Locking wheelnut broken by tyre outfit

400ixl

Getting rid of the wheel nuts will mean you need to declare that to the insurance and most likely pay an increased policy amount.

Whilst wheel theft is lower these days, this is predominantly due to locking wheel nuts. removing them significantly increases the risk as there is still a market for wheels without kerbing and good tyres.

What is this grief people talk about, issues with modern locking wheel nuts are absolutely minimal. Sounds like a 1980's story where the locking nuts were pins and prone to failure. That hasn't been the case for decades.

roddydogs

Obvious question, but was the locking nut key supplied?

DanDare999

400ixl said:

Getting rid of the wheel nuts will mean you need to declare that to the insurance and most likely pay an increased policy amount.

Whilst wheel theft is lower these days, this is predominantly due to locking wheel nuts. removing them significantly increases the risk as there is still a market for wheels without kerbing and good tyres.

What is this grief people talk about, issues with modern locking wheel nuts are absolutely minimal. Sounds like a 1980's story where the locking nuts were pins and prone to failure. That hasn't been the case for decades.

I've never been asked about locking wheel nuts, I bet they're not even on when the car leaves the factory. If anything they're an addition I bet no one declares. 

oldagetraveller1

"Getting rid of the wheel nuts will mean you need to declare that to the insurance and most likely pay an increased policy amount."

Really? I would have thought the opposite. Doubtful if they are factory fitted, I know mine, now removed, were dealer fitted with the original four nuts in the box containing the "key". When asked if the car has been modified from factory spec., the answer would be yes - a locking wheel nut fitted to all four wheels. That should mean a reduction in premium.

I've not seen any reports of cars being propped up on bricks and the alloy wheels removed.

As mentioned in a previous post, the flavour of the month/year/decade appears to be catalytic converter theft.

molerat

DanDare999 said:

I've never been asked about locking wheel nuts, I bet they're not even on when the car leaves the factory. If anything they're an addition I bet no one declares. 

oldagetraveller1 said:

........... Doubtful if they are factory fitted, I know mine, now removed, were dealer fitted with the original four nuts in the box containing the "key". ................

All my cars going back to 1994 have had them as factory fit.  The past 3 has them mentioned on the factory build spec sheet.

photome

molerat said:

DanDare999 said:

I've never been asked about locking wheel nuts, I bet they're not even on when the car leaves the factory. If anything they're an addition I bet no one declares. 

oldagetraveller1 said:

........... Doubtful if they are factory fitted, I know mine, now removed, were dealer fitted with the original four nuts in the box containing the "key". ................

All my cars going back to 1994 have had them as factory fit.  The past 3 has them mentioned on the factory build spec sheet.

I also thought locking wheel nuts were factory fit, like you my last 4 to 5 cars have been

Grey_Critic

photome said:

molerat said:

DanDare999 said:

I've never been asked about locking wheel nuts, I bet they're not even on when the car leaves the factory. If anything they're an addition I bet no one declares. 

oldagetraveller1 said:

........... Doubtful if they are factory fitted, I know mine, now removed, were dealer fitted with the original four nuts in the box containing the "key". ................

All my cars going back to 1994 have had them as factory fit.  The past 3 has them mentioned on the factory build spec sheet.

I also thought locking wheel nuts were factory fit, like you my last 4 to 5 cars have been

For many years they were a *lucrative extra*

400ixl

They may be fitted at the dealers (and often are) but they are still part of the factory build specification that insurers will look against.

So yes, removing them can be seen as a modification and the removal of a security device. The total opposite of some of the  assumptions above and why it needed to be called out as bad advice.

Bigwheels1111

Does the wheel nut sit above the wheel or is it recessed.
If it sits proud a nut splitter will do the job.
Not sure if recessed.
Search Google or, remove recessed locking wheel nut.

cymruchris

Everyone jumps onto the bandwagon of 'it's the garages fault' - but it isn't always. I had a locking wheel nut sheer recently, whereby I was present at the time of removal. The fitter was using a manual brace and a long extension bar, and it wouldn't budge. We tried several different methods to release it, but it wasn't having it. Then when using the longest bar, eventually the wheel nut gave up and was jammed in place. It needed to be drilled off. 

The cause?

The previous time the wheels had been removed (before my ownership) - the wheel nuts had been over-torqued using an air wrench.

If the car is 4 years old - and during those 4 years the wheels have been removed - there's a good chance that the 'monkey' responsible for your wheel nut sheering was in fact the one that threw the tyre back on at 5.27pm on a Friday afternoon, and just kept on squeezing the trigger until your locking wheel nut was well and truly jammed in place. This, you wouldn't have discovered until today as you're now trying to remove said wheel.

It's not always the tyre changers fault. (And as such, if they used appropriate tools to remove your wheel, they aren't liable, it's one of those things)