Locking wheelnut broken by tyre outfit

diystarter7

A family member told me last evening he had a slow puncture went to a tyre outfit yesterday and the fitter broke the locking wheel nut ie spinning.
I won't name the outfit but it is one of the big 4.

The car is a SUV he has had it since new and 4 years old.

I said put it down to experience but thought I'd ask here. Not sure how much it will cost to remove and new wheelocks all around. It's a Kia SUV large car.

You lot have any experience of this and or should he pay himself and take the hit?
Thanks

400ixl

Ok, not entirely clear here as Kia use a style that are extremely hard to break (basically a wiggly pattern which aligns) rather than the old pin style which could easily be broken.

What exactly has happened? When you say spinning, what do you mean? That the locking key is placed on the nut and doesn't grip, just continuously turns? Grip but the nut just turns regardless?

If it is a genuine Kia locking wheel nut set and it is the key which is broken then the owner should be able to take the proof of ownership (V5) and the original key to a main dealer and order a new set. Same really if it is a new set of wheel nuts required.

They aren't cheap, but neither is getting the nuts removed by force if that is the alternative, although the tyre outfit con likely brute force the old ones off. Usually there is a set of non locking nuts provided with the car so you can fit those temporarily.

Not sure if the fitters will take responsibility for replacing the set if they broke it, did your friend request this and what did they say?

chrisw

Just put a standard wheel bolt in. The chances of somebody pinching the wheel are minimal and it saves similar grief in the future.

Grey_Critic

chrisw said:

Just put a standard wheel bolt in. The chances of somebody pinching the wheel are minimal and it saves similar grief in the future.

Don't think that is an option - the OP stated

**the fitter broke the locking wheel nut ie spinning.....Not sure how much it will cost to remove ***

When I had that happen they sheared the bolt - usual cackhanded job. Instead of easing off with a brace they used an airgun

baser999

Did the tyre fitter try removing the locking nut without the correct key I wonder and shear the thread. In which case there’s little chance that any form of wheelnut can be refitted without the bolt being rethreaded first. Any costs incurred in sorting this would certainly be down to the tyre fitters; and might not be cheap

Manxman_in_exile

diystarter7 said:

A family member told me last evening he had a slow puncture went to a tyre outfit yesterday and the fitter broke the locking wheel nut ie spinning.
I won't name the outfit but it is one of the big 4.

The car is a SUV he has had it since new and 4 years old.

I said put it down to experience but thought I'd ask here. Not sure how much it will cost to remove and new wheelocks all around. It's a Kia SUV large car.

You lot have any experience of this and or should he pay himself and take the hit?
Thanks

Didn't your friend ask the "tyre outfit" how they were going to put right the damage they'd caused?

Flight3287462

Manxman_in_exile said:

diystarter7 said:

A family member told me last evening he had a slow puncture went to a tyre outfit yesterday and the fitter broke the locking wheel nut ie spinning.
I won't name the outfit but it is one of the big 4.

The car is a SUV he has had it since new and 4 years old.

I said put it down to experience but thought I'd ask here. Not sure how much it will cost to remove and new wheelocks all around. It's a Kia SUV large car.

You lot have any experience of this and or should he pay himself and take the hit?
Thanks

Didn't your friend ask the "tyre outfit" how they were going to put right the damage they'd caused?

That's my thought.

diystarter7

chrisw said:

Just put a standard wheel bolt in. The chances of somebody pinching the wheel are minimal and it saves similar grief in the future.

I've told him to do that but he said no. Great idea as it's not like the old days when hardly anyone had locknuts so crooks will assume locknuts are on the car.

Richard53

diystarter7 said:

chrisw said:

Just put a standard wheel bolt in. The chances of somebody pinching the wheel are minimal and it saves similar grief in the future.

I've told him to do that but he said no. Great idea as it's not like the old days when hardly anyone had locknuts so crooks will assume locknuts are on the car.

Unless they are obviously high-value wheels, I'd say the same. Now that most cars have alloy wheels, they don't have the rarity value that makes them attractive to thieves. A normal set of slightly-scuffed alloys, I wouldn't bother. Same with car radios. You don't hear of cars being broken into for the radio any more. Yes, security is better, but mainly it's that virtually all cars have a music system of some kind, so pffft.

Grey_Critic

Question is were they able to remove the wheeel/repair/replace the tyre ?

dipsomaniac

I would get rid of the locking wheel nuts as they cause more grief than they are worth.  Thieves more likely to steel the cat these days.  If they did want the wheels there are cheap tools out there to enable them to remove them in minutes.