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Re: [bmw] Torque wrench



I bought a roughly $50 torque wrench about 6-7 years ago. It's from one of the couple of major manfacturers that supplies a variety of somewhat medium-quality brands (I would count Craftsman in that category; mine is a Husky). I cared for it as others have mentioned; always setting it back to zero, not banging it around, putting it in its box after use, etc.

At a recent track event I had another issue (noisy wheel bearings) and one of the mechanics removed the front wheels. He immediately noted that the lug nuts were much too loose and asked what kind of torque wrench I had. He told me to throw it away immediately as it is more dangerous than no torque wrench at all, and to buy a "real" one, which in his mind (and the others standing around) is a Snap-On Tq series. These run about $250 each. Other choices certainly exist but the range is $200 and up.

Based on my experience I would agree. A $50 range torque wrench that is perfectly cared for was far off calibration in 6-7 years with no sign that it was off. Recalibrating it regularly is a pain and the cost differential vs. buying a good one reduces after enough times. Most everything else in the toolbox either works or doesn't and it's obvious when it doesn't, but not torque wrenches.

-Mike

'98 323iC (wife's car)
'87 911 Carrera coupe (mine, occasional track use)
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