Bloody locking wheel nut is completely jammed on the car, tried switching the rear tyres to the front. NSF/NSR were switched no probs.

Came to do the OSF/OSR tyres and every bolt comes out fine except for the OSR locking wheel nut.

To cut a long story short I have tried everything, to the point where the locking wheel nut is stripped. Tried taking it to my Father in Laws garage, he couldn't get it off using some serious equipment, neither could ATS Euromaster a professional tyre company.

So I now have one side of my car with fresh tyres on the front and the other side with part worn on, and to make matters worse my car is pulling badly to the side that I did manage to change.

It's booked into my dealers on saturday but I really have no idea how they are going to get the wheel off considering two garages, one specialising in switching tyres couldn't.

My only hope is that they can do something, failing that I have been told that you can buy locking wheel nut removing kits or might it even need to be drilled out if that's possible?

The dealer doing warranty work on my Fabia just before I bought it "lost" the locking wheel nut key and then punctured the tyre moving the car into their workshop They ended up drilling it out....

Chris

it's very very difficult to drill a wheel bolt out.. i recommend using cobalt tipped drills at a very low speed.

Here's hoping then

you could try heating it up but that would probably wreck the wheel

heating it up will propably just take it tighter because the alloy wheel expands quicker than the wheelbolt does

If you've got a socket you can afford to "lose", try hammering an old 12 sider over the nut.

Looks like drilling is the only option now unless you can hammer a socket on

Good luck with drilling mate :( I wouldn't want to drill it myself.

You can buy a special socket from Halfrauds and a few other places that will cut a thread onto the bolt and let you have another go at removing it by conventional means.

I have used them in the past with sucess.

buy a cheap socket slightly smaller than the thing and batter the crap out of it to get it on then undo it with a breaker bar

As long as its not too deeply recessed, I've removed them with a small chisel in the past, hitting at an angle in the right direction, slow but it will work.

my dealer have told me they will "chisel" it out :( :eek:

Here's hoping all goes smoothly.

my dealer have told me they will "chisel" it out :( :eek:

Here's hoping all goes smoothly.

in a lot of cases it's almost impossible to chisel it out without damaging the wheel, and also it's very diffcult to get one of those wheel nut removal tool over the bolt because the recess isn't big enough for it to fit into..

good luck!

Hope you have good news when I see you sunday.

Hope you get it sorted okay. I've copper greased all my wheel nuts just in case. Locking wheel nuts can be a PITA.

Was it a standard locking wheel nut?

8 years on VAG cars and I dont think i've seen a wrecked standard type locker, must have been some going to muller it.

I thought snap-on did a nice tool with a corkscrew type fitting on the inside, which is hammered, HARD on to the locking nut, and then I think it uses a 1/2" socket end, and you use the longest wrench possible to lever the nut loose (and the corkscrew effect on the corkscrew means it will keep tightening until either the tool breaks (snap-on lifetime guarentee...) or I guess the locking nut might self implode / snap off?

I thought snap-on did a nice tool with a corkscrew type fitting on the inside, which is hammered, HARD on to the locking nut, and then I think it uses a 1/2" socket end, and you use the longest wrench possible to lever the nut loose (and the corkscrew effect on the corkscrew means it will keep tightening until either the tool breaks (snap-on lifetime guarentee...) or I guess the locking nut might self implode / snap off?

yeah they do but they are a load of $hite! and they dont have garantee on those sockets either... and usually you can't get them onto the wheel bolt because the recess isn't big enough

Was it a standard locking wheel nut?

8 years on VAG cars and I dont think i've seen a wrecked standard type locker, must have been some going to muller it.

Yes it's a standard locker. Unfortunately I think the problem goes deeper than just the locking wheel nut, I think even with it removed it will be extremely difficult to prise the wheel off, it's almost like the metal has cold frozen together :(

Anyway, fingers crossed eh, I've absolutely no idea what i'm going to do if they can't get it off? hope they don't have to saw the alloy off!!

Thinking about it, I might just get rid of the other 3 locking wheel nuts at the same time and just get some standard wheel nuts instead to save this happening again...

You tried hot air gun on the alloy/hub and freeze spray on the wheel nut?

Makes the wheel keep out of the way and the bolt should hopefully shrink a bit. Plus gas might help too.

Hope you get it off.

we've welded bolts to Ford Galaxy wheel bolts before now , this usually works , Galaxy nuts are done up to 170NM , so tighter than the Fabia ones , never seen an alloy damaged by the welder/heat either

will a dealer try all of the above?

I'm guessing they'll do "whatever it takes" if you tell them to

Chris

i'm still liking the hammer a cheap socket over it with a BFO hammer

will a dealer try all of the above?

i work for a Ford dealership , so yes a dealer with a MIG welder and someone who knows how to us it , should be able to do it for you