I took my beloved Max to a local repair shop in town to have a lug stud replace that was sheared off while removing a tire. After driving home, about 30 mile I took the wheel off to inspect the work that was preformed. Glad I did, what I found was my CV boot with a gapping hole in it and my CV grease all over. This didn't look like a boot spit there was acutally a hole about the size of my fist in it. I called the shop and asked what happened, knowing full well this had to happen at their shop because i was under the car the night before and there was no hole in the boot. The shop owned told me that there was no way his machanic could have cause that. When I asked him if it could have happend when they disaasemblemed it to press out the lug stud he informed me that they don't dissassemble to remove lugs they beat them out with hammer. Which suprisingly looks a lot as to what went through the boot. Over all the **** own of the shop wouldn't do anything to repair the damage he caused, and I payed him 80 bucks to beat on my front end with a hammer. I plan on reporting him to the california bar (bureau of automotive repair, and the better business bureau)

On a side note could beating on the front end with a hammer cause and alignment problems?? seems to me it would

 

Could've done it for free yourself ... ...

It may be out of alignment, but typically you do not need top bang that hard on it(hard enough to set off aligment spec)

Got pics?

 

ugh, that sucks man. you should post a comment about this place in the west coast regional forum so other .orgers can avoid this place like the plague!

 

That sucks, I could imagine they slipped when hitting the wheel studs, but that's a ways away from the front of the hub.

But yea, hitting them with a hammer is the easiest way, I replaced all 5 on my driver's side rear a few weeks ago. A few good wacks and they pop right out.

 

my bet is the guy probably had a light hanging from the boot and when he took the light off, he just pulled it and the hook ripped the boot.

 

A little off topic, but after you bang them out with a hammer how do you reinstall them? Just put the tire on and use the lug nuts to pull them in?

 

You tap the new ones in as far as you can and then use the lug nut/tire to pull it flush (as you stated).

 

I did that at first, but that takes a long time, tightening them until you think they're in, take off the tire, see they're only halfway in, rinse and repeat.

You're 'supposed to' use washers beneath the lugnut to be able to tighten the studs on, I ended up using two closed wrenches placed on the stud between the lugnut and the hub, because I didn't have any appropriate sized washers. Between those, a pair of heavy duty gloves, and a long screwdriver to stick through an open stud hole into the caliper bolt holes to keep the hub in place, I got all mine in place in about an hour.

Would have been much easier if I had an impact wrench, but it worked fine (albeit slowly) with just a lug wrench or appropriately sized socket on a ratchet.

If you have the hub off, you can try to bang them in as njmodi said, but I did mine while still on the axle (I don't have a 30mm or whatever socket for the big *** nut).

 

Man you paid too much for a wheel stud replacement, Brake Masters does it for under $40. I'm going there to get two of my studs replaced today, I know if they mess something up, they would fix it for free. Make sure you report that idiot to the BBB.

 

to install a wheel stud, get itstarted by hand or tapping or whatever. then put a flat washer on (optional but preferred) then use a standard lug nut and screw it on with the flat side towards the hub. you should be able to tighten the nut without major force being needed. if you started the stud crooked and pounded it in, it could take more force, but the nut on the wheel hub straightens the stud as it begins to tighten.