Wheels and Tires

Key for wheel bolt locks broke

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  • May 8th, 2022 9:23 am
Member
Oct 12, 2005
422 posts
244 upvotes
Markham, ON

Key for wheel bolt locks broke

On Saturday when I was changing tires myself, the key for the wheel bolt lock broke off after successfully swapping out one wheel.

See pic here

Over the years, I use a torque wrench to properly secure the bolts at 90 ft-lbs as recommended. The electric impact wrench I was using was not able to remove the bolt with the key, and somehow, the pattern on the key broke and it's now stuck on the locking bolt. The bolt itself, AFAIK, is still fastened to the wheel.

As far as I can remember, the locking bolts are circular in shape and have spinning tops, so chiseling one side of the bolt and using a slightly larger socket to try to remove it probably won't work as some of the YouTube videos suggested.

So now, I have one summer tire (right front), and the other three are still winter tires. Luckily it's not too warm right now. Would anyone be able to tell me what can be done to fix this?
13 replies
Deal Addict
May 23, 2009
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Mississauga
See sticky thread at the top of the forum
easy-way-remove-tires-wheel-locks-without-key-2519970/

About 4 years ago I used a similar method to remove 4 Mazda wheel locks. The only diffence is I bought 4 cheap sockets from princess auto and hammered them tight on the wheel lock. So 1 socket for each lock.
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Mar 1, 2005
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Toronto
If you don't want to damage anything, get a pick to get the old key pattern out and order a new key.

Next time use a breaker bar instead of power tools for the locks and take all the locks out first or better yet throw out those lock bolts and just use regular ones.
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Nov 7, 2016
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Ontario
You should never use an impact to remove wheel locks, always by hand.
Deal Guru
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Mar 13, 2004
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Ontario
When you get it off replace it with regular bolts so you wont have this issue again. Over time they will wear down and get stuck & if somebody wants to take your wheels that wheel lock is not going to stop them
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Jun 12, 2007
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London
chrishch wrote: On Saturday when I was changing tires ....
As far as I can remember, the locking bolts are circular in shape and have spinning tops, so chiseling one side of the bolt and using a slightly larger socket to try to remove it probably won't work as some of the YouTube videos suggested..... Would anyone be able to tell me what can be done to fix this?
A. Order another key. it's fairly fast turn around. DO NOT use an impact gun on those keys
or
B. Go to a BMW speciality repair shop that has a AGA wheel lock removal tool

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Sep 23, 2008
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Scarborough
chrishch wrote: On Saturday when I was changing tires myself, the key for the wheel bolt lock broke off after successfully swapping out one wheel.

See pic here

Over the years, I use a torque wrench to properly secure the bolts at 90 ft-lbs as recommended. The electric impact wrench I was using was not able to remove the bolt with the key, and somehow, the pattern on the key broke and it's now stuck on the locking bolt. The bolt itself, AFAIK, is still fastened to the wheel.

As far as I can remember, the locking bolts are circular in shape and have spinning tops, so chiseling one side of the bolt and using a slightly larger socket to try to remove it probably won't work as some of the YouTube videos suggested.

So now, I have one summer tire (right front), and the other three are still winter tires. Luckily it's not too warm right now. Would anyone be able to tell me what can be done to fix this?
Same thing happened to me with my BMW wheels. I had a mobile tire guy change my rims when I had a flat at work and it broke off while he was using a torque wrench. Luckily he was able to remove rest of the wheel locks. I ended up having him remove all the wheel locks and ordered regular lug nuts off of Amazon.
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Member
Oct 12, 2005
422 posts
244 upvotes
Markham, ON
After checking with multiple tire shops as well as a few mechanics, nobody was willing to even try to fix it for me. They either claim to be too busy or all say they will cause so much damage to the rim that they can't even guarantee that I will be able to drive away.

Then I went to the dealership to get a replacement key, as I have to get one anyway. I showed the guy there and he said I should be able to get something sharp and try to remove it, which was my original idea as I saw the broken part that was stuck has a potentially weak point. I went to Home Depot and asked if they have a chisel for metal, and not for wood. They recommended a cold chisel. I bought the smallest one. Since the broken key was not completely flush on the lug nut, I was able to slowly chip away the broken key and I was able to get it out.

Pic with the broken key out

Whew. No major damage against my rim or my wallet.
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Mar 9, 2007
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Think of the Childre…
Lesson learned, stay away from wheel locks. Worthless!

WOULD SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!
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Sep 7, 2004
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Cheapo-Findo wrote: Lesson learned, stay away from wheel locks. Worthless!
Yes.
I was in the market looking for the same type of wheel lugnut lock.
I decided not to buy it because I was afraid I'd lose the key.

I went with another wheel lugnut setup, where 1 of them was a special lugnut in the set (no key).
😎
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Oct 13, 2008
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Durham
I always remove the wheel lugnut lock using a regular socket and breaker bar (or ratchet with an extension) ... NEVER with an impact wrench

when putting it on ... hand screw firm and then tighten in air ....

once lowered to the ground ... torque the 4 regular lugnuts at 86 ft-lbs to 90 ft-lbs ...and the lugnut lock at 50 ft-lbs

re-torque after about 50km driving ...
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Sep 3, 2020
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Ontario
jdmfishingonly wrote: I always remove the wheel lugnut lock using a regular socket and breaker bar (or ratchet with an extension) ... NEVER with an impact wrench

when putting it on ... hand screw firm and then tighten in air ....

once lowered to the ground ... torque the 4 regular lugnuts at 86 ft-lbs to 90 ft-lbs ...and the lugnut lock at 50 ft-lbs

re-torque after about 50km driving ...
I have torque envy. :)

Our Sienna says 76 ft-lbs.

Why 50 ft-lbs for lugnut lock?

Not saying wrong however the package that our locks came in say to torque at 76 ft-lbs.
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Mar 23, 2004
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Just another reason to drop in the bucket of "why wheel locks belong in the garbage", lol.
Cheapo-Findo wrote: Lesson learned, stay away from wheel locks. Worthless!
Webhead wrote: Yes.
I was in the market looking for the same type of wheel lugnut lock.
I decided not to buy it because I was afraid I'd lose the key.

I went with another wheel lugnut setup, where 1 of them was a special lugnut in the set (no key).
Yep. Wheel "locks" are just a relic from the 90s. Almost nobody steals wheels in this day and age and if you have some super expensive wheels that a certain theif might have their eye on, all those type of thieves know how to get wheel locks off easily anyway.

All "lock" lugs do is stop the vehicle owner from getting their own wheels off when they either lose or break the key. Even in the 90s they still hampered more than they helped anything. It's hard to believe these would even be sold any more but these days it's just some lame profit centre for stealers to sell to people when a car is new, to tack on like $200+ to the purchase price, for a $40 set of "lock" lugs :rolleyes:

Anyway I imagine OP would have gotten off by now but hopefully once you get these off, you put them in the garbage where they belong and replaced with standard lugs.
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Feb 17, 2012
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ORLEANS
I removed the wheels lock ever since I do my own swaps. Waste of time removing and installing wheel locks.

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