I bought a car that has those locking lug nuts on the wheels. Of co**** the car didnt come with the special wrench to take them off. Any ideas anyone?? (other than a torch) haha
The tire stores here have special sockets to take them off or you can find a socket you can drive on the nut and take it off and then drive the nut out of the socket with a punch. Look in all the hiding places first though as it seems everyone hides the gizmo to take them off in a different place.
Hammer a socket, preferably an old one that you won't mind if it breaks, that is just slightly smaller diameter onto the lock then use a breaker bar and elbow grease. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
those damn things are no better than wishing people wouldn't steal.... it only takes a minute to defeat them if you're after the wheels. at the dealership we actively tried to talk customers out of keeping them if their car came in with them. i HATE the damn things. i had ONE car that had them and the key was missing.... hammered a cheap socket over the locks as has been described and three out of four came off perfectly; the fourth one, the socket got ****ed and popped back at me, gave me a nice bruise and cut on my leg... it worked the SECOND time i hammered that ******* down! take 'em off, leave 'em off. thieves don't care if you use them.
If it's the one piece style just smack a heavy wall 15/16 (usually) socket on give it a good shot and then hit it with an imact gun if you have it, or a breaker bar. Use to have to do them all the time, people would drop off there car for gears or brakes and forget to leave the key, or the key to the trunk where it was.
I used the same method in the video, except used the 6-point impact socket if there was enough room to use it. Never split one of those. Bob
Friend had a flat on the interstate. He called and said he needed help. Just happened to have 1/2 x 13/16 ths spark plug socket. Drove it on and worked just fine. Suggested he remove the other four. His cars no longer have locking lug nuts.
Hammer a six foot long pipe over the nut, then bend the stud back and forth till it breaks off. That works in a wrecking yard.
That is the video version of a dummies book - slow and painful to watch. I have wheels coming via UPS tomorrow for the COE - They threw in locking nuts for free because of a delay. It was too late to say just send some spare lug nuts - I will never open that package of locking lugs - wonder if I can unload them on eBay....
If they are McGard Wheel Locks most ways of removing your average wheel lock won't remove them. Take a picture of the pattern, email it to McGard in Orchard Park (Buffalo) NY and they'll send you a key.
Good call guys, thanks. When I get this thing out from under the 2 feet of snow tomorrow I will give the socket trick a try.
My wife's OT car came with them-had an interesting discussion with the dealer when there was no matching socket-"I just spent $26k on a car and you won't throw in a socket? No it stays in the car and I rotate the tires myself. They want a small fortune for new lug nuts so I just keep having fun.
Purchased one of the special sockets at a swap. It has left hand threads on the inside. The lock nut was too slick for the socket to grab on. Used a 110v arc welder with some 6011rod and roughed up the smooth surface of the lock nut so the special socket could grab on - worked great.
Had the locking lugnut without a key episode last July on my son's OT car. The hammered socket method didn't work on it, so we had to coax the local dealer to send out their parts delivery guy with the lock set and take off both lugnuts (son blew out both right-side tires by running into a catch basin curb - also ruined a rim, a ball joint and a rotor). We had to order a lock, but now have it. Hate those things.
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