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[portomega]

Got stopped by our local friendly traffic officers this morning and they kindly pointed out one of my tyres was right on the limit so got up early today to get it done at local tyre place but......my locking wheel nut key is so badly worn down that it wont undo the nut , now the garage cant get the wheel off and said only thing i can do it get a new key from Vauxhall, BUT when i rung Vaux they said it would be at least 2 weeks!!!! for a new key, is there any way i can get this dam locking nut off without destroying the wheel :-?

[rob in gib]

Take it to another garage as most good garages carry tools that can remove the locking wheel bolts easily

I would recommend you buy a new set of lockers and take with you then they can replace them all so no problems in future HTH

[razzo]

you could try your luck & see if anyone on here has the same key & code & borrow theirs

[portomega]

i took it to ATS and the guy said he could get it off but would ruin my alloy  most other tyre places around here are closed now due to New years eve, and i got work at 4pm, i guess i'll just have to risk it and drive to work hoping the same officers have the day off today lol
Is it just my bad luck or are vauxhalls unlocking nuts total and nutter shite?! i had probelms with them on my last omega and my 2 vectras!!

[Andy B]

Got stopped by our local friendly traffic officers this morning and they kindly pointed out one of my tyres was right on the limit so got up early today to get it done at local tyre place but......my locking wheel nut key is so badly worn down that it wont undo the nut , now the garage cant get the wheel off and said only thing i can do it get a new key from Vauxhall, BUT when i rung Vaux they said it would be at least 2 weeks!!!! for a new key, is there any way i can get this dam locking nut off without destroying the wheel :-?

Vauxhall will require the code for the wheel bolts, is it still in the case? :-/
Most decent tyre firms/garges should have a set of these .....
click here and a windy gun to use it.
Are your wheel bolts the type with 3 holes? They don't last long at the hands of tyre fitters & their windy guns. The later 'cake cutter' type are better & aren't too expensive from Vauxhall. 

[portomega]

yeah still got the codes, but to be honest im just going to remove the locking nuts and put the regular nuts back on, been may years since ive seen a car up on bricks with the wheels removed lol so not sure the locking nuts are needed 
oh and its the "cake cutter" type, its all blunt and mangled so pretty much FUBAR

[Bionic]

Sorry to hear of the problem but the fact is that this type of damage is inevitable with the shite design of the locknuts. Even with great care you just cannot keep the thing in line while you exert the force to undo and tighten them. Everytime you do it they wear that little bit more. Air guns are another no no cos they damage them too. The old method of 'by hand' and the use of a torque wrench for tightening is the best, and only way. The difficult part about using the usual 'special removal tool' used by tyre fitters is that it will not fit inside the high tensile hardened anti-tamper collar that is integral with the VX lockstuds. I know that because I bought a set of them!!!!!  Neither can you chisel these off to gain access.
Probably purpose built that way to maximise the VX profit margins..............
Don't use lockstuds anymore on mine cos as you point out - the old 'up an bricks' is a very rare sight now and they are an odd ball size anyway so don't fit much else.

[tunnie]

Got stopped by our local friendly traffic officers this morning and they kindly pointed out one of my tyres was right on the limit so got up early today to get it done at local tyre place but......my locking wheel nut key is so badly worn down that it wont undo the nut , now the garage cant get the wheel off and said only thing i can do it get a new key from Vauxhall, BUT when i rung Vaux they said it would be at least 2 weeks!!!! for a new key, is there any way i can get this dam locking nut off without destroying the wheel :-?

Vauxhall will require the code for the wheel bolts, is it still in the case? :-/
Most decent tyre firms/garges should have a set of these .....
click here and a windy gun to use it.
Are your wheel bolts the type with 3 holes? They don't last long at the hands of tyre fitters & their windy guns. The later 'cake cutter' type are better & aren't too expensive from Vauxhall. 

Portomega - I'd be interested to know how you get on if you get the sockets on link shown, not too sure how good they would be as facelift alloy locking nuts have spinners to prevent such sockets being used 

[TheBoy]

All Vauxhall locking wheelbolts are appalling bad. Hence mine are in a landfill somewhere.

For replacement, see what pattern ones are about.

[Andy B]

..... as facelift alloy locking nuts have spinners to prevent such sockets being used 

So do the old style 3 pin bolts, it's just not as substantial as that on the cake cutter type.

[bp_porcaro]

I had the same problem on a Mondeo, where the unlock socket was lost.

I measured the outside diameter of the nut and selected an old socket that was just slightly undersize (may need imperial socket) then smacked it onto the nut with a small lump hammer.

It just had enough grip to enable undoing the nut.  Both the nut and socket are then scrap, but it got the bugger off.

I had to do this on all four wheels 

[TheBoy]

I had the same problem on a Mondeo, where the unlock socket was lost.

I measured the outside diameter of the nut and selected an old socket that was just slightly undersize (may need imperial socket) then smacked it onto the nut with a small lump hammer.

It just had enough grip to enable undoing the nut.  Both the nut and socket are then scrap, but it got the bugger off.

I had to do this on all four wheels 

most locking wheelnets have spinners to stop the socket trick

[portomega]

Took it to a local independant tyre place and they basically got a piece of steel pipe, hammered the "cake cutter"  part of the unlocking tool until it was sort of back into shape, then hammer it onto the nut, and with alot of effort and 3 people pushing and pulling got the nut off  of course the tool is now totally FUBAR luckily my other 3 tyres are new so i got time ( if i dont get a puncutre in the next week or two) to buy a new unlocking kit from Vaux, but once they are off they shall be making a new years trip to the rubbish dump

[dbr]

a mate took his  07 vectra to nat tyres and the key gave way. they offered to pay for it!  why bother with locking nuts unless you have a problem in your area.
d

[Broomies Mate]

I'll always use locking wheel bolts.  I dont scrimp when it comes to tyres, and whilst the wheels aren't worth a great deal, the tyres are worth more than the car.

Simple solution to this problem is to NOT ALLOW tyre places to get their grubby hand on the Locking wheel bolts.  Just ask them for their torque wrench and remove/replace them yourself.

The amount of times I've bollocked some scrote for smashing the wheelbolts in with an AirGun (not even winding the first couple of threads with the socket).

Consider it a lesson learned, and do the important bit yourself.


drb..... These thieves dont sh1t on their own doorstep.... they move into the nicer areas of town.  Probably because the better areas have better wheels to pilfer.