harrycatcat1 Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 I had some tyres fitted last summer and I think they razzed the studs up too tight. A couple of weeks ago my car went in for service, I have it done every 10,000 miles just because I do, its a (rusty) Mercedes ML but I like it as its only done 120,000 miles Anyhow he says cant get the wheels off because the locking wheel stud remover has bust so he burnt one off as it was damaged but didnt want to do the rest. I spent an hour at Mercedes chesterfield but they didnt have a locking wheel stud remover that matched. The usual locking wheel nut remover would not work as there is no room between the side of the alloy wheel and the stud to belt it on. Someone recommended a local chap that has a tool that impacts and gets hammered into the locking wheel stud but it snapped his removal tool. This is the type that AA and RAC use. To cut a long story short my man had to drill them out with a cobalt drill. I now dont have locking wheel studs they are a pain in the butt when they are tightened on too much, it was quite wooying thinking that you cant change the wheel. Regards H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davyo Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 Only had it happen once but fortunately managed to order a new key socket.Never been caught out since as I tend too crack em off and back on @ least once a month & plenty if grease on the locking bolt.Plus if I go into a tyre centre I make sure they don't use one of those blooming impact guns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gustaff Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 probobly not over tightened but the wheel bolt protrudes through the drive flange and rusts to the back of the flange major head ache for the motor trade when trying to remove after long periods of time between extended service intervals not a problem with the old style wheel nuts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnytheboy Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 Mercedes lockers are a problem when over tightened, we have a dynomec the same one that is mentioned above and even that has failed and they remove everything! We will weld a nut on and remove them that way but I have seen a power bar bent to scary angles trying to get some out! It's usually some nut job with a new impact gun that creates the problem! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrycatcat1 Posted May 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 Mercedes lockers are a problem when over tightened, we have a dynomec the same one that is mentioned above and even that has failed and they remove everything! We will weld a nut on and remove them that way but I have seen a power bar bent to scary angles trying to get some out! It's usually some nut job with a new impact gun that creates the problem! Out of curiosity how does that work? I have heard that but cant under stand in this instance as the stud head is buried 2" into the alloy wheel. Do you mean it can be achieived if the stud is easily accesable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneshot1979 Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 Favorite trick of mine is to bore out a long series nut of appropriate size. Place into recess against offending locker and then arc weld them together down through the centre. Quick belt with a lump hammer while it's all still hot to shock the nut for good luck then wind off as normal. Never failed yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hendrix's rifle Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 Get loads of them, usually hammer and chisel on the edge. They usually do it because people don't torque nuts down anymore just use buzz guns -.- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red-dot Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 The days of cars up on bricks are long gone so why have locking nuts? In the 70's and 80's it was rife but not so nowadays, they just nick the car. I've never seen a BMW radio in a Corsa either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferguson_tom Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 Would drilling then out then tapping a left hand thread in them work? Then just wind in a suitable left hand threaded bolt and should come out without risk of damaging the wheel or the hub. Whenever my car comes back from the garage I always go round with my breaker bar then do them up with the short one that stays in the car that way I know I should always be able to get them undone at the side of the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
four-wheel-drive Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 Something that has annoyed me for a long time the garages tend to tighten the wheel nuts so tight that I cannot undo them if I was to get a puncture I should add I am getting on 72 it would have to be contact the breakdown people and get them to come and change my wheel makes me feel quite bad really that I cannot do a simple thing like undo a wheel nut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDS Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 Had the same problem..my nephew , a mechanic, drilled a hole into the centre of the nut and pounded a torx bit into said hole and it cracked off easily with a ratchet... Ordered 4 plain wheel nuts and threw the locking ones away Why they are fitted i dont know...nobody steals alloy wheels anymore..used to be the case when they were fitted to better model cars or fitted aftermarket, but nowadays every run of the mill car has alloys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovercoupe Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 Alloys are not the target anymore its the tyres now! Especially on 4x4s with massive tyres. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breastman Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 I've had the opposite problem recently, had new tyre put on and they didn't bother to tighten the nuts up, was on the motorway doing 70mph when I heard the wheel coming loose! Fortunately got pulled over sharpish and them tightened up properly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnytheboy Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 Out of curiosity how does that work? I have heard that but cant under stand in this instance as the stud head is buried 2" into the alloy wheel. Do you mean it can be achieived if the stud is easily accesable? We just tape the hole up with aluminium foil tape then tape it to a weld blanket (old one with a hole in it) so the paint and wheel are protected then take the shroud off the mig so it fits in the recess and weld the centre of the nut to the locker! It's not been unknown for other things to get welded to that lol in fact I had to ******* them last time as it was about a foot long of bolts and **** welded onto it, it got silly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrycatcat1 Posted May 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 We just tape the hole up with aluminium foil tape then tape it to a weld blanket (old one with a hole in it) so the paint and wheel are protected then take the shroud off the mig so it fits in the recess and weld the centre of the nut to the locker! It's not been unknown for other things to get welded to that lol in fact I had to #### them last time as it was about a foot long of bolts and **** welded onto it, it got silly! Thanks I wont have that problem as they are a thing of the past for me, just a waste of time, if someone want to nick them they will take em anyway.Just my opinion. No doubt the next problem I will encounter with this car will be the injectors as someone mentioned in a previous thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnytheboy Posted May 12, 2017 Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 Or air flow meter or gear change issues I had one, they are easy fixed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted May 12, 2017 Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 Alloys are not the target anymore its the tyres now! Especially on 4x4s with massive tyres. Indeed, mrs has to have hire cars for work fairly frequently and they make a big deal about the tyres fited to the car I think the hose company either mark or have the serial numbers recorded I have seen a car on bricks wheels nicked 6/7 years ago, but of course if locking nuts are standard and they are fitted mr insurance might not be happy to payout...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrycatcat1 Posted May 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2017 Or air flow meter or gear change issues I had one, they are easy fixed I recon I have had one of these fitted, are they about 1.5" square and about 3 or 4" long? I think it cost me 70 quid to by it from Mercedes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
defender Posted May 13, 2017 Report Share Posted May 13, 2017 I've seen garages gun the nuts up then go round with a torque wrench and click the torque wrench on the already over tightened nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrycatcat1 Posted May 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2017 I've seen garages gun the nuts up then go round with a torque wrench and click the torque wrench on the already over tightened nuts. Yes I think thats what probably happened to mine I only had new tyres on 10,000 miles back so about 8 months ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwarrior Posted May 13, 2017 Report Share Posted May 13, 2017 Had 2 go like that on my q7 1 removed with a drill the other mr AA did now all replaced with better type that only I remove and refit so not air guns get involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
defender Posted May 13, 2017 Report Share Posted May 13, 2017 Yes I think thats what probably happened to mine I only had new tyres on 10,000 miles back so about 8 months ago. I had to get some off a vw that some tool had rattled up to the max I had to jump up and down on a 3 foot long bar and it was bending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord O War Posted May 13, 2017 Report Share Posted May 13, 2017 A few years back I was at a work meeting at a motorway services (oh the glamour) and when we were going my mate had a flat on his van so I stayed to give him a had. Well some tool had wound the windy gun to max and the nuts were not undoing. My mate is a big chap and he was jumping up and down on the wheel brace and all that was happening was it was bending! Got them off in the end but not without risk to life and limb! Another fave of mine is lack of anti seize on the hubs, when I first got my mondeo I did a brake fluid service on it and I had to hammer the rear rims off the hub! I'm glad I discovered this at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hendrix's rifle Posted May 13, 2017 Report Share Posted May 13, 2017 A few years back I was at a work meeting at a motorway services (oh the glamour) and when we were going my mate had a flat on his van so I stayed to give him a had. Well some tool had wound the windy gun to max and the nuts were not undoing. My mate is a big chap and he was jumping up and down on the wheel brace and all that was happening was it was bending! Got them off in the end but not without risk to life and limb! Another fave of mine is lack of anti seize on the hubs, when I first got my mondeo I did a brake fluid service on it and I had to hammer the rear rims off the hub! I'm glad I discovered this at home. In fairness to the last bit it's advised against on some vehicles so the manufacturers say. Just like putting grease on wheel bolts/nuts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveboy Posted May 14, 2017 Report Share Posted May 14, 2017 A few years ago I had taken my Hyundai in for a new tyre and they rang me to say the locking wheel key had bust. I asked if they had used the windy gun to tighten it and they said they always used a torque wrench. A new key was ordered from the main dealers (£13) and it arrived the next day. I was at the tyre place talking to the manager and through the viewing window the manager and I watched the lad fit a locking wheel nut ,Guess what, he used the windy gun.. The Manger opened the Till and said £13 was it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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