Re: [bmw] Torque wrench

[Mike Klein <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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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