Originally Posted by bobs
Ben, I will have to disagree with you on that point. Take something as simple as tire rotation: When is the last time you've seen a tech break out a torque wrench to put the tires back on? The owner's manual specifies 81 ft/lb of torque . I'll be willing to wager that if you were to check the torque on your lug nuts they wouldn't even be close. I'll bet your oil filter cap is on too tight as well.
I'm not trying to bash the junior mechanics, but its simply a question of time because these guys get paid by the job. They don't want to waste the time breaking out the technical manual to look up the proper torque value. They just fire-up the ol' impact wrench and torque those bolts to "tight" +- 10 ft/lbs.
You have a point about using an impact wrench versus a torque wrench. Very seldom in the tire business are torque wrenches used anymore. However, the key point is not because of stupidity of the mechanic as the original poster implied, but of just not taking the time to do the job right and taking shortcuts as more and more people seem to be doing today.
BTW, about five years ago my wife could not get a flat tire off because the lug nut was stripped as a result of the last guy being in a hurry, cross threading it using an impact wrench. I aired the tire up when I got home and drove the couple of miles to the tire store. They admitted they may have screwed it up. They replaced the lug bolt and stud at no charge and fixed the tire for free. Since then, whenever I visit a tire shop I specify... hand tighten only, no impact wrench.
Off topic again, sorry...