Losing the locking wheel nut is a quite common thing in the world of automobile repairing. Probably you have lost it too at least a couple of times! The problem is not just always about not being able to find the locking wheel but may also vary from being broken, badly worn out to no longer working. In this blog post we will discuss hands on solutions to help you get out of such situations. In case your attempts do not yield results, in that case you have to turn for professional helps. But there is no loss in sincerely trying out your hands in resolving these problems.
Let us start from the scratch. This will help you get a better grip on the core topic.
Locking wheel nuts – what and why?
Locking wheel nut keys are designed for a specific purpose. Those are meant to ensure the alloy wheels of your vehicle cannot be stolen. When alloy wheels first made their appearance those turned out to be uniquely fashionable and popular. Thus alloy wheel theft became a common problem within a few days. These days, the majority of vehicles come with alloy wheels and as a result theft of these wheels is no more a concern.
But automobile manufacturers still cannot think of taking risks and so they manufacture vehicles with a set of locking wheel nuts and a locking wheel nut key. Usually vehicles that have alloy wheels fitted come with four locking wheel nuts. Each nut is meant for each wheel. Along with that there is a locking wheel nut key which you have to match to remove the locking wheel nuts.
Common problems with locking wheel nut keys include the nut keys are badly worn or broken as well as lost or mislaid. So what do you do when this nut key in your vehicle is no longer working or cannot be found at all?
There exist few factors that help determining whether the wheel nuts of a vehicle can be removed without involving the locking wheel nut key. One of those factors is the type of locking wheel nut your vehicle has.
Locking wheel nuts and their varieties
Automobile manufacturers use three distinct types of wheel nuts on their vehicles the types include –
- Keyed head wheel nuts
- Rotating collar and
- Sheer head bolt
Keyed head wheel nuts are one of the commonest varieties you find in the majority of vehicles. A locking nut has a keyed head to the wheel nut. The locking wheel nut key remains slotted into this keyed head. The other end of the key has a hexagonal end. When the nut needs to be removed the hexagonal end fits into the wheel brace.
Rotating collar – this type of wheel nut is designed to spin around the wheel nut. This makes it difficult to remove in absence of a matching key.
Sheer head bolt is usually found of vehicles manufactured by the French. You will find this is every Peugeot car. The sheer head bolt is used in the wheels that have bolts instead of nuts. The design of the bolt in this variety is meant to “sheer” off when any tool apart from the matching key is used to try to remove it. This is how the range of wheel nuts got its name.
Locking wheel nut key for my vehicle – where to find it
When a vehicle is brand new and its wheels have not yet been removed then you are likely to find the wheel nut in any of the following places inside the vehicle –
- Door car pockets
- Under the seat of the driver or the passenger – you should check both under the seats and the seat pockets
- Under the spare wheel
- In the glove compartment
- It may also remain with the spare wheel – often placed in a separate compartment
- Inside the centre storage console
Trained and experienced tyre mechanics who deal in locking wheel nut removal over the years suggest the tool could also be in or under the boot. So you should make it a point to look under the carpet along with each and every compartment. Sometimes they even put it inside the First Aid box.
In many cases locking wheel nuts keys are found in a tiny plastic box along with spare wheel nuts. Many automobile manufacturers supply the same in separate plastic bags.
If you cannot locate the lock wheel nut keys of your vehicle then try to remember when it was last used. In other words that means when the last time a wheel in your vehicle was removed. That will give you a clue where the locking wheel nut key could be. Automobile mechanics need this tool at the time of servicing your vehicle. Or when a brake needs replacement, a mechanic needs using the particular piece of tool.
Every time any such job is done it is your responsibility as the owner of the car or automobile to know where the mechanic has left it inside the vehicle. This saves you from the headache when the locking wheel nut key needs to be used the next time.
When the locking wheel nut key is lost – practical solutions to the problem
You are looking for the locking wheel nuts key everywhere but without any success. In such circumstances it is likely that the item is lost. What do you do in such situation? Here are a few practical means to over the loss.
- You may purchase a new key
- You may have the locking wheel nuts removed and fit a universal locking wheel nut set in its place
Purchasing a new key is sometimes the easier solution. On the downside it may be a costly solution. This solution enables you using the original set of locking wheel nuts. Each such key comes with a code. You get the code on the storage box or the plastic storage bag in which the key came from the manufacturer. Your automobile manufacturer is the best option to place the order for a new locking wheel nut key.
24hr Mobile Tyre Fitting London Trained and skilled mechanics provide wheel nut removal near me in London. You can ask them to remove the existing wheel nuts and replace those with a universal locking wheel nut set. This way it is still possible to keep your alloy wheel secure although the key would fit in a range of vehicles.
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