This absolutely sucks!!!

I have new tires. One the way home today, a wheel fell off, literally. Rim, rubber, center cap and all! OUCH! Luckily I was only going about 20 up a slight ingrade on an empty road! I ended up facing the opposite direction in a small ditch.

So I checked the other tires and yep, they were all slightly loose. The tire place didn't torque them, and I, like an idiot didn't double check.

So the car sits buried in some soft dirt, the left rear tire is up someone's drive way and all I can find is one lug nut. All of the holes in the rim are elongated, leading me to believe that this has been coming.

I had no indications of trouble until about 20 minutes before it happened, and I couldn't figure it out. That's why I was going home.

The tire shop says they'll come fix the car, no charge, but not until the morning. OK, fine.

But when I return, the tail end is stick out....so I decided I will dig the car out, jack it up and throw a tire on. It's only 1 block from my house anyhow.

So that's what I do. In the process of trying to get the car out.....something breaks!

I don't think it's the clutch, or the tranny. The car has a little trouble getting in reverse and it still grinds shifting into reverse...but all you hear in any gear is a spin......zing.......

I can't get under the car to look. Any ideas on what it will end up being?

Also, the only access to the car is from the back. I do NOT want to pay a tow truck $50.00 to tow my car 1 block, so where do I hook up a chain and drag it out?

Now how would you deal with the tire company?

 

Wow, that sucks, any body damage. I would definately contact a lawyer if they give you any trouble.

 

Once when i had my 86 T-bird before i had the maro a shop did that to me did my brakes and never tighten the lugs so i had to get out every 1/4 and tighten them till i got home. now i check every time someone touches my wheels espically with the camaro i am so nervous when someone else touches it. sorry to hear that. just chalk this up to expericence. double check everybody work.

 

Got the car pulled out!

The tire company showed up.

OK, they're going to send somebody out tomorrow to verify what the trouble might be.

I was thinking (hoping) U-Joint or something.

How do I verify the difference between a busted tranny, (no gears at all---5 speed), a drive shaft problem, or a rear end busted.

I was thinking of upgraded the rear end anyhow!

Mark, no body damage...luckily. The dirt was almost sand like! So I ended up loosing one of the splash guard in front of the passenger's tire ( no biggie) and probably a few years on my life. Oh, I just bought a new radiator today to be installed!

One of the lugs is completely gone...nowhere to be found. The rest are rather scarred up.

 

hey dont feel bad that happened to me twice! the first time i was 16 and just go t my elcamino for my bday and i got new tires and took them hom to put on and tightend the lugnuts while the car was still on the jacks and didnt bother on the ground cuz i was a freakin retard. the second time is wheni first got the camaro this fall and got new tires again during the motor swap and my dad and i had a few to many and i totally forgot to tighten them at all just finger tight so dont fret it happens to us all. well some of us oh well learning experience!

 

But this wasn't caused by my own negligence. Since I paid them to install the tires, they did so improperly and now there is something else broken, they should have to fix it, right?

 

Absolutely.Especially if they're willing to fix the car "no charge".
Sounds like they're claiming responsability to me.

 

So what drive train componenet would be most likely to break like that?