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workingonit · #15 05-09-2022, 11:55 AM

I've carried a "cheap" torque wrench in all my vehicles (my personal vehicles, not the ones the wife uses exclusively...she wouldn't be able to set the torque required) since the 1970's, after I had problems with lug nuts being too tight, or too loose, after using "4-way"s or a "jack-handle wheel lug wrench" (included, along with the jack, in most cars' equipment).

Several times I had found that after I had changed out a flat tire using those tools to loosen/tighten the lug nuts (or the bolts on my VW's), and then went to re-tighten them about 100 miles later (what my Grandfather taught me to do), they were either too tight or slightly loose, depending on my degree of aggravation when changing the flat tire. I just never was able to judge how much force to use.

At first, I carried a beam-style 1/2" torque wrench, but switched to cheap click-style wrenches when they started selling for under $50 USD. Since then, I've had no problems with wheels installed or tightened by myself.

However, I have had recent (and several times prior) bad experiences with lug nuts/bolts that were too tight to remove easily, that had been installed by tire shops presumably with powerful air impacts. I usually found my truck wheels had been overtightened way past the 140 ft-lbs required, so I added a long-handle 1/2" breaker bar (with an extension tube for added power) to my truck equipment. The recent https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...bolts-e53.html problem I had with my first flat on the X5 prompted me to add a breaker bar and extension tube to the growing assortment of tools I have in the trunk (including std. BMW tire-changing equipt.), all in various toolbags and boxes:

two more jacks,
two jack-stands,
a decent torque wrench,
full sets of metric sockets and tork sockets,
misc. other hand tools,
two worklights,
fender cover, ground cloth(s), beach towels, work gloves, hand towels, hand cleaner,
a laser temp gun,
two hand-held scan tools (Foxwell NT510 Elite and Innova 3101i),
two Android/Bluetooth OBD2 dongles, OBDLink LX and BAFX for Torque Pro, OBDLink apps
"OHP INPA Cable FTDI FT232RL USB OBD2 for BMW Diagnostic Coding | K Line" , used for the Android apps Bimmertool Pro and Deep OBD,
dedicated spare phone for Android OBD2 app usage (8" Android tablet, too, if traveling 100+ miles from home, also for OBD2 and offline maps)
panel fasteners,
spare fuses+terminals+extra wiring kit,
1 gallon of pre-mixed blue coolant,
10 quarts of Castrol 5W-40 Euro/Hi-mileage/LL oil + filter+ spare drain plug,
many miscellaneous unnamed items & tools,
even a 6"Hx10"Wx18"L treated wooden block (for a solid footing for my choice of jack).

Probably 200 lbs of gear. Overkill, just in case I have a problem away from my real tool sets, at the house.

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