Late saturday evening I was coming home from a friends house. I thought i had heard a slight knocking noise, it came & went.
Then about 1/2 a mile from home it suddenly got really bad, steering started shaking just as i approached a junction.
So i slow down gently, the car was pretty much stationary & i saw my passenger side wheel shoot off into a hedge down the road.
I jumped out the car found a 2 wheel bolts, fccuked wing, chipped side skirt & a nice scrap where the wing hit the door. (not happy)
I had a look down the road couldn't see where the wheel went, too dark.
I got the spare out, fitted the 2 bolts & took 1 out of each rear wheelss just to get me home.
Thankfully a taxi driver stopped to lend me a hand & followed back to make sure i made it home.
Soon as there was some day light the next morning i went hunting for my wheel, lucky it only took 5 mins to find it. No damage thankfully.
I've been to Solo Italia today & got a few parts I need.
The brake caliper has got a few scrapes, just taken the paint off really.
I can't see anything other than body work thats been damaged, i've checked the threads in the hub & refitted the wheel with new wheel bolts. All seems fine, went for a cautious drive. It seems fine, checked the wheel bolts again & still tight.

I thought maybe the wheel came off from when i changed my discs last, maybe i didn't do the bolts up right. But then that was over 2 months ago & I always make a point for checking that they are tight.
My dad said to me that if they were not done up right they would have come loose & that you would notice it within a few hundred yards.
He thinks that more than likely somebody has had a go at nicking them & gave up when they couldn't get the locking wheel nut off. Leaving me with some loose wheel bolts.
The guys at Solo Italia thought the same.

I only left the car about 4 hours at my mates house, which isn't the greatest area. Maybe it happened then ?????

Maybe i should say i've been lucky really as it could of happened at a higher speed with some rather serious outcomes for me or who/whatever a flying wheel could hit.

Anyway looks like i've got a new wing to fit at the weekend, shame it's going to be a burgundy wing on a silver car. It won't be for long as the car will be in the bodyshop asap !!!

I think be checking my wheel bolts every weekend now.

no way ! thats really bad luck ,just count your lucky stars your ok thats all that matters!

similar thing happened to me some years back , i was driving through macdonalds drive through and heard a loud rattling noise from the front,took the wheel bolt cover off to find 2 bolts rattling round with the other two hand tight !

good to hear you are ok mate. could have been so much worse.

have you got standard alloys on?

this is one of my greatest fears when driving- that a wheel may come off. that and the car setting on fire.

jeeez, close call fella - glad you had a nice outcome, although it's cost you it's a cheap lesson....

Yeah std alloys, tbh lost a little confidence with the car now.
I'm using the car tomorrow & i'm sure after a few journeys i'll be loving it again.

hmm, i always thought that thieves wouldn't bother nicking the standard alloys, as lets face it- they're not exactly flashy are they? how naive i was.

the theiving (and potentially manslaughtering) w@nkers!

that was really lucky you wasn't going at some speed.

i've had this happen to me a good few years back but the wheel didn't come off though.
i know the kids that did it but couldn't prove nothing.
makes me mad

im glad you got some with out too much damage, and no one was injured. I couldn't even begin to thathom how it occurd.

its very lucky you were going at suck a slow speed! is your car parked on the road at night alone?

Ha Ha made me laugh reading that! Your a lucky boy

Nope my car is on the drive with 3 other cars.(at my house)
The road where it was left at my mates is right on the edge of a large estate, a few characters about. But i can't be certain it happened there, however the car was fine until i left it there.

It's a really odd feeling seeing your wheel rolling down the road :o, almost can't believe it
I never thought i'd get out of bed at 6 on a sunday morning to go hunting for a wheel

You're not the first to lose a wheel I think (like a lot of other fasteners) wheel nuts need checking/tightening up again shortly after fitting them.

don't know *why * I think that. no doubt someone will come along soon and tell me that's rubbish

Pity they don't make those little pointy yellow things for the coop wheels

What are they for again?

I've had a couple of wheel bolts snap on the coupe, usually when trying to take a wheel off

Its due to tyre fitters over torquing the bolts (the coupe has a relatively low torque, not good when the tyre fitters use an air tool, now I always make them do it by hand using a torque wrench) - could you bolts have been snapped in this way beforehand?

I remember a wheel coming off years back on my mother's Renault 5. That was scary in one them, let alone in a Coupe.

Glad no serious negative consequences.

mate your so lucky! That could of been a lot worst! I was in my mates punto when his wheel came off while turning a corner.....we went straight into a ditch and that really hurt.
Just glad you come out ok mate and no serious damage caused!

Time for a wee scare for the newbies methinks .

I check my wheels religiously ever since this happened (full story here and here )

Baz

I've had this happen to a crapy Cortina (showing my
enormous age) when the weather was really cold,
a loud clattering sound that changed when I broke,
obviously the bolts werent very tight but i wondered
if the cold made matters very slightly worst.

Could this be a theory or complete rubbish ?