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Missing lockable wheel
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Confusedandneedhelp
Posts: 569 Forumite
in Motoring
Hi all,
Pardon my lack of knowledge.
I purchased a car 3 weeks ago, didn't even think to check if all the gubbins were in place for the lockable wheel but, ie the bit used to unlock it.
Well last week burst tyre. Didn't need the car so left it until this week and started looking. Nothing.
It's a renault scenic, which for anyone without encountering this problem: it has a lid covering the nuts. Which after spending £25 on the wrong one ( not sure if I'll get a refund ), I borrowed a friends key to take off. I had fingers cross that it was 4 normal wheel nuts. Nope.
Where do I stand legally? As in is the seller ( a dealer ) responsible for this? I'm just so angry that this was missed out and his excuse today, which was basically ' oh we must've never had it but bring it down and we'll take a look ' annoyed me. Ye your miles away and I've got a flat tyre and can't change it...!!
And practically can kwik fit for example, only 100 yards up the road change it without this? That might seems stupid, but renault quote 6 weeks to get replacement.
In supposed to be going to the zoo for my sons birthday on Sunday.
Please help. I've had the worst year so far this year.
Pardon my lack of knowledge.
I purchased a car 3 weeks ago, didn't even think to check if all the gubbins were in place for the lockable wheel but, ie the bit used to unlock it.
Well last week burst tyre. Didn't need the car so left it until this week and started looking. Nothing.
It's a renault scenic, which for anyone without encountering this problem: it has a lid covering the nuts. Which after spending £25 on the wrong one ( not sure if I'll get a refund ), I borrowed a friends key to take off. I had fingers cross that it was 4 normal wheel nuts. Nope.
Where do I stand legally? As in is the seller ( a dealer ) responsible for this? I'm just so angry that this was missed out and his excuse today, which was basically ' oh we must've never had it but bring it down and we'll take a look ' annoyed me. Ye your miles away and I've got a flat tyre and can't change it...!!
And practically can kwik fit for example, only 100 yards up the road change it without this? That might seems stupid, but renault quote 6 weeks to get replacement.
In supposed to be going to the zoo for my sons birthday on Sunday.
Please help. I've had the worst year so far this year.
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Comments
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Not sure if this is what you are looking for for the cover http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/161239319853?limghlpsr=true&hlpv=2&ops=true&viphx=1&hlpht=true&lpid=108&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108&ff19=0
Have you looked everywhere in the car for the locking wheel nut socket? Do you know what you are looking for.
Examples of socket keys.http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2054897.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xscenic+locking+wheel+nut&_nkw=scenic+locking+wheel+nut&_sacat=0&_from=R40
Mobile tyre fitters may be able to remove the nut.
I would expect these to be with a secondhand car bought from a dealer.0 -
How badly is the tyre damaged? If it's just a puncture couldn't you just repair using a can of Tyre Weld and take it back to the dealer since he's offered to look at it?0
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I'm sure that Kwikfit can take the locking wheel-nut off for you.
Loads of folks have 'lost' them.
But even if Kwikfit can get it off and fix the puncture you need a new key for the future.
I would demand the dealer who sold you the car get you one.
But if not any Renault dealer will be able to supply one if they know the VIN Nr.
Best to turn up at the Renault dealership with the car in person rather than phone them - just take the V5C with you to prove ownership and they'll organize it.0 -
No is the simple answer. Its your responsibility as a buyer to ask/check these things. Unless they specifically stated it was included you don't have a leg to stand on .
Kwik fit may be able to remove these depending on the type of locking nut used. Does it have a spinning collar around the edge? If so it will take a fair bit of work to remove and your local Indy might be better equipped and priced. Bear in mind these places will break the but during removal so you will need to purchase new locking nuts also to replace the current ones.
I suspect the time given from Renault is for a replacement key. Probably the cheapest route but clearly the most inconvenient.Back by no demand whatsoever.0 -
Same thing happened to me a couple of years ago. Local tyre places tried but couldn't unlock it. Main dealer quoted £100 to unlock and replace locking nuts!!!
Eventually a member of our car club who is an RAC mechanic got it unlocked but as has been noted above you then need new wheel locks.0 -
I read a post recently, could have been on here, about someone who spent ages removing a locking nut off one wheel and then found the key still attached to a nut on one of the other wheels when he took the cover off- worth looking.
Usually it is in the bag with the wheelbrace, or in a compartment in the polystyrene packing round the spare wheel, but can be in the glovebox, or door pockets.I want to go back to The Olden Days, when every single thing that I can think of was better.....
(except air quality and Medical Science)
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Thank u all.
I honestly don't know if he said they were included, but at the same time I can definitely say he didn't say they weren't.
Ye, inconvenient is certainly the word. I'll speak to kwik fit.
Pardon my ignorance again, but where do I get replacements?0 -
but as has been noted above you then need new wheel locks.
Unless the car in question has extremely rare or expensive wheels and tyres, locking nuts can often be more of a hindrance than a gain.
20 or 30 years ago when alloys were only fitted to top end vehicles and it was fairly common to see or hear about cars being left on bricks and the wheels gone, having a set of good locking nuts made sense but nowadays when the majority of cars seem to come with alloys, I think it's far less of a necessity.0 -
I read a post recently, could have been on here, about someone who spent ages removing a locking nut off one wheel and then found the key still attached to a nut on one of the other wheels when he took the cover off- worth looking.
Usually it is in the bag with the wheelbrace, or in a compartment in the polystyrene packing round the spare wheel, but can be in the glovebox, or door pockets.
I'll check the actual holder as I emptied it but it could be 'stuck'. But not in glove box or anything I know that.0 -
George_Michael wrote: »Unless the car in question has extremely rare or expensive wheels and tyres, locking nuts can often be more of a hindrance than a gain.
20 or 30 years ago when alloys were only fitted to top end vehicles and it was fairly common to see or hear about cars being left on bricks and the wheels gone, having a set of good locking nuts made sense but nowadays when the majority of cars seem to come with alloys, I think it's far less of a necessity.
Yes, this, a hundred times this.
Just annoyed it's going to either ruin birthday plans for my middle son or make it more expensive. Given that I barely see them at the moment and am trying to prove things to my ex this is just a speed bump I didn't need.0
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