Broken Alloy Wheel Key - How do I get the wheels off!

paulmorg

Hi,

I've got a M reg Renault Clio fitted with the standard alloy wheels that came with the car. The car comes with a 'key' in order to undo the locking nut on each wheel. Two of the prongs on the 'key' have broken off.

According to a local Renault dealer a replacement key is out of the question because the car is too old. They are saying that the only option involves using brute force to undo the nut (something to do with banging a socket set onto it). Although apparantly this is hard to do and *sometimes* breaks the wheels.

Failing that, they are talking about cutting the wheels off!

Has anyone had any experience with this problem and know of any other solutions? I've got it booked in first thing Tuesday and am sensing this is going to really hurt my wallet.:mad:

Thanks

Paul

vansboy

Sounds like a trip into your local repair garage, with a crisp £10 note, neatly folded!

If they've not got any tools adapted to do the job, they'd certainley be able to remove the locknut & find you a spare wheel nut, too, if your lucky!

If you use your ordinary socket set, or wheel brace, you'll snap the socket, slip with the bar & damage yourself/the car.

Using the wheelbrace will do similar, not only that, but you'll 'round off' the nuts, so nobody will be able to remove them.

Spray some WD40 on the studs, the night before you go to the garage - if they've been on for ages, they'll need some help!!

VB

Debt_Free_Chick

I wonder what all the tyre places would do if you had to replace a tyre?

Worth a trip? Bet they've got a key

Vic_980

paulmorg wrote:

Hi,

I've got a M reg Renault Clio fitted with the standard alloy wheels that came with the car. The car comes with a 'key' in order to undo the locking nut on each wheel. Two of the prongs on the 'key' have broken off.

According to a local Renault dealer a replacement key is out of the question because the car is too old. They are saying that the only option involves using brute force to undo the nut (something to do with banging a socket set onto it). Although apparantly this is hard to do and *sometimes* breaks the wheels.

Failing that, they are talking about cutting the wheels off!

Has anyone had any experience with this problem and know of any other solutions? I've got it booked in first thing Tuesday and am sensing this is going to really hurt my wallet.:mad:

Thanks

Paul

Yes, I had a similar problem, mine being that although the key was OK, one of the locking wheel nuts itself had been damaged so they key no longer removed it.

There are special tools available that have a reverse thread on - they cut a thread onto the nut and allow it to be removed. However, they are very difficult to use and it's very easy to injure yourself when applying force to them - I speak from experience.

Your best best is to put it into a dealer - they will drill the nuts off for you. I had to sign a damage disclaimer for my wheels. Fortunately everything went OK and they managed to remove the offending nut without causing any damage.

ArsenalFC

Some tyre place will brute force the nuts off for an fee give them a ring or a visit.

scheming_gypsy

either that or look for one of your local Burberry (fake) cap wearers drinking a bottle of White Lightening and shouting explenatives at everybody - usually starting with a c. They'll be able to get the wheel off faster than an F1 pit team

paulmorg

Thanks for the advice guys.

I hadn't thought of the WD40, and I guess every little helps.

I did speak to my local quik fit, and they just suggested the brute force method as well. I spoke to about 4-5 places alltogether, and none of them had a specific tool for the job.

The place where I have it booked in is actually my local renault dealer. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on how they get on, and if they are destroying my car try and find somewhere with the tool to drill into the nut.

The whole thing seems a bit stupid to me - there must be a fair number of people who lose their key, or buy a used car with it missing. You would have thought there would be some sort of master key to get them all off.

skiddy2k

paulmorg, the thing is, bare in mind that you'll have to take them all off, not only the one.

reason being, if you only take one off in this instance, and your able to change your tyre etc, wot about the rest of them?! they still have the locking wheel nut on them, and if u incidently get a flat tyre on the road side, or wherever you are, your going to have the same problem, you wont be able to change your tyres.

if your local garage says thet they'll have to drill them out, be careful, because i dnt think a 'crisp £10 note will do the job', drilling out any bolts are a pain in the !!!!!!. they will charge you alot for that option.

as an alternative, as a previous post mentioned, you can buy a 'locking wheel nut remover', which makes threads into your locking wheelnot and you then use a wheel brace to get your wheels off. this can be brought from Halfords, and its only about £10-£15. halfords sell one made by a company called 'Laser'.

you can also get replacement locking wheel nuts from halfords for around £32-£34, by a company called McGuard.

hope this helps in making your decision...

Skiddy

paulmorg

Thanks skiddy, my local halfords does have the tool for £10. Quite why 5 local garages do not know of its existence is beyond me.

Anyway, after ringing halfords to confirm this, I thought i'd ring another local Renault dealer that I couldn't get through to yesterday. They are now telling me they think they can order a replacement alloy wheel key from Italy! There was actually a small 4 digit identifying code on the key.

I've cancelled that appointment for Tuesday, and am now going to have to keep my fingers and toes crossed for 5-7days. I've had such conflicting information from all the different garages, that I don't know who to believe!

skiddy2k

good luck, would be good to hear the outcomes,

skiddy

paulmorg

Thanks... I'll let you know!