Another Car Tale
Last year driving back from a funeral, the brakes suddenly failed on my car. I had a quick look and the brake caliper was loose and the movement had caused the brake pipe to fracture at a joint.

By a strange coincidence the wheel bearing on that very wheel had only been changed a few weeks ago. The mechanic concerned said he normally does them up "mental tight" with a breaker bar. He must have forgot on that occasion and so I felt it would be a nice idea to tell the stupid fucker that he could have killed us!
( Vambo, Mon 14 Mar 2011, 16:36, 6 replies)

Mental tight?
I thought wheel bearings were a moderately tight, unwind a smidge and make sure there's no movement, lock off job?
(Me, I'm not... in any way intoxicated, Mon 14 Mar 2011, 17:22, closed)

p'raps Vambo meant the wheel nuts?
is what i reckon.
( blaireau69 , the Cumbrian Travis Bickle., Mon 14 Mar 2011, 18:07, closed)

To Clarify
I meant the bolts holding the brake caliper(which has to be removed and replaced when changing the wheel bearings)
( Vambo, Mon 14 Mar 2011, 20:06, closed)

The ones on my Citroën AX...
... needed done up to something ridiculous like 70kg/m which is the sort of torque wrench settings that God used when he bolted the Earth onto its axis.
(edit: and He probably had to use a scaff pole and jump up and down a bit to get it to click)
(gordonjcp, Mon 14 Mar 2011, 19:07, closed)

I once drove from Perth to Aberdeen with breaks down to metal on metal.
Not really a bodge, i know.
( Slippery Mick ‏, Mon 14 Mar 2011, 19:43, closed)

...and
that too whilst returning from a funeral!
(Ymob is a kaburu, Tue 15 Mar 2011, 6:40, closed)