Stopped at a shop in Flagstaff that refused to use impact guns on lug nuts

I was passing through Flagstaff last week and stopped at a little independent shop to get my tires rotated. The guy working there, must have been 70 years old, told me he hasn't owned an impact gun in 20 years. He torques every single lug nut by hand with a beam-style wrench and said impacts stretch threads over time. I watched him do all four corners on my car, took him maybe 15 minutes longer than normal but he was dead serious about it. Has anyone else ever run into a mechanic who swears off air tools completely?

3 comments

3 Comments

vera_murphy1mo ago

Air tools are overrated, just ask @grace_knight70’s wheel.

danielb431mo ago

My last lug nut torque was so far off the car just left the parking lot without me. Hand tools only from now on I guess.

grace_knight701mo ago

Did you actually watch your car roll away? That's something you don't forget. My brother had a similar thing happen years ago with a spare tire that wasn't torqued down. He chased it down a hill but the car ended up in a ditch. What kind of torque wrench were you using when it happened?