Striped bolt holes? Can they be fixed?

TBoneUs

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2007
Messages
703
Location
Texas
Car(s)
2008 VW GTI
So my car repairing geniuses. I striped a wheel bolt hole this weekend at the track (dont ask me how the damn wrench was set at 82ft/lb) So is it possible to fix them or do i just need to replace the whole hub?

edit:
Oh the irony, my new wheel studs got here today... just in time to be of no help.
 
I'm going to guess that one of the wheel studs pulled out of the hub. Yes, that can be helicoiled like anything else if its a thread-in type. However... unless the hub is some ridiculous amount of money, I'd go ahead and replace it. You don't want to helicoil it only to discover previously unseen stress cracks resulting from either the initial incident or the repair. You'd also have a balance issue.
 
What I figured. And yes VW's are weird and the bolt is a single piece that screws into the hub.
 
What I figured. And yes VW's are weird and the bolt is a single piece that screws into the hub.

a lot easier to get the wheel on that way though.
i hate it when studs are coming out of the hub, and all holes have to be aligned perfectly before it will slide on
 
a lot easier to get the wheel on that way though.
i hate it when studs are coming out of the hub, and all holes have to be aligned perfectly before it will slide on

That actually sucks worse, because you can't even hang the wheel on the hub, you have to try to get the bolt in the hole while trying to hold the wheel up. Ugh. I f**king hate engineers that design cars that way, takes a lot more time to put the wheel on.

Also, he's talking about the stud screwing into the hub, then the wheel is held on by lug nuts, not bolts.
 
you can slide the wheel on the center ring of the hub, and -granted the e-brake is on or you're in gear- turn the wheel until the holes line up
 
you can slide the wheel on the center ring of the hub, and -granted the e-brake is on or you're in gear- turn the wheel until the holes line up

That works SOOO well on the front wheels of a RWD car.

Oh, wait, no, it SUCKS.

And even if you do have a center ring, you STILL end up having to hold the wheel on because otherwise it wants to fall off.
 
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Ah ok now I see. I forgot that VW decided to do things opposite. I agree with Spectre for the most part you could helicoil it but for that critical of a hole it would be risky. You might get a slight imbalance but I'm not sure you would even notice it. One thing you could try is to run a tap through the stripped out hole and see how well it threads before you go replacing the entire hub.
 
That works SOOO well on the front wheels of a RWD car.

Oh, wait, no, it SUCKS.

And even if you do have a center ring, you STILL end up having to hold the wheel on because otherwise it wants to fall off.

Yeah. I hate that and almost ALL cars (with the exception of more expensive ones) are like this. Aligning the holes in the hub with the holes in the wheel is a huge PAIN IN THE ASS.
 
Hah, it's even worse when the brake disc is not held in place by a bolt. That makes 3 sets of holes you have to line up whilst juggling an excessively heavy Euro alloy wheel.

Much fun indeed.


Anyway . . . I had always wondered what would happen if something went wrong with the wheel bolts. It's a terrible design. Luckily it has never hapened to me, but I probably would be changing the hub. I don't trust helicoils for important things like wheel fasteners.
 
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Yeah. I hate that and almost ALL cars (with the exception of more expensive ones) are like this. Aligning the holes in the hub with the holes in the wheel is a huge PAIN IN THE ASS.

Um, no, most cars *aren't* like that. Most cars use wheel studs and lug nuts, not wheel/lug bolts. The only car makers that use that idiot system any more are European, and continental European at that. The Americans gave up on that prior to WW2, and the Japanese (once out of their license-built/blatant copy stage) took one collective look at it and said, "Oh HELL no," and pitched it too. The Brits never significantly used it after dumping knockoff wheels, as they went straight to lug studs.

Of the six cars I currently have here, not a single one has the moronic lug bolt system - from the semi-exotic XKR to the plebian Pathfinder/Terrano all the way down to the built-as-cheap-as-possible Crown Vic, they all use lug studs.
 
Yeah the local guys are out of hubs for a few days. While I assume I know the answer I will ask anyway. How risky is it to run on the highway short a bolt?
 
Yeah the local guys are out of hubs for a few days. While I assume I know the answer I will ask anyway. How risky is it to run on the highway short a bolt?

It's a bad idea. Emergency use only. Not least of which reason being because even if nothing else happens, you can warp the rotor on some designs due to uneven clamping forces at the hub of the rotor.
 
That works SOOO well on the front wheels of a RWD car.

Oh, wait, no, it SUCKS.

And even if you do have a center ring, you STILL end up having to hold the wheel on because otherwise it wants to fall off.

we don't drive RWD cars, and for FWD it's the best solutions!
just slam the wheel on the center ring, and rotate it until the holes line up...
 
we don't drive RWD cars, and for FWD it's the best solutions!
just slam the wheel on the center ring, and rotate it until the holes line up...

Or the wheel falls off. At which point you have to start again.... Oh, and in the meantime, one of your bolts has escaped and is merrily rolling down the drive towards the nearest sewer grating...
 
I have dealt with both styles and the lug/stud system is the best.
 
Um, no, most cars *aren't* like that. Most cars use wheel studs and lug nuts, not wheel/lug bolts. The only car makers that use that idiot system any more are European, and continental European at that. The Americans gave up on that prior to WW2, and the Japanese (once out of their license-built/blatant copy stage) took one collective look at it and said, "Oh HELL no," and pitched it too. The Brits never significantly used it after dumping knockoff wheels, as they went straight to lug studs.

Of the six cars I currently have here, not a single one has the moronic lug bolt system - from the semi-exotic XKR to the plebian Pathfinder/Terrano all the way down to the built-as-cheap-as-possible Crown Vic, they all use lug studs.

Erm, I should have said that most cars HERE are like that! :lol:
 
So where on earth does one find M14/M18 triple square socket drivers? I cant find them anywhere. Tried all the typical auto parts places to no avail. Everyone says just call snap on. But there are no local numbers anywhere and best I can tell they only do professional. Geniuses of finalgear, what do I do? I really need it tomorrow, if it cant be in San Antonio by tomorrow for less than 50 total with shipping Ill just wait.
 
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