DIY Mechanics Fail Stories
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Much earlier up thread were stories of locking wheel nut keys being left on the nut. here's mine.
I had some 'Trilock' locking wheel nuts (3-peg key as you probably guessed). As you also probably expected, I tightened the wheels, left the key on one of the nuts and went on a test drive. Now where did I put that wheel nut key?... Oh s***. I decided it wasn't worth walking or driving the route, it would be long gone.
All was not lost though, I had the original box, along with the key number! I contacted the company, who agreed to kindly send me a replacement key F.O.C. Next week the package arrived - inside was a letter "Unfortunately we don't have a key of that number, so please accept our apologies and a new set of wheel nuts and key". Blast it, how do I get the wheel nuts off! Comparing the key to the wheelnuts, there was only a couple of mm difference in the peg positions, so with the rechargeable drill (nothing too major) and a 7mm HSS drill I just enlarged the holes in one nut, and off it came with the use of the new key. It didn't take very long to drill them all and remove them. Shows how (in)secure they were - a thief would have easily removed them in less time.
I had some 'Trilock' locking wheel nuts (3-peg key as you probably guessed). As you also probably expected, I tightened the wheels, left the key on one of the nuts and went on a test drive. Now where did I put that wheel nut key?... Oh s***. I decided it wasn't worth walking or driving the route, it would be long gone.
All was not lost though, I had the original box, along with the key number! I contacted the company, who agreed to kindly send me a replacement key F.O.C. Next week the package arrived - inside was a letter "Unfortunately we don't have a key of that number, so please accept our apologies and a new set of wheel nuts and key". Blast it, how do I get the wheel nuts off! Comparing the key to the wheelnuts, there was only a couple of mm difference in the peg positions, so with the rechargeable drill (nothing too major) and a 7mm HSS drill I just enlarged the holes in one nut, and off it came with the use of the new key. It didn't take very long to drill them all and remove them. Shows how (in)secure they were - a thief would have easily removed them in less time.
Ah, but it's a barrier. Or at least a speedbump. You'll never prevent 100% of thieves, but what you can do is make life harder. Most thieves like to be in and out quickly, if they see a locking wheel nut that's going to take them a couple of minutes to remove they will probably go and find an easier target.
Obviously the more effective approach is to have wheels they don't want to nick in the first place. I've never heard of anyone finding their lacquer-peeling kerbed to crap 15" Halfords alloys missing.
Obviously the more effective approach is to have wheels they don't want to nick in the first place. I've never heard of anyone finding their lacquer-peeling kerbed to crap 15" Halfords alloys missing.
Dog Star said:
Locking wheel nuts are an absolute waste of time - the only people that are inconvenienced by them are the owners of the car and mechanics. They re like coded stereos of old.
First thing I do with the cursed things is remove them and put normal ones on.
I bought a 3000GT recently that didn’t come with the key. I was scared of messing it up by smashing a socket on, so I paid someone to come and remove them…he literally came and smashed an impact socket on to remove them!First thing I do with the cursed things is remove them and put normal ones on.
15 minutes work for £130!
The skoda ones have a shaped key that fits in to the wheel bolt like this
If you're using a wheel brace rather than a rattle gun you're always going to end up at with it at a slight angle rather than absolutely square on, and the key bit of mine sheared off. I managed to borrow the correct one from the big kit my local Skoda dealer had, but ended up buying 4 new standard wheel bolts rather than a new key.
If you're using a wheel brace rather than a rattle gun you're always going to end up at with it at a slight angle rather than absolutely square on, and the key bit of mine sheared off. I managed to borrow the correct one from the big kit my local Skoda dealer had, but ended up buying 4 new standard wheel bolts rather than a new key.
Yeah locking wheel nuts aren't an inconvenience to a thief. You just hammer a cheap socket over them, takes an extra second per wheel.
If you really want to make it hard to remove wheels quickly then use the landrover chrome capped bolts, they're basically single use and make wheel removal impossible
If you really want to make it hard to remove wheels quickly then use the landrover chrome capped bolts, they're basically single use and make wheel removal impossible
donkmeister said:
Ah, but it's a barrier. Or at least a speedbump. You'll never prevent 100% of thieves, but what you can do is make life harder. Most thieves like to be in and out quickly, if they see a locking wheel nut that's going to take them a couple of minutes to remove they will probably go and find an easier target.
Obviously the more effective approach is to have wheels they don't want to nick in the first place. I've never heard of anyone finding their lacquer-peeling kerbed to crap 15" Halfords alloys missing.
Wheel theft is very rare now, so if someone is having your wheels it’s because they have a specific need for them. Locking wheel nuts and the extra minute really won’t make any difference. Obviously the more effective approach is to have wheels they don't want to nick in the first place. I've never heard of anyone finding their lacquer-peeling kerbed to crap 15" Halfords alloys missing.
s p a c e m a n said:
Yeah locking wheel nuts aren't an inconvenience to a thief. You just hammer a cheap socket over them, takes an extra second per wheel.
Does that really work? The ones I had had a collar around the outside that rotated independently of the center of the bolt, so you'd need to break or cut that off first 
If you hammer a socket over it the collar squeezes down into the bolt and grips it, locking wheel bolts are never done up tight. Those ones are bit of a pig because you can't use a thick walled impact on them as it's normally too tight to the wheel hole
Occasionally it will take a couple attempts or the socket will split apart too much and I'll have to use another but in 30 years of f
king around with old cars I've never failed to get locking wheel bolts off by just forcing a socket over it.
Occasionally it will take a couple attempts or the socket will split apart too much and I'll have to use another but in 30 years of f
king around with old cars I've never failed to get locking wheel bolts off by just forcing a socket over it.s p a c e m a n said:
If you hammer a socket over it the collar squeezes down into the bolt and grips it, locking wheel bolts are never done up tight. Those ones are bit of a pig because you can't use a thick walled impact on them as it's normally too tight to the wheel hole
Occasionally it will take a couple attempts or the socket will split apart too much and I'll have to use another but in 30 years of fking around with old cars I've never failed to get locking wheel bolts off by just forcing a socket over it.
Nope. You just welly a beefy flat bladed screwdriver between the body and the swivelly collar and welly with hammer. They just pop off. Occasionally it will take a couple attempts or the socket will split apart too much and I'll have to use another but in 30 years of f
king around with old cars I've never failed to get locking wheel bolts off by just forcing a socket over it.You only need to look at how fast some scallies can remove a bodykit, dashboard, steering wheel etc to realise that these so-called security measures are woefully inadequate.
s p a c e m a n said:
If you really want to make it hard to remove wheels quickly then use the landrover chrome capped bolts, they're basically single use and make wheel removal impossible
I usually find taking wheels off a Land Rover is ok as long as you have a 19 3/4 mm socket, a 20 1/3 mm socket and a 21 1/4 mm socket! 
And don't start me on those Ford wheel nuts with the crinkled up chrome caps!
Dog Star said:
s p a c e m a n said:
If you hammer a socket over it the collar squeezes down into the bolt and grips it, locking wheel bolts are never done up tight. Those ones are bit of a pig because you can't use a thick walled impact on them as it's normally too tight to the wheel hole
Occasionally it will take a couple attempts or the socket will split apart too much and I'll have to use another but in 30 years of fking around with old cars I've never failed to get locking wheel bolts off by just forcing a socket over it.
Nope. You just welly a beefy flat bladed screwdriver between the body and the swivelly collar and welly with hammer. They just pop off. Occasionally it will take a couple attempts or the socket will split apart too much and I'll have to use another but in 30 years of f
king around with old cars I've never failed to get locking wheel bolts off by just forcing a socket over it.You only need to look at how fast some scallies can remove a bodykit, dashboard, steering wheel etc to realise that these so-called security measures are woefully inadequate.
d wheelnuts on my brother's x-type snapped when trying to remove because of how tight they had been done up. Spent hours drilling the feckers out!Fastpedeller said:
RECr said:
After drilling off the head of a siezed disc screw on one of my previous cars I didn't bother replacing it for years. Just had to line up the disc/wheel bolt holes when removing the wheels.
I always leave them off - they achieve nothing but heartache!Here's a step that I doubt anyone does with brake discs: according to the workshop manual for the Lexus LS460 you are supposed to mount brake discs in the orientation that results in least run-out. So, put disc on, note run-out. Rotate 72 degrees, note run-out and so on. Then choose the orientation with the lowest run-out, mark the hub and disc so you know this correct orientation.
Given the quality of Lexus new parts, I'd be surprised if the difference in run-out isn't going to be exceeded by experimental error so it seems completely nugatory.
TriumphStag3.0V8 said:
I could really have done with the help of some of those scallies last week then when four of the bd wheelnuts on my brother's x-type snapped when trying to remove because of how tight they had been done up. Spent hours drilling the feckers out!
I had the same problem on my XF after someone at a local tyre place, probably a large gorilla, did the wheelnuts up. I did what I found on a forum post where someone used a hole cutter with the pilot drill removed to effectively cut away the nut from around the stud without damaging the threads. Once you get through the flat 'washer' part of the nut the wheel can be removed and I was able to wind off what was left of the nut by hand.d wheelnuts on my brother's x-type snapped when trying to remove because of how tight they had been done up. Spent hours drilling the feckers out!I forgot to add that the big advantage to doing it this way is that it's very quick so long as you get a half decent metal hole cutter.
Edited by njw1 on Wednesday 2nd July 15:07
At our local tyre place last year, I arrived with my 2 wheels/tyres in the back of my other car. Another customer arrived at the same time with his wheel from his Mercedes. We exchanged glances and almost said in stereo " don't trust them with the wheelnuts".
I now refuse to let tyre fitters anywhere near any of my cars. They clearly didn't like it when I last took a car to them and said "I'll undo and tighten the wheelbolts myself". Guy laughed and said "they have to be torqued correctly". When I asked what value of torque he looked blank and didn't reply! He then said "we have to do them up for safety" I tightened them with my hand tool and said " I've never had them go loose or fall off in 40 years, so maybe I'm doing them correctly! If you want me to sign a disclaimer, just give me the pen." I've had 2 sets of studs on 2 cars ruined over the years, so trust nobody any more.
I now refuse to let tyre fitters anywhere near any of my cars. They clearly didn't like it when I last took a car to them and said "I'll undo and tighten the wheelbolts myself". Guy laughed and said "they have to be torqued correctly". When I asked what value of torque he looked blank and didn't reply! He then said "we have to do them up for safety" I tightened them with my hand tool and said " I've never had them go loose or fall off in 40 years, so maybe I'm doing them correctly! If you want me to sign a disclaimer, just give me the pen." I've had 2 sets of studs on 2 cars ruined over the years, so trust nobody any more.
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