockauto.com so I'll them on hand next time a stud breaks.

Hope this helps!

 

Great result, thanks for updating us.

 

Nice update! Now we have another alternative! Do you see how the studs can come out of the old hub?

 

Yes, I see where you could replace the studs if you had some. The dealer won't sell them to you though so you guys will have to look elsewhere.

I may replace the studs and sell the original hub on Ebay. There's really nothing wrong with the hub only the studs were broken. I had already bought the new hub and didn't want to pay restocking or shipping to return it so I installed it on the car.

 

Ever since a dealer broke a stud on a Toyota (built like a brick sh**house) I owned many years ago, I mount and dismount all my wheels. I bit the bullet and bought 4 additional wheels for permanently mounting winter tires. I save on the tire swap costs and it has justified the expense of the wheel purchases. Besides,
for a short time when a tire service is needed, I throw on one of my off season wheels to avoid driving with the "orange monster" spare. I know it's not recommended to mix tires but with careful slow driving for a short time should be OK.