Locking wheel bolts

[costsmonkey]

I need to replace the locking wheel bolts on my 2007 Mercedes.

Febi Bilstein and McGard seem to be the most commonly available. Are they any good and are there are any advantages of one over the other?

Also any better options, or anything else I ought to consider, out there?

Am thoughts gratefully received.

[Nickp82]

Are the wheels on the car particularly sought after? If not, I’d stick with normal nuts, LWNs are more hassle than they’re worth imo, having spent a ridiculous amount of time this week dealing with trying to remove them from two different cars with lost removal keys.

[costsmonkey]

Interesting, thanks and a missing removal key is what is driving the 'need' to replace them!

[irc]

I agree. I think unless the car is a particularly high end model alloy wheels are no longer a target. Almost every car has them as standard. A bit like the early days of satnav when around Glasgow the mark of a satnav mount sucker on your windscreen could make it very likely your side window would get smashed to che k your glovebox for the satnav.

I keep meaning to replace my locking wheel nuts with normal nuts.

[costsmonkey]

Thanks and it looks like we have consensus.

[trickywoo]

Any time I buy a car first thing I do is take the locking nuts off and replace with normal.

[Jo-say8k]

As a victim of crime I will add that I wish I'd had them when my wheels were stolen!
I don't consider them a total lock but they would hopefully slow a thief down

[AndySheff]

trickywoo said:

Any time I buy a car first thing I do is take the locking nuts off and replace with normal.

Likewise !

[cuprabob]

If it's just a replacement key you require, you could try these guys.
https://www.lockingwheelnutkeys.co.uk/

I also agree with the comments above regarding just replace with standard bolts / nuts unless wheels are a high value.

Edited by cuprabob on Saturday 10th June 13:12

[Hondashark]

Jo-say8k said:

As a victim of crime I will add that I wish I'd had them when my wheels were stolen!
I don't consider them a total lock but they would hopefully slow a thief down

It would have slowed them down a few seconds a your wheels would still have been stolen.
They are a waste of time.

[GeniusOfLove]

The only person they ever thwart is you, usually on the hard shoulder in the pissing rain but other equally inconvenient scenarios are possible. Anyone out to nick wheels isn't going to be thwarted by them.

First thing I do on any car, from brand new to ancient, is replace them with proper wheel nuts and throw them in the bin.

[trickywoo]

GeniusOfLove said:

The only person they ever thwart is you.

This should be on all the relevant packaging, much like smoking kills on fags.

[Tommo87]

Jo-say8k said:

As a victim of crime I will add that I wish I'd had them when my wheels were stolen!
I don't consider them a total lock but they would hopefully slow a thief down

Agreed. Although, I do think you have to have lived through a wheel theft to understand that every small thing helps make the next car more appealing.

But, even they won’t help if your wheels are rare, or you park somewhere that is an opportunists dream.

[Geertsen]

I can’t see how anyone can lose a locking wheel nut key. Don’t you just keep it in the boot?

[Bennet]

You lose it by forgetting to take it off the last bolt and driving to work.

[andygo]

Bennet said:

You lose it by forgetting to take it off the last bolt and driving to work.

When I do stuff like that it drives me nuts.

[MustangGT]

andygo said:

When I do stuff like that it drives me nuts.

[TheStig44]

Bennet said:

You lose it by forgetting to take it off the last bolt and driving to work.

I did this twice, on the same car, within the space of about 3 months because I am a massive idiot. I no longer have locking wheel nuts.

[MrJuice]

Geertsen said:

I can’t see how anyone can lose a locking wheel nut key. Don’t you just keep it in the boot?

costco gave me the wrong nut back which I found out when I had a puncture that needed repair/replacement

tbf, they paid for a repalcement LWN but it was many hours of hassle for me.

[Grumps.]

Surely Merc ones would be a better bet.

Even if they were more expensive, they would be cheaper than an insurance claim imo.