Lost my wheel nut key :-(

[gerrymoore]

Stupidly, I removed a front wheel the other week, put it back on and drove off with the lock key still attached..bye bye lock key.

So, I rang BMW and they said, according to the records my lock was a number 47, and they ordered it from Germany. Went to collect it yesterday and it didn't fit. We tried all the keys he had in stock..about 26...none of them fitted. He's now ordered all the keys missing from stock but it could take a couple of weeks...meanwhile I need to get my wheels off.

I was lying awake thinking..if I got a socket that was a fairly tight fit on the circular outer of the bolt and filled the socket about a third full of lead..then put it over the bolt and gave it a good hammer blow..would the lead go into the 'groove' and allow me to undo the bolt..I know it's not too tight as I only used my normal ratchet bar to tighten it....or any other ideas??

 

[Johnseat]

Local tyre garage will have a kit to smack over the bolt which embeds in the Grove and twists it out.
May charge you £20 for the honour but zero damage to your rim.

 

[ajlelectronics]

I had success using my Irwin nut removal tools. Even the type with the spinning sleeve, once chiselled off. Laser etc do a set of two similar sockets but pricey.

Do away with the locking nuts then, who nicks alloys any more? All they do is to cause grief like this. ;-)

 

[123hotchef]

or weld a nut onto the stud a m10 should fit fill the centre with weld

 

[julianf]

I think lead will be too soft - it will just sheer away.

 

[normspanners]

Gerry I have the external wheel nut 'easyouts' for removing the nuts it makes a slight mark one the outside of the nut but the locker is still usable

 

[julianf]

or weld a nut onto the stud a m10 should fit fill the centre with weld

Im sure this would work, so long as the heat did not damage anything else along the way.

 

[julianf]

Not wanting to entirely hijack this thread, but it seem a sensible place to ask...

Anyone got these off -

I dont even know how they work - the whole thing spins freely.

 

[gerrymoore]

Thanks for the info and advice guys...Norm will your tool work with these as they are completely round 'nuts' ?

 

[normspanners]

yep thats what they are for

 

[gerrymoore]

Sounds good...pm will be sent

 

[Gareth J]

I got a set out for a mate a few months back. Not quite so recessed as yours though. Found some really big nuts with an inside diameter much the same as the locking nut head. Turned the bulk of the nut away in the lathe to leave a thin walled sleeve that would slip in the recess but with a big enough hole to weld inside. The remainder of the nut on the outside gave something decent to grab hold of.

You could do similar with thinish tube but may need to weld something else onto the end after you've attached it to the nut to grab hold of.

 

[anto44]

Try your local tyre places. There's spurious kits available that come with a full set of keys. I have the full set for audi/vw. Most big tyre places will have them or if there's any independent bmw specialists close to you they will probably have a set

 

[Wendelspanswick]

There is a guy on eBay who will match a key for you from a decent photograph. My Son used him recently after buying an Astra with no wheel nut key. It wasn't that expensive from memory either.

 

[octo0072000]

Not wanting to entirely hijack this thread, but it seem a sensible place to ask...

Anyone got these off -

I dont even know how they work - the whole thing spins freely.

put key in slot and it should just pull off no key just hammer a screwdriver into it it's only a cover over the nut

 

[julianf]

we've had the car about 4 yrs, driving round with a spare on the back - partner gets a flat, and its only then that we find that the ignition key wont even go into the lock hole, by more than about 8mm.

the one we have is very similar to the one in the photo, but seems to have a circlip between the center keyhole "disc" and the outer. i wondered if taking out the circlip would get me any further, but i can think its that easy...

 

[taxi ray]

I removed a similar locking nut from my wifes A class, I just hammered on a socket, 18mm I think and then I was able to use a bar to remove the nut.
I then replaced the locking nuts with normal wheel bolts.

 

[gerrymoore]

Hi Wendle..I sent that guy a photo about 3 weeks ago but he never answered me..he was charging £25 but BMW only charge £20 ??

 

[V6BOY]

Any tips for removing the spinning collar on the outside?

 

[ajlelectronics]

The spinning collar is very thin. An old 1/4" wood chisel fits allowing it to be cut down its length. Two cuts, remove the debris and away you go.