Lost my alloy wheels lock key!

deanos

todolistsocd wrote: »

Hi Deanos.

1st thing I would say is ouch, that's rough man!
I just hope the garage didn't do any damage did they?

All the best:)

A little bit yes not too bad

I had the key but i think when i had tyres they used an air gun and knackered the locks so the key would not fit

Always make sure they don't use air gun on them now

asbokid

The budget toolmaker LASER makes an emergency locking wheelnut removal kit. It's just a set of reverse threaded sockets that you drive onto the wheel nut and then undo using a wrench. The kit costs about £15 - £20 from Halfrauds and Screwfix.

Read the customer reviews of the kit on the Halfords website though. Some people complained that they had to use an impact wrench just to get the removal socket to bite on the wheelnut. Others said they badly scuffed their alloys in the process. While some said that they first had to used a cold chisel and hammer to break off the spinning ring on the nut before they could tackle the nut itself.

If you do damage the wheel nut studs, they are fortunately not very expensive to replace, perhaps a couple of pounds each. The big bill is if you damage the alloy wheels.

Humphrey10

I realised the wheel nut key was missing from my 2nd hand Yaris when I took it for its MOT and they couldn't get the wheels off! They said go to the Toyota dealer to get a key, went to Toyota dealer, they said 'oh dear you have the old type, we only have the keys for the new type' and sent us to the place where they made the old keys, so we drove there and got a key for just £5. They did have to try every key to find the right one though, all the keys look almost identical, there was no way of telling without trying them.

So there's probably no need to resort to expensive gadgets, you can probably just get a replacement key.

Flyboy152

Humphrey10 wrote: »

I realised the wheel nut key was missing from my 2nd hand Yaris when I took it for its MOT and they couldn't get the wheels off! They said go to the Toyota dealer to get a key, went to Toyota dealer, they said 'oh dear you have the old type, we only have the keys for the new type' and sent us to the place where they made the old keys, so we drove there and got a key for just £5. They did have to try every key to find the right one though, all the keys look almost identical, there was no way of telling without trying them.

So there's probably no need to resort to expensive gadgets, you can probably just get a replacement key.

Why did they meed to remove the wheels for the MOT?

asbokid

Flyboy152 wrote: »

Why did they meed to remove the wheels for the MOT?

Check the thickness of the brake pads, maybe?

Or maybe they were pulling a scam all too common in the north of England, especially in Blackpool according to the Gazette. The lady drivers are a favourite target.

You leave your motor for an MOT. They take your wheel off, swap your good tyre for an old one, fail you on tread depth, and then offer to fit a "new" tyre for you.

pendulum

Flyboy152 wrote: »

Why did they meed to remove the wheels for the MOT?

Good point!

asbokid wrote: »

Check the thickness of the brake pads, maybe?

They are not allowed to remove wheels for an MoT

If the OP sent it for a "service & MoT" or even a "pre MOT check and then an MoT" then that explains things, but if it was just for an MoT something fishy's going on!

Humphrey10

Flyboy152 wrote: »

Why did they meed to remove the wheels for the MOT?

They were replacing the tyres, then doing the MOT. They might have been doing a full service too, I can't remember if I had that done at the same time or not.
It was kwikfit, so I have no idea if they were telling the truth about the tyres being too worn or not, but the tires looked dodgy to me (2 were almost smooth) so I got them changed. Or tried to, at least, couldn't until I got the key.

Flyboy152

asbokid wrote: »

Check the thickness of the brake pads, maybe?

Or maybe they were pulling a scam all too common in the north of England, especially in Blackpool according to the Gazette. The lady drivers are a favourite target.

You leave your motor for an MOT. They take your wheel off, swap your good tyre for an old one, fail you on tread depth, and then offer to fit a "new" tyre for you.

Brake wear is not measured in an MOT test; brake efficiency is. As long as your brakes work within the given parameters, they will pass.

geek84

Hi Folks

Many thanks for your replies & advice so far.

I rang my Ford dealer this morning and they said a nut key would cost in the region of £30 - £40, but they said I need to bring the car, so that they can find out the correct key. They said will then order it from their suppliers, and the key it will take about 2 weeks to arrive.

Do you think It may be a good idea to take my car to the dealer to find out the correct key and then try & get a cheaper priced one from say, ebay? Or, do you think the dealer will put up a fuss by saying that I have to buy it from them, since they are the ones who told me the correct key to buy?

Thanks in advance.

rev_henry

geek84 wrote: »

Hi Folks

Many thanks for your replies & advice so far.

I rang my Ford dealer this morning and they said a nut key would cost in the region of £30 - £40, but they said I need to bring the car, so that they can find out the correct key. They said will then order it from their suppliers, and the key it will take about 2 weeks to arrive.

Do you think It may be a good idea to take my car to the dealer to find out the correct key and then try & get a cheaper priced one from say, ebay? Or, do you think the dealer will put up a fuss by saying that I have to buy it from them, since they are the ones who told me the correct key to buy?

Thanks in advance.

Why don't you just get a backstreet tyre fitter to remove it by brute force then just buy a new set of locking wheel nuts?