Has this happened to you?

[roadrunner2]

2004 Matrix XR

The two drivers side wheel stud nuts are all the same size.

The passengers side front and rear BOTH have 1 (one) wheel stud nut a DIFFERENT size from the others.

Dang good thing I haven't had a flat up to this point. (I bought this car last Dec.)

I was having a look at possible disc and drum scoring due to a short, one time high pitched squeal upon a light brake application. (No scoring on the drivers side)

When I bought the car, the dealer replaced the tires with new Michelins.

Now, as far as I'm concerned, you don't need to have a college degree to realize the stud nuts should ALL be the same size right?

So how in hell could a licensed knowledgeable tech or even a tire guy put 4 same sized nuts on a wheel and one odd sized one?

The tire wrench that is supplied by the manufacturer fits all the stud nuts easily except for the two mentioned. For those it is too small.

Now I'm not sure if the wrench is METRIC or SAE. AS a result, the same goes for the nuts.

There is no wrench size stamped on it. We all know if a wrench is SAE it won't fit a METRIC nut or bolt head and vica(?)-versa.

It's possible the wrench and four of the wheel nuts are SAE and the oddball nut is METRIC.

Or turned around.....

I bought this car (off-lease) at a good discounted price but the dealer's location is 1-1/2 hrs away.

Although I do plan on bringing this to their attention so as to MAYBE avoiding this mistake again with another vehicle.

Thoughts?

[fishexpo101]

Sounds like someone lost the nuts on the passenger side of the car - and replaced them with whatever they could get their hands on. Definitely not a good feeling there - as it makes you wonder why? Could mean something happened to that side of the car (accident, went off-roading, originally had locking nuts and lost the key, etc.).

The lugs and studs should be all the same size, if there are wheel locks, they would still use the same size studs. Never have I seen mixed wheel nut sizes intentially installed OEM.

On both my cars - Matrix and Corolla, they both use metric wrenches on the lugs. Over time - corrosion or just the lug deforming slightly - you might need to use a different size or go to an SAE.

Try a 4-way wrench - many have both metric and SAE mixed on the same wrench. If you just got the car - have the place that you purchased it from get you the correct lugs. Not worth the hassle to have two sets of wrenches to take the lugs off every time the wheels have to come off.

[roadrunner2]

fishexpo101,

Thanks for the reply.

Case solved today.

I took the XR to my longtime tech and showed him the problem.

He looked and said this happens quite often with chrome plated stud nuts.

What happens is when the nuts are removed and reattached with the air gun, the chrome gets pinched at each of the six points and cracks, allowing moisture in, they start rusting and swelling as a result.

A 7/8ths six point sae socket removed the swelled stud nuts and a new nut put on. One on each wheel . $5.50 +tx each from the Toyota dealer.

Other outlets up here didn't stock the shouldered type needed.

When I asked how much? He just said, "nothing".

I've been dealing with this fellow for almost 20 years now.