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Broken Wheel Lock

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by plasm, Dec 31, 2005.

  1. plasm

    plasm New Member

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    I had a set of TripleTreds installed on my '05 today, and the installer broke one of the alloy wheel locks and the key itself when tightening it using the air (pneumatic?) torque wrench. I thought they're not supposed to use the pneumatic wrench on the wheel locks... Anyway, they said to get another set from the Toyota dealership and they'd replace them and reimburse me for the new locks.

    They had two locks on when they broke the key. The third lock is broken, but stuck on the wheel, and the fourth wheel is missing a lug nut because they "didn't have a regular nut of the right size" to replace the lock. The guy at the shop said I could drive to California and back and not notice the difference, but I'm curious, do you guys think it's safe to be driving around with a missing lug nut (and a broken lock that might be loose)?

    Thanks guys!
     
    #1 plasm, Dec 31, 2005
  2. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    short term you'll be okay. if it makes you feel better, drive it more nicely than usual.

    in general, techs hate dealing with locking lugs- and depending on where you went and the experience level of the guy who changed your tires i think he might not have had any idea. course, he could have just been lazy too. i'd consider just getting a set of regular lugs if only to avoid a repeat of this situation.
     
    #2 galaxee, Dec 31, 2005
  3. Bill Merchant

    Bill Merchant absit invidia

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    I don't think I'd drive from MA to CA, but until Tuesday you should be OK. You still have 4/5 of the lugs on two wheels. But don't drive like a maniac. Take it easy for the holiday.

    And ask the installer to use a torque wrench, not an air wrench.
     
    #3 Bill Merchant, Dec 31, 2005
  4. popoff

    popoff New Member

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    It's my understanding that torquing the lug bolts to the proper torque is very important. If they aren't torqued properly to mfr's specs, the rotors may warp very quickly. It's also suggested to retorque them after a couple of hundred miles.
     
    #4 popoff, Dec 31, 2005
  5. roach52osu

    roach52osu New Member

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    Quite annoying, nice that they are paying for replacement but seems they wasted your time and peace of mind as well... I know when I have gone to discount tire they use an air wrench to get them on then pull out a torque wrench to tighten each nut.
     
    #5 roach52osu, Dec 31, 2005
  6. plasm

    plasm New Member

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    Thanks for your responses! How effective are the alloy wheel locks at deterring theft anyway? Should I not bother and just get the regular lug nuts?
     
    #6 plasm, Jan 1, 2006
  7. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    you really don't want to know how easy they are to remove with out the key. I won't tell you how to do it on an open fourm like this, but just let me say locks only keep honest people honest.
     
    #7 Frank Hudon, Jan 1, 2006
  8. priusenvy

    priusenvy Senior Member

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    If you just have the stock wheels, I wouldn't be concerned at all about theft. They just aren't worth that much. If they're at risk for theft, then the entire car is at risk to be taken and stripped. I'd be more worried about the steering wheel and airbag, and perhaps the seats being stolen, than the stock wheels.

    The wheel lock removal tools I've seen look like a socket, where the inside looks like the reverse of a screw extractor. You hammer it onto the lock, and then as you turn it counter-clockwise, it either turns the lock, or locks itself tighter onto the lock (allowing you to eventually turn the lock). So yeah, as the previous poster wrote, wheel locks only deter the most casual of thieves.
     
    #8 priusenvy, Jan 1, 2006
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