Chocked the wheels and was using a 18" bar with 1/2 drive and 17mm socket to break the lugnuts before jacking supporting and removing the front wheels for more access to something I was working on. This is the first time I've put a wrench to the lugs as the car is still relatively new to me. Got all but one cracked free..........The stubborn one was not yielding and the bar was flexing and the wheel was starting to slip on the smooth cement floor. Went in to ask my wife for 15 seconds of assistance. Got a four foot pipe out of the basement...as we were alking to the garage she said "what's that?" I said "Atlas".....while she held the chock in place with her foot I used Atlas and got the stubborn lug free without breaking anything. As we walked back in she said "Who knew - Physics really does have a practical application"

Thanks for listening dear reader that is all...."atlas" -1
stubborn lug - 0

Jackass who impacted the lugs on - I'd like to smash your windshield with "Atlas"

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Rob M
Norwich, VT USA
1980 240D Euro delivery 4 speed manual silver/blue
~160K miles

Instead of having your wife hold a wheel chock with her foot why didn't you have her sit in the car in total comfort and have her step on the brake? I do agree that the people who overtighten lug bolts should have to come at their own expense to undo the problem.

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1983 300-D turbo
1985 300-D turbo
1959 Harley Panhead chopper
1929 Ford coupe restored
I hang out with Boneheaddoctor at Schuman Automotive OBK#5
All liberals are mattoids but not all mattoids are liberal.

Good question.

Because I'm smart enough to use a torque wrench but thoughtless enough to overlook the blaringly obvious?

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Rob M
Norwich, VT USA
1980 240D Euro delivery 4 speed manual silver/blue
~160K miles

Yep been there too Had to use a huge breaker bar and plenty fluid spray.

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Peter
1984 300D MB "Klara"
1996 4Runner SR5 "Toy"
1997 Impreza Outback "Subie"
80's Diesel PU Rig (to be purchased)

2 times on the 400E we had to use a torch to cut off one wheel bolt. Those were the bolts with the extension on them to get them flush with the wheel face. I use regular short lugs on all wheels now.

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95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

Hm I wonder how much the front rotors would like treatment like that if you tightened them that much...

Can you say...WARP!

Mine are done WITH the same tool I would use to take them off on the side of the road...

No kidding...."fortunately" this car isn't road worhty yet. If I get a flat it will be in my garage....As for the rotors. I don't recall any pulsing or weird action duringthe short drive from where I purchased the car.....I'll be keeping an eye/ear/feel of the heel out for rotor warp factor......Having recently replaced rotors on my VW I can say that the MB rotors are substantially more robust (and that is an unerstatement.)

I also will be removing all four wheels and torquing the lugs properly before I get the car away from my garage. I would be pretty embarassed if I had to call for help because I couldn't loosten a stuck lug on the side of the road because I neglected to break it and reset it.

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Rob M
Norwich, VT USA
1980 240D Euro delivery 4 speed manual silver/blue
~160K miles

i had a similar experience with overtightened oil plug bolt. Some stupid jiffy lube grease monkey way over tightened and stripped my bolt. I was trying to break with 13mm open end, i bruised my plam and the bruise stayed for a week. i finally broke it with a half inch ratchet with a 12 point socket. It sucked and since then i have been having small drips of oil from the plug because it got stripped out by an impact gun.

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81' 300SD AKA "Big Helga"
84' 300D Euro spec (Veronika)
85' 300D NonCalifornia (Heidi)

"We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire...Give us the tools and we will finish the job."
-Winston Churchill, 1941

"I'll have a Chinchilla!"

I am not a violent person but if I saw someone installing a drain bolt or oil pan bolt with an impact gun it would be a test and verification of my "I am not a violent person" statement.

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Rob M
Norwich, VT USA
1980 240D Euro delivery 4 speed manual silver/blue
~160K miles

well it seemed like an impact gun or at least an air ratchet, it chewed the head pretty good, and that someone needs a smack in the face and an education on torque specs.BTW they also did this to the oil filter nuts too. Those weren't so bad though because i had some arm room to work with. None the less proper torque specs are our freinds.

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81' 300SD AKA "Big Helga"
84' 300D Euro spec (Veronika)
85' 300D NonCalifornia (Heidi)

"We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire...Give us the tools and we will finish the job."
-Winston Churchill, 1941

"I'll have a Chinchilla!"