Locking wheel nut/key replacement

[dk1234]

Hi,

I went to get a valve change an a local tyre place as Audi wanted £40 and my locking wheel nut key ended up broken, with most of it inside the nut. How much am I looking for a replacement key/nut? Can I get these? should anybody have responsibility for this or is this one of those things that happens?

What happened...

The guy who was doing the job first asked a few questions about am I sure there's a problem with the valve, etc. Then he jacked up the car and tried the drill, then he asked me go in the car and put my foot on the brake pedal, I think he used the drill again, then he used the big extended nut spanner. They didn't work so he started hammering it. I asked what thats all about and he said 'has somebody recently put them on? they've done them too tight'. then he said that the locking nut has broken and that it was already cracked and that's why he was asking me if somebody had recently put them on/taken them off. As far as I know, no. I don't think audi would have taken them off for an health check. I think they then went through smaller size nuts for about 15 minutes to get it off. The main guy said get a key from Audi and go back to them. The guy who broke it said get some locking nuts from Halfords.

 

[T8DPR]

why did you need your foot on the brake? was it the front wheel? he shouldn't have took it up off the ground before trying to loosen the nuts, and I really don't think he should have been using the drill to remove them either.

Even if the nuts are a little "too tight" his extended handle should have been enough to undo them. He's doing what he can to shift blame but it seems to me its his fault its broke

 

[dk1234]

I wasn't sure why I needed by foot on the brake, I've never been asked that before when getting a tyre taken off. Yes it was the front Near Side/Passenger side wheel.

I guess at a minimum I need one replacement 'locking nut' and a 'nut locking key'. Will Audi do that, and is it likely to be expensive? I don't know it I have any recourse from this tyre place or not?

 

[ab1702]

Yes Audi do them, they aren't cheap and you get 1 locking nut and the matching bolt for it.
The place you've been to have probably messed it up though.
I personally did the same, I tried removing a wheel and the bolts were that tight that I messed up the locking nut. Off I went to Audi and got another so then I took it to a tyre place. He said they never use an air gun, when he couldn't move it he kept the locking nut on and whacked it with a little lump hammer a few times and then tried it again with the extended bar and sure enough it came out. The hammer shocks the bolt so it loosens it a little so it kind of breaks the grip of the bolt slightly. They never charged me for doing it either

 

[SootySport]

Audi can only supply the oe locking nuts. If you have aftermarket locking wheelnuts your stuffed.

Only way to resolve is a good tyre/wheel dealer will have a specialist removal kit (basically an impact driver with sacrificial brass inserts that mould themselves to any pattern keyed wheelnut. Going rate for this job is £40 for all 4 wheels to be removed.

 

[Ike]

i had to use one of these before for a lost locking wheel nut key - http://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/tools/sockets-accessories/laser-locking-wheel-nut-remover

of course you'll then need a new set of locking wheel nuts.