Mrs. Frankweiler Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 You know how people say they're going to drive their cars until the wheels fall off? Well, my husband was driving his very "seasoned" car into work this morning and guess what....a wheel fell off! He's perfectly fine and nobody else is hurt (or this wouldn't be a funny story at all!) He said right before it happened the car started shimmying something awful so he pulled into an empty church parking lot. Next thing he knew, he saw the wheel rolling away. I think the empty church parking lot was divine intervention. So, it looks like we might be in the market for a new car. Luckily we knew the old car's days were numbered so we have a little financial cushion for just such an event. He prefers a small 4 door sedan, manual transmission if possible, and good gas mileage. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnL Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 :lol: I don't have suggestions. We had to recently get a new minivan, because the transmission was going out on the old one, plus it needed new brakes, windshield, and tires. So, yes, I can relate! I miss not having a car payment! I'm glad your dh is okay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Better the wheel than the steering wheel! My Dad was reading a forum and a guy said his steering wheel in his caravan came off while he was driving. Oops! Glad no one was hurt, and for me i'd try to find a VW TDI for the mileage :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieB Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 My DH drives a mid 90's Camry and gets 30+ mpg driving it from work to home (almost all freeway). And it needs some engine work or it might do better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Did he recently have the tires changed, or are the rims/lugs SUPER old? This is not a really difficult problem to fix (most likely, I should say) and is more likely due to not tightening the lugs properly or else them having gotten stripped. An easy way to check is to watch someone else drive your car. Pay attention to the wheels and watch to see that they remain straight up and down. Wobbling, even a little bit, means the lugs are not tight, and if it isn't remedied that leads to a tire flying off. Thank goodness everyone's okay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Frankweiler Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 Did he recently have the tires changed, or are the rims/lugs SUPER old? This is not a really difficult problem to fix (most likely, I should say) and is more likely due to not tightening the lugs properly or else them having gotten stripped. An easy way to check is to watch someone else drive your car. Pay attention to the wheels and watch to see that they remain straight up and down. Wobbling, even a little bit, means the lugs are not tight, and if it isn't remedied that leads to a tire flying off. Thank goodness everyone's okay! Ok, I'm not very car savvy, but I think I know what you're talking about. The tires have not been changed recently, and I think the rims/lugs are the originals--circa 1997. If the lugs are what I (and dh) think they are, then dh said they stayed with the wheel. What was left on the frame of the car was a spoke looking thing that looked like it held onto the wheel. (the wheel turned on it) On the rim, was the whole that the spoke thing went through, but I think all the lugs were still attached to it. So it might have made sense if they were stripped. I wouldn't be surprised if this car makes it through this. This thing has nine lives! Thanks for your help! (embarrassed by my automotive ignorance) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Ok, I'm not very car savvy, but I think I know what you're talking about. The tires have not been changed recently, and I think the rims/lugs are the originals--circa 1997. If the lugs are what I (and dh) think they are, then dh said they stayed with the wheel. What was left on the frame of the car was a spoke looking thing that looked like it held onto the wheel. (the wheel turned on it) On the rim, was the whole that the spoke thing went through, but I think all the lugs were still attached to it. So it might have made sense if they were stripped. I wouldn't be surprised if this car makes it through this. This thing has nine lives! Thanks for your help! (embarrassed by my automotive ignorance) My dh is a mechanic, lol, otherwise I would've had NO idea. If you had wanted to change this tire (just so I better understand what popped off and what stayed on), are all the parts that would have been left on, once you removed the tire, still there? If so, take a look at the lug nuts (I could be spelling that horribly wrong, but I'm going to guess your dh will know what I mean) and see if they're stripped. If so, they're easy to replace (and cheap!). My dh always tells people to stick with a car that is tried and true. IOW, if this go getter has gotten you this far with few problems, you'd be better off taking care of it, than commiting to a new car that could have ten million recalls in the next few years. If you want, you can pm me and I'll have dh tell me what to ask, what to point out, what to look at, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I loved my Toyota Camry. I'm not sure how easy it will be to find a standard transmission though, most everything in the last 10 years or so is automatic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Oh my. Glad to hear he's ok. We have a similar story in our family lore. My siblings were coming home from college (3 at the same university at the same time.) They had this ancient VW bug. As they were driving on the highway, they saw the tire roll past them and the thought " how odd - I hope those people are ok." Then all these people started honking their horns. It took several minutes for them to figure out that the tire was theirs. Everyone was safe, but the tire was history. And this was at highway speeds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Frankweiler Posted July 15, 2009 Author Share Posted July 15, 2009 Thanks for all your help, and lost tire stories! :lol: It's comforting to know we're not the only ones that have these crazy things happen to us! Car repair update: Not much going on here. There's a place on base called the "Auto Hobby Shop" where guys (or gals) can take their cars for do it yourself repairs and maintenance, under the watchful eye of "real" mechanics. Dh thought it would be fun and cheaper to fix it himself there, so the car is sitting in that parking lot while he orders the parts. His exact words were "How hard can it be to put on a tire?" I'm not as optimistic. You can imagine our oh-so-pleasant discussion about this. He told me exactly what was wrong with it (according to the mechanic at the auto hobby shop) and it has something to do with bad wheel bearings? (there was something else, but my brain can't remember right now, so I'm sure this isn't very helpful for those out there who are more car knowledgable.) Anyway, yesterday we did something very uncharacteristic for us and bought A NEW CAR! We knew this was coming in our not-so-distant future, but usually a new car takes months of test drives and comparing prices and looking as features, etc.... He decided to go with a Mazda3. It's a neat little car that has a sporty feel, but not too pricey. Now we just have to put the old car back together and then try to sell that....:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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