Good, lucky or both?

[Sweetee]

I have finally gotten to the point where I'm using my Bug for short trips around town. I know its not ready for the freeway, but I do enjoy taking it for errands, etc. Last night I left it outside, rather than putting it back in the shed under lock and key. I had two places to go this morning and off I went. First stop was 4 blocks away. No problems. I got back in went about two blocks and turned a corner and then started hearing a knocking sound that sounded like something in the suspension. I just start to slow down when there went my left rear tire down the road ahead of me. My immediate fear was that I didn't get the axle nut tight enough when I did the brakes. I pulled off the road. A guy pointed out where the tire ended up in the bushes. The brake drum and axle nut were intact. All the lugs were gone. None were sheared off, but completely gone. I can't believe that all 4 left all at once. Is it possible someone tampered with it overnight? I did have all the wheels off for brake job, adjustment, etc., but I torqued all the lugs and all the remaining 12 were solidly tight!

I had to call the wife to come and get me and then returned with a floor jack and tools. I put the spare (doesn't match) and robbed one lug from the other three wheels to get me home. Other than some scoring/scouring (sp?) on the brake drum, everything seems ok.

Attached, you will find photos of the rim. Can I still use it, or does it look like the holes are too rounded out to use? If so, I guess I'm in the market for 4 new rims. In looking back, I almost took the longer, highway version of my route this morning and that could have been much worse. Luckily, the tire passed between two parked cars and bounced to a stop in a bush.

I am truly having a hard time thinking that I didn't get any warning before it happened. What are the odds that only one wheel wasn't tightened properly as opposed to someone tampering? Other than a slight wrinkle in the fender, there doesn't seem to be any other damage. I don't want to even think about going up to highway speeds until I can get 4 lugs on each rim.

Any thoughts, suggestions, admonitions, etc. will be welcome! Thanks

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My first experience with a VW Beetle was 1966 when I was 16 and my older brother took me out driving in a snow storm to teach me how to drive a stick. Now that I'm retired and have the time, I hope to while away my time "playing" with "my new Bug!"

[jhvw1976]

I had this happen after leaving a shop where I just had new tires put on. Was just hitting 50 getting on the intestate home. Steering wheel started to shake, then slam. Sparks flying up my window and my drivers side front wheel bouncing down the road. Ground down the brake drum, minor fender damage. Did what you did to get it back to the tire shop to point fingers.

I don't think my holes were too rounded out. Rim and tire are still mounted on the car. I bet they walked themselves off. The tire shop I went to put mine on with an impact wrench, but for some reason that drivers side front just didn't want to stay on.

Pick up a few spare lug nuts (cheap) and keep a 4 way in your trunk. I check mine periodically since that happened about 7 years ago out of paranoia. It was very frightening. I can't imagine what would have happened if I had made it up to 70mph.
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1976 standard stock FI beetle daily driver

[birddog1]

Your guess is as good as anyone, but I've never heard of 4 properly torqued lugs walk off at the same time. In fact in 40 years I've never had one come off. I have experienced the famous axle nut coming off, but that was my fault for not using a torque wrench. It would make me suspicious that all came off cleanly, but who knows.

[sjbartnik]

One time on a Ghia I put the wheel bolts back on one of the front wheels wrench tight but I forgot to fully tighten them once the car was on the ground.

I didn't get too far before the steering wheel started to shake back and forth so I pulled over and the bolts were all in the process of walking themselves out. Don't know how much warning you'd get on a rear wheel.

Let's be honest, most likely scenario is you forgot to torque those and they walked out while driving. But you can't rule out tampering either. Do you have any neighbor enemies?

Did you retrace your path and find the bolts?

If they were all gone from the get-go, you'd never have gotten out of your driveway.
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1965 Volkswagen 1500 Variant S
2000 Kawasaki W650

[Mudpump]

Highly unlikely they were tightened correctly and just walked off.
You either forgot to torque them or someone is messing with you. You can get locking lugs if you think someone is messing with you. Hopefully that's the least likely because in fact they were trying to kill you.

But also look at getting a system when you tighten the lugs. I always go around the car a second time rechecking all the lugs. On axle nuts I never put the cotter pin in until I have torqued and re-checked it.

[Cusser]

[Eric&Barb]

[sb001]

You didn't just have a powdercoating job done did you?

There is an adage on here about that very thing happening after getting your wheels powdercoated, although I'm still not quite sure I buy it.
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I'm the humblest guy on this board.

1969 autostick sedan, family owned since new
1600 SP engine
Solex 30 PICT 3 carburetor
Bosch 113905205AE autostick distributor

[Sweetee]

[Mudpump]

[mikeonthebike]

Maybe someone was going to steal your wheels and that is as far as they got before something spooked them.

[Sweetee]

[Aussiebug]

Try putting that wheel back on and see if the lugs tighten ok on the cone part of the lug. There is some damage to the wheel holes but it might tighten ok. The lugs must tighten on the wheel holes on the taper/cone section of the lug. There's a faint chance the holes will be off centre now so listen/feel for any wheel shake. After driving a few miles , re-tighten the lugs as the damaged holes at have "settled".

It would be very unlikely that a single loose lug nut would cause all 4to work loose, so it's most likely they were all loosened or left un-tightened.

I once had both double wheels come off on a single axle car carrier trailer with 6 cars on board. The 5 bolts holding the wheel wedges to the spider (spokes) had worked loose. 100kmh at night. Trailer stayed upright and I only knew I had a problem because the spider was rumbling on the road like driving on a ripple strip. Had to stay on the side of the road all night until the owner brought replacement wheels, spider and brake drum 300km from base. Old old Louisville truck and trailer always had things going wrong. Found both wheels about 200 meters into a waist high wheat field next morning. They had both bounced 7 times in a diminishing spiral.
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Rob
Rob and Dave's aircooled VW pages
Repairs and maintenance for the home mechanic
http://www.vw-resource.com

[gt1953]

At least you are safe ans so is the vehicle, whatever happened.
Double check your work I suppose. Forget the beer until job is complete.
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Volkswagen: We tune what we drive.
Numbers Matching VW's are getting harder to find. Source out the most Stock vehicle and keep that way. You will be glad you did.

72 type 1
72 Squareback
({59 Euro bug, 62, 63, 67, 68, 69, 73 type ones 68 & 69 type two, 68 Ghia all sold})

[Volks Wagen]

I recently broke a rusted bolt loose on a (non-vw) piece of shit car I use sometimes, by loosening the other three bolts and taking it out for a spin and giving that wheel a lot of abuse - potholes, kerbs and heavy braking. Took a lot to loosen it. Yours must have all been loose. Perhaps your wife did it - have you been unbearable recently?
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1973 1303 with AB-motor - sporadic
reconstruction as time permits, 1986 ex-Bundeswehr Doka - on the road again.

I'm definitely, probably, the worlds greatest lover.

Aithníonn ciaróg ciaróg eile.

[Sweetee]

[jhicken]

It's only natural to think someone else may of messed with it, considering you had recently had the wheels off, chances are that you got distracted with all you were doing and just missed this wheel. It happens more than many folks like to admit to. You could have even torqued them but if the wheel may not be completely seated, they would have loosened pretty quick as soon as it was back on the street. As previously noted, that is why it's always good practice to take it for a quick spin then check the wheels again.

As for the wheels, they look like original Empi Spring Stars, instead of selling, I'd consider having them restored. Talk to Anthony at ISP West in Cali [http://www.vwispwest.com]. I have a buddy had his done and they looked fantastic.

-jeffrey
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Der Kleiner Kampfwagens

[hitest]

I aver there is not a pile of your lug bolts somewhere- there's a trail of them.
You didn't notice the first one. Then if the second was opposite the first- you didn't notice that one either. It was the last two that went from bad to worse in seconds. If you walked back- you'd find two bolts close together and a good distance to the first couple. I'd take the rim to a machine shop and have it trued and scrutinized before reusing- no matter how good it looks.

Those holes are mushroomed now- and each one is slightly different in damage because the stress on them was progressively worse as bolt one to four dropped off.
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