Locking Wheel Nut key Dilema !

MofoKilla

MofoKilla

MofoKilla

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Well i just been to a local garage to get a new front tyre on my van, the guy who runs the garage has two young lads helping out etc.

So he tells one of them to loosten the wheel nuts all was going well until he tried to undo the locking wheel nut i could see he wasnt holding the wheel brace flush with the nut and there for it slipped off and now the key wont undo the ******* nut at all!! and i have a bald tyre.

The guy is trying to say the person who last tightened the nut is to blame apparently for using an airgun to tighten it up even thou its been done like that for the past couple of times its been tightened up!

Im so ****ed off as now ive got to order a replacement key from germany gawd *** how long that is going to take.

Anyone else had similar experiences with these locking nut keys ? :mad:
 
are you sure it's the key that's broken and not the nut itself.
whenever i've had problems with locking wheel nuts its normally the nut that goes first.

mashing a socket over the nut normally works. but your garage should already know that.
 
lump hammer and old socket for the win! Then get a new set of locking nuts, probably cheaper than getting another key.

O.T. Zuma long time no see!
 
Try using an impact socket to loosen the nut using the key. I had the same issue. (however this may destroy your key so loosen off the other nuts first!)
 
Only from the other side of things, renaults are the worst offenders which isnt surprising as they are all heaps.

They use a tool with 4 tiny weak pathetic little pins that bend as soon as you look at them, this means that the tool will just slip out of the nut not normally a issue but there is so little room between the nut and the wall of the alloy you cant get any normal removal tool in to remove them.

So that leaves two choices,

1- drill the centre out of the nut and apply heat without scorching the alloy, then hope you can use a punch to turn whats left of the nut which is nigh on impossible as the nut is set in several inches into the wheel.

2- cut off every wheel with a disc cutter.

A silly little knackered key and muggins here is stuck all day removing wheels and good luck getting a customer to pay the 8 hours labour it has took you.

Other makes aren't too but people insist on buying french cars, should be glad really as they make up about 80% of our work.
 
dalin80 said:
Only from the other side of things, renaults are the worst offenders which isnt surprising as they are all heaps.

They use a tool with 4 tiny weak pathetic little pins that bend as soon as you look at them, this means that the tool will just slip out of the nut not normally a issue but there is so little room between the nut and the wall of the alloy you cant get any normal removal tool in to remove them.

So that leaves two choices,

1- drill the centre out of the nut and apply heat without scorching the alloy, then hope you can use a punch to turn whats left of the nut which is nigh on impossible as the nut is set in several inches into the wheel.

2- cut off every wheel with a disc cutter.

A silly little knackered key and muggins here is stuck all day removing wheels and good luck getting a customer to pay the 8 hours labour it has took you.

Other makes aren't too but people insist on buying french cars, should be glad really as they make up about 80% of our work.
Click to expand...

How about drilling the bolt so the head of the bolt can be sheared off. The remaining part of the bolt can then be removed using a reverse threaded tapping set if it won't come out easily.
 
There is a trick to these ;)

And no im not a thief lol.

Normally a surgical glove and the an old socket which will just fit, as said above mash it on and give it a go, the glove gives it the grip.

Have had to do this with some crappy locking nuts i had on my previous car, the car just chewed the nut at the last garage as they did exactly the same thing as yours did.
 
excaliborg said:
How about drilling the bolt so the head of the bolt can be sheared off. The remaining part of the bolt can then be removed using a reverse threaded tapping set if it won't come out easily.
Click to expand...

That can work the issues of that are the nuts are usually hardened making drilling anything wider then a couple of mm a time consuming and drill bit breaking affair and if you drilling is a bit off or a bit wide you can damage the thread in the flange. I don't believe there is any quick way making removal just a matter of preference.

We have several proper sets of removal tools that essentially replicate the 'smack a old AF socket on' approach that work well on everything bar those stupid renaults.
 
It aint a normal locking wheel nut, its a mcgard one the locking thread is on the inside of the nut the out side it round so banging a socket on is out of the question as is cutting it off because the nut sits inside the wheel!

Ive had to order another key now 18 euros from germany :mad:
 
Sounds like exactly what happened to me a few weeks back when car went in for new bushes

Mine were Mcguard ones charged me about £170 to remove and they had damaged the finish on my alloys removing them in the end they were removed by welding a nut to them.

EDIT
heres the thread I posted about the same thing.
 
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