PSA: Check your torque sticks before they cost you a comeback job

I had a brutal Tuesday last month at my shop in Boise. A customer came back furious because two lug nuts on their F-150 had snapped off during a drive, and I knew I had torqued everything with my impact gun the day before. Turns out my old torque stick was worn out from years of drops and abuse, and it was letting way too much force through. I threw it in the scrap bin and bought a new set from Snap-on for $180, but the repair bill and the lost trust hurt way more. Has anyone else had a trusty tool silently fail on them like this?

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1 Comment

oliver5231mo ago

Mine gave out after I dropped it on concrete one too many times, same deal where it felt fine but was way off. I started marking a date on my torque sticks with a paint pen and checking them against a manual wrench every few months. It’s annoying to do, but cheaper than eating a hub replacement or a tow bill later.