I hope this isn't a stupid question...

something I've been pondering for a little while now, but do a lot of you take off the wheels when detailing a customers car? The reason I ask is due to liability. Cleaning the brakes and suspension bits is great but it makes me nervous to think of the repercussions of accidentally jacking the car up at the wrong point. I do notice that a lot of people on this forum (at least from the pictures I've seen) just clean the wheels and brakes as the car sits, but for people who have their own companies, what do you do?

 

We charge extra for wheel removal, and it's included in our top of the line detail. Jacking the car up is never a problem, just make sure you torque down the wheels with a good torque wrench.


John

 

Thanks for the quick reply John. I have a couple details lined up and was pondering asking the owners if they want their wheels taken off and detailed but I think I'd feel more comfortable just leaving them on.

 

I only take wheels off if the customer requests it. Have a torque wrench handy and make sure to get the torque settings for the car you are working on.

 

make sure you get a good torque wrench too ...

The ones at harbor freight are dirt cheap, but I don't trust them ... lol

 

i never remove wheels. I havent had anyone ask me yet either.

and no, thats not a stupid question.

 

I would have to say that if you don't feel right about taking off the wheels. Then you shouldn't be removing them. I do it for an additional fee and have torque wrenches and thin wall sockets with Teflon jackets on them.

 

I offer to remove the wheels when I feel it is needed, and I do charge a little extra to do that. As everyone has said make sure you have a good torque wrench, and make sure you get the correct torque spec for the vehicle you are working on.

 

Can't tell you guys how much I appreciate the assistance. I've gotten nothing but the best help since I joined this forum a couple days ago. You all have thank yous

 

I have a Harbor Freight torque wrench which consistently came within +/- 2 ft lbs of my friend's Craftsman, it is a great buy and at the very least gets you within the ball park.

 

Which just goes to prove-there is no such thing as a stupid question (except the one that isn't asked)

 

Their torque wrenches are a hit-or-miss kind of deal. I bought one and it[YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE] was never freakin' right, but you can't expect a whole lot for 14 bucks.

HF has decent stuff for the average joe that needs a specialty tool for a few uses. Spend more money on something more reliable if you are gonna abuse it.

 

I want to add to this question....don't mean to threadjack ismegamanthere.

I use my friend's shop frequently and when I put my summer tires on I noticed that using the machine he has I damaged my rims a little bit from the vibration and some pretty shitty lugnuts. Now these are stock rims so I don't really care about them. He has a torque gun (if thats the right terminology) and it's all power tools. His jack boosts the whole car up too.

Now if I'm working on client's cars and a request is made to remove the wheels and clean under, how can I do that without damaging the wheels?

how much extra do you charge for this type of service? for now, to me atleast, it seems like the risk outweighs the reward.

Replacing a rim can be expensive!

-Waseem