It’s easy to get sticker shock when it comes to maintenance and repair work at a dealership, especially for higher-end foreign brands. That’s the reality a Texas BMW owner was dealing with recently, as shown in a video where she frets over a four-figure estimate to get three new tires for her X3 crossover. In the viral TikTok, which has been viewed more than 56,000 times, Kevin Vigil of Vigil’s Road Service Tire (@vigilroadservicetire) makes a mobile repair stop outside the vehicle owner’s home to loosen lug bolts that appeared to have been stripped and replace a badly worn tire. In conversation with the owner, we learn her dealership would have required the costly replacement of two other overused tires at the same time. "The quote she got, it was pretty decent because I know how much the tires cost and everything," Vigil said in a phone call with Motor1. "The only thing I guess is she didn't want to spend that kind of money all at the same time. She was probably just trying to get one of them fixed." The footage of Vigil using a hammer, assorted other tools, and spray-on liquid to loosen the bolts raised a whole lot of questions in the clip's comments section. Among the issues raised: why a luxury vehicle owner would want to pinch pennies on maintenance for the vehicle, whether suitable tires are available from other sellers at a lower price point, and why Vigil didn’t balance the replacement tire he installed. "You driving [an] expensive car that's known to break down all the time and you can't afford repairs on it," wrote one. How Do Lug Bolts Get Busted Up? Much of the six-minute clip features footage of Vigil doing the hard work to loosen the lug bolts so he can remove the tire, which was completely bald and would have been a hazard in poor driving conditions. In the caption, Vigil notes: "Did you know you can damage or strip your lug nuts by not using the right tool? Using an impact wrench or socket that doesn't match the lug nut's size or shape can apply excessive torque in the wrong spots, grinding the nut's corners and making future removal difficult." Online forums are full of drivers looking for explanations for how the bolts on their own vehicles became worn and difficult, or even impossible, to remove. Opinions differ, but there’s a general consensus that any damage to the bolts comes from overtightening, and not from improper threading of the lugnut. Vigil told Motor1 that the BMW’s bolts appeared to be too tight. "If the lug nuts are actually stripped, then you probably will need to use the special sockets in order to remove the stripped lug nuts," he said. "But in this case, they were not really stripped. If anything, I thought they could probably be a little bit tight, so that's why I put the special liquid in it as well." Other possible causes of damaged lug bolts include cross threading, use of a poorly sized socket, corrosion and rust, and use of damaged lug nuts or other hardware. To avoid damaging bolts, experts advise using a torque wrench according to the manufacturer's specifications, hand-threading lug nuts at the start, using an impact wrench only in limited situations, and keeping the threads clean. The Demands Of All-Wheel Drive One additional question raised in the comments section centered on whether it was wise to replace only one tire on an all-wheel-drive (AWD) vehicle. Even as a temporary solution to save money in the short term, observers were concerned about the risk of damage. "Awd drive car. (Shouldn’t) replace 1 tire. I see that transfer case going bye bye," one wrote. The demands of AWD vehicles can be an alarming realization for new owners, with improper tire maintenance opening the door for longer-term problems that could void warranties. The likelihood of uneven wear from mismatched tires is a very real concern for AWD vehicles. AWD systems are engineered to operate with all four wheels rotating at the same speed. A new tire with a slightly greater diameter and deeper tread than what’s on the other three wheels creates an imbalance that forces the transfer case to constantly overcompensate for the difference. That differential leads to excess heat and friction, which can cause severe damage to the drivetrain over time and compromise the vehicle’s traction control system. Or, put another way, the X3 owner shouldn’t wait to get her other tires replaced. If she does, that initial $1,100 could look like a drop in the bucket against some much larger repair bills. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team
