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For the last couple of days I have been noticing that my car seemed… well… louder. There seemed to be a roar that at times was almost loud enough to drown out the radio. Which isn’t easy, because I do tend to keep my radio cranked for some reason. But this noise seemed to pop up suddenly. It just didn’t seem right.
There could be a number of possibilities, not least of which could be that I was just imagining the noise. But it seemed to be there for real. I knew my tires were getting a bit worn, but they still have plenty of tread left to get me through the summer. Or maybe it was breaks. Or something else.
I am not a professional when it comes to diagnosing automotive issues, so I dropped by my favourite local garage and asked them to check it out. The mechanic took it for a spin and told me it sounded like it might be a wheel bearing. He could squeeze me in fairly quickly. but this should be done before I went anywhere.
When I dropped back to pick up the car, he looked at me and told me it wasn’t really a wheel bearing or anything else overly concerning or expensive to repair. The lug nuts had simply come loose on one wheel. The wheel was coming loose.
Now, I did have service on my brakes a week ago, which required the wheels to be removed. And I have been told many times to check the nuts for tightness after a few days. In fact, there are a number of garages who have signs posted as reminders to customers. I have done it. But I don’t always. I’ve never had any nuts come loose.
But when I mentioned this to someone else, they just said, “you have aluminum wheels, don’t you?” Apparently, it can be an issue, in particular on cars with aluminum wheels, that the nuts, which were once very nice and tight, can back off and come loose.
I’m certainly glad I had it checked. I also feel kind of silly for not checking my nuts. And I am very glad that I wasn’t driving down the 103, watching one of my wheels pull out to pass me. Not something I want to see at highway speed.
So just a reminder, if you’re planning to do any driving over the summer, check your nuts. It’s one of those things we may not usually think about. But I am very happy I had mine checked.
