Changing my wheels today and halfway through my locking wheel key has snapped inside - next door have a octavia but the key is a different star shape - Autocare said it will cost £50 to remove all 4

Any advice appreciated

Tap a a socket over the top of it best option

The newer ‘EVO’ bolts are IMO crap, which is why I changed mine to the earlier ‘ABC” spline type.

Take the car along to the dealer and they will have a master set of removal tools, my dealer let me use them FOC (I did buy a set of the older splined bolts at the same time)

Or if u can wait and have time the above.

Edited 27 January, 201313 yr by ambrosevonpose

Now why did vag change some thing that worked absolutly fine. Haha

Grrr what a pain in the tits!! Especially on a sunday too. grrr.

You can buy a tool for removing bolts like that from machinemart, only a about £15 IIRC.

Tap a a socket over the top of it best option

Done this before to remove a set from a C5 worked perfectly then replaced them. Id say needs to be a decent socket very strong like snap on etc.

Done this before to remove a set from a C5 worked perfectly then replaced them. Id say needs to be a decent socket very strong like snap on etc.

Also a pretty thin walled socket, as it is very easy to butcher the alloy if you are not careful as there is not a great deal of room around the locking bolts.

i snapped one of those on my old car and bought a new socket from haldfords for about £12 not sure if they still do them.

Unless you have a set of trick alloys i really dont see the point in locking wheel nuts now, there just a pain in the arse. Its not 1980... everything and its dog has alloy wheels these days.

Good luck

You can buy a tool for removing bolts like that from machinemart, only a about £15 IIRC.

They're a bit crap and you need a lot of torque in an impact wrench for them to work.

You can buy a tool for removing bolts like that from machinemart, only a about £15 IIRC.

You mean

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/locking-wheel-nut-remover-2pc

Used these down the garage when my dad's 4x4's locking wheel nut vanished after having new tires fitted. Destroyed the wheel nut, but managed to get them off so we could replace them.

Mines snapped on my last car a superb took to dealer they took them off I replaced with bolts locking nuts are pain in th a... When I bought my vrs first thing I did was get rid and replace with bolt and new bolt covers.

OEM locking bolts can be removed by most tyre places. Find one you trust and they'll normally just hammer on a big socket to get it off.

Aftermarket bolts have features to stop that.

I've done the "hammer-a-socket-over-the-top" thing before to remove a damaged locking bolt, worked fine but destroys not only the bolt but also your socket in my experience. Having said that not much $ to replace and it allows you to get your frustrations out on the bolt!

Hammer time!

Took the car to a skoda dealer today and they broke there master socket try to remove it - then they said they couldn't remove the bolt as it has been put on with an air gun - at least i got my car washed and hoovered by them

They've changed them (seeing the picture now). The ones my car came with were like big spline sockets. That looks more like a McGard bolt. I've got them on now and I've knackered it before. Easy done if you don't seat it properly. I had to order another from Germany.

can you not just leave them off that's what i done today on my superb and just left them in the boot too much hassle when at night and trying to get them off

Taking it to a local garage who are going to tac weld a bolt on then remove the locking nuts - After that I will just use standard bolts - Lucky this happened on my drive rather than on the motorway or somewhere remote

Edited 29 January, 201313 yr by ambrosevonpose

Did you ever get this sorted as i have the same problem.....