Hi all,

I'm wanting to change my wheels from summer to winter but am wondering if there is something I'm not doing right?

I fit the ratchet on the lug nut, 17mm, but it doesn't budge. There doesn't appear to be any key or special feature on the lug nuts so I presume that I can just use a regular ratchet.

My previous car was a 2004 hatchback and I could do the wheel changes easy and quick, with the occasional lug nut needing a bit of body weight on top of it. Is it something to do with new fancy cars or is it just the 1400Nm of torque that requires a power tool to loosen?

Cheers,

Sean

Hello, welcome to the forum.

Possibly a silly question - but have you removed the plastic cover trims from the wheel bolts?

A ratchet wrench is definitely not the correct tool to break out wheel bolts!

Unless the original bolts have been changed, one bolt per wheel is a security fitting requiring an adaptor to remove.

Another possibility is that a tyre gorilla has used hammer gun set to max - a long breaker-bar is useful to break initial hold.

Edited 18 November, 202518 Nov by Warrior193
Add welcome

Important, bolt torque is 120 Nm - NOT 1400!

Edited 18 November, 202518 Nov by Warrior193
correction

What yer man said ^^^
Breaker bar almost always required to crack 'em and then yeah, torqued up to 120Nm. Easier to crack when on the ground, parking brake on, go around all four with the breaker to initially crack 'em and then ratchet them out off the gound.

Another very useful item for the tool box is a pair of the threaded rods to initially position the wheel while refitting the bolts.

1400NM is about right for some of the gorilla tightened wheel bolts I've come across. 😄

I bought the longest breaker bar I could find on ebay, as I'm of rather slim build and need all the leverage I can get.

I think that the one I got was 1 meter / 39 inches long with a 3/4" drive. I use it with a 3/4" to 1/2" adapter to fit my flank drive sockets.

Sometimes brains - in getting the right tools - beats brawn...

I just did this replacement yesterday, but since I had fit the other set myself everything came easy.

I always use a long piece of pipe as a breaker bar to loosen anyway, so I save the effort of the power tool (accu parkside from lidl is actually good).

Before refitting, a dab of copper grease on the nut threads and on the flange surface of the rim to hub is ideal to prevent corrosion and to make the job easier next time!

When refitting, I go first by hand a couple turns, then power tool or by ratchet as it comes.

If you have access to a torque wrench, try to tighten "by hand" and then measure how you did, this will give you an idea for that day you will be replacing a flat tire ....

This time I decided to use only the car tools, to know what to expect in case of a flat tire, as I've never use the jack before ... good to try 🙃

Edited 18 November, 202518 Nov by leolito

24 minutes ago, leolito said:

I just did this replacement yesterday, but since I had fit the other set myself everything came easy.

I always use a long piece of pipe as a breaker bar to loosen anyway, so I save the effort of the power tool (accu parkside from lidl is actually good).

Before refitting, a dab of copper grease on the nut threads and on the flange surface of the rim to hub is ideal to prevent corrosion and to make the job easier next time!

When refitting, I go first by hand a couple turns, then power tool or by ratchet as it comes.

If you have access to a torque wrench, try to tighten "by hand" and then measure how you did, this will give you an idea for that day you will be replacing a flat tire ....

This time I decided to use only the car tools, to know what to expect in case of a flat tire, as I've never use the jack before ... good to try 🙃

Copper grease is old school wise (my mechanic father always used to do the same) but the torque settings I think are meant to be a dry bolt so on the face/spigot is good but on the threads isn’t the thing to do any more buddy.

12 hours ago, leolito said:

I just did this replacement yesterday, but since I had fit the other set myself everything came easy.

I always use a long piece of pipe as a breaker bar to loosen anyway, so I save the effort of the power tool (accu parkside from lidl is actually good).

Before refitting, a dab of copper grease on the nut threads and on the flange surface of the rim to hub is ideal to prevent corrosion and to make the job easier next time!

When refitting, I go first by hand a couple turns, then power tool or by ratchet as it comes.

If you have access to a torque wrench, try to tighten "by hand" and then measure how you did, this will give you an idea for that day you will be replacing a flat tire ....

This time I decided to use only the car tools, to know what to expect in case of a flat tire, as I've never use the jack before ... good to try 🙃

One of the advantages of the Kombi variable-height floor is the storage space beneath it in the raised position - roof bars, breaker bar, torque wrench, tow straps, golf umbrella, etc. all live under there.

On 19/11/2025 at 00:26, travs said:

but the torque settings I think are meant to be a dry bolt so on the face/spigot is good but on the threads isn’t the thing to do any more buddy.😉

😬 I was not into the details of that, I honestly never had an issue in years ... will keep in mind, I can try cleaning well the threads next time instead

On 20/11/2025 at 09:20, leolito said:

😬 I was not into the details of that, I honestly never had an issue in years ... will keep in mind, I can try cleaning well the threads next time instead

I was always the same originally - always seemed like the sensible thing to do but the research was that the lubrication of the copper grease could mean the torque you apply means more turning on the bolt causing greater stress on them.

Now I am thrown in disarray ... this subject is more than what it seems ...

A link to illustrate that this what you are mentioning is really more under the surface:

Not to hijack too much, probably in the case of a car wheel we might never reach a lever of catastrophic failure ... there are 100s of other things in a VAG product that will probably fail earlier! 😁 But now I am really re-thinking the approach ...

Hex Technology

Bolt Lubricant and Torque: A Comprehensive Guide - Hex Te...

Bolt lubricant plays an important role during both the assembly and disassembly of a joint. Learn proper lubrication techniques and how they affect torque

Well I will continue to have a tiny smear of copper lube on the threads.

With totally dry bolts from new, if left dry long term, I find the bolts/ threads will somewhat slightly corrode and stick. What I mean by sticking is that when tightening to torque, the bolts will stick for a moment then creak or crack and “ jump” a good few degrees. Makes it difficult to be sure they are at the same or correct final torque.

With one tiny smear of lube initially ( generally no need to repeat for several years) its a smooth “transition” to full torque and I trust the bolts are all equally to the same setting.

Very much one of the principles in the article Leolito posted.

By the way, handbook states 140 Nm ( for facelift mk3 at least), not 120.

For decades Apprentices and others have been trained that Studs / Wheel Bolts get an 'Oily rag' wipe.

No lubrication / greasing.