Old timer at the shop told me to stop using impact guns on lug nuts

Last month I had this guy in his 70s bring in a F-150 for a tire rotation. He watched me zip off the lugs with my impact and just shook his head. Said I was wrecking the threads over time and making life harder for the next guy. I rolled my eyes at first but then a Mercury Grand Marquis came in with stripped studs the next week. Switched to a torque wrench by hand and honestly it takes maybe 2 extra minutes per wheel. Has anyone else had to unlearn bad habits from older mechanics?

3 comments

3 Comments

kaigibson8d ago

I definitely used to think impacts were fine for everything but after chasing stripped studs on an old Mercury I came around pretty quick. A couple extra minutes by hand beats replacing studs or hubs any day.

aaron_perry8d ago

Did you notice any difference in the studs after switching to hand torque on that Grand Marquis?

diana_kim668d ago

Yeah I had the same issue on a Lincoln years ago. Switched to hand torque and never looked back, way less headache.