Locking wheel nuts

[Gollom]

Looking at Merc85's sterling post re his E55, he makes an interesting point where he says he has done away with his locking wheel nuts/bolts (did not want to hijack his thread!)

Are these really needed anymore (unless you have some really specialist/expensive wheels)? I know that back in the day when steel wheels were the norm, alloys became a big target. But nowadays? Discuss!​

 

[E53AMG]

You are still looking at over £1000 for a decent set of Mercedes AMG alloys, worth protecting to me...

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

 

[GeeJayW]

The 19" AMG wheels on our car are about £700 each, tyres about £200 each. So three grand to replace if someone decides to steal them.
19" AMG 14 Spoke wheels in 7X21 High Sheen with Titanium/Himalaya Grey - Alloy Wheels Direct (3885331)

Can't imagine that these would stay on the car long without locking wheel nuts. Though I guess I could always buy them back from an online auction site for a couple of grand eh?

 

[PobodY]

Where do you people live that you're getting wheels stolen all the time?

In all seriousness, I don't think that locking wheel nuts are needed, but they do give a certain peace of mind that it keeps honest people honest. - The reality is that if you want the wheels off, a locking wheel nut is not a huge obstacle; the advice on this forum is simply to hammer a socket on and apply torque, so a thief can do the same.

The little Nissan has been sitting on axle stands for over a year with OZ superturismo WRC rims on it, and they're still there (possibly thanks to locking wheel nuts). - OK WRC rims aren't Mercedes prices.

 

[Benzowner]

If someone has the time to jack the car up, they will certainly have the time to circumvent the locking wheel bolts.

 

[triple h]

reminds me of a story a mate once told me, he had an old ford escort mexico and a mate of his asked if he'd like a set of alloys for it

they agreed a price and the guy said, give me a few days and i'll bring them round

couple of days later he turns up with the wheels, they're about to unload them from the car when my mate asks why there's only 4 wheels

the guy says "i couldn't get the boot open!"

 

[Abb]

Like Gav, the first thing I do whenever I buy a new car, is remove the locking nuts if they are fitted. If the scumbags have come to nick your wheels, they will come with the correct tools. Locking nuts or nut, they will take your wheels if they want them.
You only have to look on the net to get advice on how to remove the locking wheel nuts if you dont have the correct 'key' for them, then watch the you tube videos if you still don't understand quite how to do it! Then off to ebay to buy any lock removal tools you mey need for a few quid!

 

[GeeJayW]

Well, if having locking wheel nuts on means the thief goes and nicks someone else's unsecured wheels... If they really want them and make the additional effort, then so be it. Having locking wheel nuts doesn't really cost me anything.

We went bowling a few years ago with a bunch of friends. Back out into the car park and we got into our cars, one friend thought his transmission was broken. Nope, car on bricks no wheels! Bit of a bugger to say the least.

Bottom line I guess is that if people want to steal from you, they will.

 

[clk320x]

Like Gav, the first thing I do whenever I buy a new car, is remove the locking nuts if they are fitted. If the scumbags have come to nick your wheels, they will come with the correct tools. Locking nuts or nut, they will take your wheels if they want them.
You only have to look on the net to get advice on how to remove the locking wheel nuts if you dont have the correct 'key' for them, then watch the you tube videos if you still don't understand quite how to do it! Then off to ebay to buy any lock removal tools you mey need for a few quid!

Completely agree Abb, they are more hassle than they are worth.

 

[clk320x]

Well, if having locking wheel nuts on means the thief goes and nicks someone else's unsecured wheels... If they really want them and make the additional effort, then so be it. Having locking wheel nuts doesn't really cost me anything.

We went bowling a few years ago with a bunch of friends. Back out into the car park and we got into our cars, one friend thought his transmission was broken. Nope, car on bricks no wheels! Bit of a bugger to say the least.

Bottom line I guess is that if people want to steal from you, they will.

This is very surprising, where was this bowling place? I thought alloy wheels don’t get stolen anymore..

 

[GeeJayW]

This is very surprising, where was this bowling place? I thought alloy wheels don’t get stolen anymore..

Yeah it was surprising! I think it must have been aliens!

 

[clk320x]

Yeah it was surprising! I think it must have been aliens!

Did you check eBay/gumtree to see if any similar alloys wheels were conveniently listed for sale after?

 

[GeeJayW]

Did you check eBay/gumtree to see if any similar alloys wheels were conveniently listed for sale after?

Don't know, they weren't my wheels...

 

[KennyN]

Probably easier to steal certain cars nowadays than what it would be just to blag the wheels.

I removed the locking bolts on mine as there would be more of a market for 20" Astra / 21" Audi alloys than a set of corroded diamond cut MB wheels.

Kenny

 

[Dippo]

Would it have an impact on your insurance cover if you removed standard manufacturer-installed anti-theft protection?

 

[dest]

For the amount of time it takes to put them on compared to a normal bolt, why would you not keep them on?!
This is a status my mate posted on facebook Saturday morning:

"To the thieving so and so that tried to steal my wheel off my Landrover I’m watching you. The locking wheel nut did its job. Four nuts loose locking wheel nut still tight !!!"

i simply cannot understand why you wouldn't want them on. Yes, of course they can be overcome, but the more deterants the better.
As you can see, they saved my mates wheels from disappearing

 

[alanjm99]

Thieves, can steal the car quite easily, as we have seen....why bother with just the wheels

 

[markjay]

I live in central London, and in the past 10 years I have seen 2 or 3 times a car resting on its hubs minus the wheels in a way that was clearly not what the owner intended... in all cases they were sporty BMWs or Audis (not sure now if it was actually M3/5 or RS3/4/6 etc).

So I think the risk is more imminent if the car is equipped with bling 19"-20" wheels and expensive rubber than if- like mine - your car is equipped with 205/55 R16 Dunlops on 7J 'alloy' rims.... given that the Dunlops cost £50 each new and the rims can be had for £80 each on eBay.

And, it would seem that if your car does fall into the former category, then no amount of locking wheel bolts will deter the determined thieves.

Said that, the only real downside of locking wheel bolts is when the visual impact is an issue. But as long as you keep the key in the car and tighten the bolts to the specified torque, locking wheel bolts should not present any maintenance issue compared to standard bolts.

On balance, I keep the locking wheel bolts on both my cars. It does not look out of place and there's really no other downside for me. But I agree that my run-of-mill wheels and tyres are unlikely to be stolen even if I replaced the locking wheel bolts with standard ones.

 

[Will]

Can’t really see the problem with having them - it’s an additional security measure. Yes there are ways of removing locking bolts but they exist for a reason - deters opportunist theft.

A set of AMG wheels and tyres can be several thousand ££££s new to replace.

If I was leaving the car somewhere for a while (eg airport) then I’d feel more comfortable with locking bolts.

Why chance it

 

[markjay]

Here's a story I heard from someone in the motor trade 20 years ago.

This dealer bought a Peugeot 205 in a trade auction. After the auction, the chap that handed him the car whispered in his ear that there's another 205 in the back that has alloy wheels and brand new tyres, and that he'll swap the wheels around for him for £50.

The buyer agreed, and indeed the car was presented with the shiny alloys instead of the original metal wheels.

Next morning the buyer found the car on bricks and all four wheels missing... and he was certain that it was the chap from the auction house, who had the dealer's address.