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Broken locking wheel nuts....what to do!





So, as well as selling me a car with a bodged back box, a completely broken cat and therefore a not entirely legitimate MOT ceftificate, Ive now found out that the locking wheel nut bolts have been screwed in too tight and the nuts damaged so I cannot get the fecking wheels off to change the fecking tyres. The garage I bought the car from say that it is not their problem (like any of the other stuff that was wrong when I bought the car) and that they reckon they can charge me for 6 hours labour and a new set of nuts to get them sorted.

Where can I go to get the nuts off? Oh yes, do you think it is worth a complaint to trading standards about all the problems that they totally refuse to fix? Bear in mind Ive only had the car for 15 days.....!

Rhys
 
  320d M Sport


Deffo complain (the sooner the better).

Youre REALLY gonna struggle to get that out, my mate had the same thing and it needed drilling out!! With a new hub I think.... hopefully someone on here will know a trick....bet Slarty would have known..........

Paddy
 
  20VT Clio & 9-5 HOT


RHYS-

What nuts are they mate? You said you had a couple of sets, I take it they are different?

If I sent you a SAE would you be able to send me one. I have no car access today. Wouldnt have minded a look at your willy...ooo er! :oops:
 
  Abarth Grande Punto


what i normally do is smack the sh*t out of something! That makes me feel better for about 5 minutes!! ;)
 


Rhys..... this happened to my mate Johns Scooby, he lost his locking wheel nut tool thingy.

First off I would try whacking in a normal socket with a hammer and see if it wedges, then get turning..... Failing that try and weld something to the nut so you can get some leverage.

Failing that, and the worst case scenario is drill time! We made a right mess of Johns Scooby alloy with the drill, but it got the wheel off in the end and did the job. But you dont want to be doing that as you will have to get some more wheels then if you want to have them looking good.

Saw you last Saturday on the parkway heading out of Sheffield I think..... Car needed a clean ;) LOL

YES it is defenantally worth a shot with the trading standards! You have nothing to loose. Think it would be quite easy to proove that the Backbox and CAT problems havent manifested themselvs in the last 15 days.... go for it!
 

Tom

ClioSport Club Member
  EV (s)


Ok bit silly (maybe) this but can you mig a nut on to the existing wheel nut and then spanner it off?
 
  clio 20v


the pins had bent on my locking nut key and the key would not grip onto the lockin nut just started makin a mess of it

i parked my van nxt to it and put a jack across from the wheel of me van to hold the wheel brace in place then wacked it down with the hammer and they came off in the end
 


Rhys

When I bought my old RSi the locking nut on one of the wheels was shagged and wouldnt budge - I ended up drilling it out (great)... All I can say is, if you take your time and work from a tiny pilot hole in the dead centre of the nut, then you shouldnt have any problems... Just keep slowly increasing the size of the drill bit, using lots of cutting fluid and loads of patience!!! Once you get rid of the head of the bolt, the wheel will just drop off the hub (hopefully) and then you can get a better grip of the knackered bolt, possibly just use mole grips or maybe weld something onto it... Alternatively take a blow torch to the f**ker and wang the sh*t out of it with a hammer while its hot!!!:mad:

Good luck mate!
 

GR7

  Shiny red R32


Is there such a thing as an electric spanner type thing which would whizz off the nuts?

Are you keeping the wheels on the ground whilst trying to loosen the nuts, to aid the levering?
 
  ICE'dberg MK2 172


Just had to have mine drilled off today...£35!! and a knacked alloy. I was pleased they got it off as the garage that had been trying to get it off before....for 2 days!!...said I would need to replace the alloy and disc and hub :( due to being hardened metal used in the bolts. Tried many garages but they wouldnt touch it. Had a quote from one for £150!!.

I think youll have to find someone who is prepared to do it and be prepared for the worse.
 

GR7

  Shiny red R32


Quote: Originally posted by rhys172 on 08 February 2003


So, as well as selling me a car with a bodged back box, a completely broken cat and therefore a not entirely legitimate MOT ceftificate, Ive now found out that the locking wheel nut bolts have been screwed in too tight and the nuts damaged so I cannot get the fecking wheels off to change the fecking tyres. The garage I bought the car from say that it is not their problem (like any of the other stuff that was wrong when I bought the car) and that they reckon they can charge me for 6 hours labour and a new set of nuts to get them sorted.

Where can I go to get the nuts off? Oh yes, do you think it is worth a complaint to trading standards about all the problems that they totally refuse to fix? Bear in mind Ive only had the car for 15 days.....!

Rhys





Rhys, I have just spoken to our decent garage owning friend who is in our house at the moment, and he says that YOU MUST RETURN THE CAR TO THE GARAGE WHERE YOU BOUGHT IT, if they have jammed the nuts on.

In his case, prior to selling a car, he always does a brand new MOT on it and services it, and part of what he does in every service, which main dealers dont do, is to REMOVE ALL OF THE WHEELS TO CHECK THE CONDITION OF BRAKES ETC ETC and as he said, how can a garage sell you a car only 15 days ago, which the nuts wont undo. They should not be so tight as to not move, whether that garage tightened them like this or not. They should be able to be undone, so that you can change a wheel yourself if a puncture occurs whilst you are away from home.

He says that if you have had that car for only 15 days, and with several problems,YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY RETURN IT TO THEM WITH A LIST OF THINGS WHICH NEED TO BE PUT RIGHT, AND THAT INCLUDES THE WHEEL NUTS, AND TELL THEM THAT YOU WILL COLLECT IT WHEN IT HAS BEEN SORTED.

You should have a warranty for at least three months on a used car and if there are things wrong with it, which would cause it to fail an MOT, you should tell the garage that you will contact the Trading Standards and see what they have to say. An MOT should only be issued if it has passed a thorough test. A garage can lose its licence if it is passing unroadworthy cars.

He says that you could try a little bit of heat (not excessive) on each of the nuts, which might ease them, but if it is going to take six hours, it probably means that they are completely knackered and need the hubs etc sorting.

Just keep persevering and dont back down Rhys.
 
  clio williams, Ph1 172


did they not give you a warranty? If not youve probably signed something saying in the small print that you have bought an unroadworthy car. Used to cover themselves. Then youll have no chance
 


Cheers all. This isnt looking very hopeful at all. I can see the guy really digging his heels in about this. I suppose I should tell him that if he doesnt get the wheels sorted I will go to trading standards about the cat and exhaust.

He has basically accused me of being the one to knacker the bolts, which is total crap. This is the first time that I have tried to get the wheels off and they wont come off. Way I see it is that he has sold me a faulty car. Aaaargh! Pissed off now :(

Rhys
 


Just a thought.....Im buying the car of finance. Technically, the finance company have bought the car from the dealer and I am buying it off them, which makes them jointly liable. Maybe it is worth complaining to them instead of the feckwit dealer...???

Rhys
 


use a chisel, i had this issue on my valver, make a indent with the chisel, then slowly start hitting it to rotate the nut! works everytime

G
 
  2012 WRX Waggon


If we have dodgy fastners at work I have seen the engineers use stud extractors - U drill the centre,screw in the stud extractor, its like a counterclockwise tightening tap, u just keep screwing it in till it bites, then hopefully unfastens your bolt.
 
  clio 20v


i thought of that but if there really tight a stud extractor would just wreck the nut before it unscrewed it

best bet is too drill it as long as your careful it shouldnt be too much hassle u just need to weaken it so u can snap the head off

i would be wary about takin it to a garage as there more likely to be ham fisted and wreck your rim
 
  clio williams, Ph1 172


What sort of lockin nuts are they? My mate had them tri lock things and one of the pins fell off the key. So I pushed against the bar while he turned it. Was a right hassle but we managed it in the end. I pushed it with my foot so it was being pushed on hard.

Had to do the same on my last car as one was over tightened. I guess it depends how bad the locker is damaged and what type they are.
 

GR7

  Shiny red R32


Just realised that it is only the locking nuts which are jammed. I thought it was ALL OF THE NUTS!!
 


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