Broken Security Wheel Bolt Key

[Muckypaps]

Yep, the remaining two were removed and binned before they did the same.
I was lucky - my failures were with steel wheels. Buried in an alloy, such a failure and subsequent remedy will likely render the wheel scrap.

The wheel would not be scrap, I have used this man before, 100% removal success rate, no damage to alloys.
I was convinced I would be his first failure, gladly I wasn't, really knows his job.

Locking Wheel Nut Removal - thewheelnutman.co.uk

 

[John]

If ever work happens on either of our cars, I will spend a few minutes undoing and re-doing all non locking bolts up to the torque in the manual.

Then the locking bolts up to the recommended torque of those.

I have had a locking wheel bolt over-tightened on me in the past (which was sorted for free as you'd expect) but I do this to ensure no inconvenience.

It always seems freshly-fitted over-tightened bolts undo a lot easier than if they've been on the car a while too.

 

[GLK]

Errrm ...

 

[whitenemesis]

Ooo! That's buggered it ..

 

[John]

Impact wrench is your friend!

 

[GLK]

Ooo! That's buggered it ..

Overtightened courtesy of Tyres Northampton (never shall I go there ever again), new key kindly donated by Mercedes Northampton (in exchange for a small consideration of £35).
Torque wrench bought and used ever since - as mentioned above - I check and re-torque my wheels now, but when I replace OEM bolts (brand new winter alloys & tyres waiting for their turn to hit the potholes), I'm leaving the locking key in its pretty box ...

 

[Bellow]

The failures I had weren't of the 'key' part but the entire head snapping off. The 'key' part was entirely undamaged in each case. And as per before, never over torqued. It seems that over torquing will precipitate a 'key' failure and proper use will see them fail anyway - just in a different part of the bolt.