Hi - I've got a bit of a nightmare on my hands trying to get hold of the key nut for the alloys, which should ahve been in the back of the car with the spare wheel but isn't.

The car is an 08 Fabia 3 estate and this week I had a puncture. The Skoda assist man came and was about to change the wheel when he noticed they 'key' for the locking bolts wasn't there in the back where it should be, so he was unable to take the wheel off.

He managed to cobble up a temporary repair to the wheel in situ, and I called the dealership where I bought the car (200 miles from where I live) to try and get one of these 'key' parts. They said they had no idea what the right one was as they were put on the car at the factory and as this dealer is not my local, said I should got to the local one and get a replacement from them as they'd be able to match it up with their full set of all the keys which they'd keep at the garage.

So, went to the local dealership, and they said, oh no - this is the new type bolt, we don't have the key set for these ones; we can drill out the bolt but it may damage your alloy.

They are apparently waiting to be supplied the full set. So I try another garage and its a similar story.

So.... I'm stuck with an unsafe tyre, I'm going on holiday tomorrow, and no-one seems to know how i'm supposed to get hold of this 'key' for the locking wheel bolts so that I can put on my spare tyre.

Does anyone know how I can resolve this frustrating and dangerous situation?

had the same problem with mine. skoda have about 26 different wheel nuts, i went down and we tried every car until we found one! good luck with it.

After picking up my Fabia 3, I noticed that there was no locking wheel nut key number showing either on the paperwork or service book. When I queried this with the dealer I was informed that the wheel nut key itself would have a letter stamped on it. It was just a single letter and I was told that this was it. This being my first Skoda, the system struck me as a little lax, other cars I have owned had the locking wheel nut key no. written in the service record book at PDI plus the suppling dealer also had a record of it.

Not much use to you at your stage but a dealer should have a master key set to identify it by trail and error.

Pity you did not realise it was missing when you first had the car but as they say it is easy to be wise after the event.

Hope the dealer sorts you out OK.

The dealers should carry the master sets but the one I've been to didn't have it as he said it the wheel bolts were a new version and they hadn't been issued with the master set yet. Since I've had the car since April I think its pretty rubbish that such a crucial bit of kit is treated as such an afterthought. I can't remove any of my wheels at present and since I;m nursing a punctured tyre with a temporary fix applied from the outside its a real worry. My next step will be to go to dealerships and get try out the wheel nuts for the cars they have in stock and hope that one of them fits my car. Before that happens I've got a 110 mile drive to Wiltshire and back which I'm planning to do at no more than 50 mph in order not to stress the repaired tyre. I love my Skody this is my second, but there are times when you really wonder...

The dealers should carry the master sets but the one I've been to didn't have it as he said it the wheel bolts were a new version and they hadn't been issued with the master set yet. Since I've had the car since April I think its pretty rubbish that such a crucial bit of kit is treated as such an afterthought. I can't remove any of my wheels at present and since I;m nursing a punctured tyre with a temporary fix applied from the outside its a real worry. My next step will be to go to dealerships and get try out the wheel nuts for the cars they have in stock and hope that one of them fits my car. Before that happens I've got a 110 mile drive to Wiltshire and back which I'm planning to do at no more than 50 mph in order not to stress the repaired tyre. I love my Skody this is my second, but there are times when you really wonder...

Just a thought, once your wheel nut key is identified, suggest you ensure that it actually fits all of your wheels. The fact that the locking wheel nut key was missing in the first place may mean someone at the dealership has been on a 'swopping spree' - perish the thought!

Agreed! And an interesting post...let's all make sure we have the right key. Xenia, if all else fails make an appeal in a new thread, for an owner of a new Skoda who may live near you to maybe have a meet and see if their key will fit yours. Take some help with you. This could allow you to change your wheel and at least be safe on hols. Appreciate this may be a bit late now. Good luck Xenia.