Torque Wrench Not For Torquing?

Sometimes a reader's letter can really shed some light on how confusing auto repair can be. Tim recently bought a torque wrench because he wants to be sure his wheels are properly installed on his car. He has safety and tire wear in mind. A torque wrench is a good thing to have in your tool box as it allows you to be more precise in all of your repairs. His new wrench arrived in the mail, but as he read the instructions, they stated it should never be used to loosen or tighten wheel lug bolts! Huh? Isn't that why he bought it? Yes and no. He bought it to be sure his wheel bolts were tightened to the correct torque, but not to use the torque wrench every day as a long-handled ratchet wrench. Use your breaker bar or your lug wrench to loosen and initially tighten your wheel bolts, then switch to the torque wrench to get it exact. Never use your torque wrench to break tight lugs or remove them! This can cause damage or premature wear to the wrench and cause you to get inaccurate readings.