Someone stole my wheel locks!

Yep, I can't believe it's 3 pages long.

 

...slow news day.

 

Slow down Sally, whoa.

Don't buy anything yet. You are missing one thing at the moment, not 4. You are missing, or need to find, the wheel lock key that fits onto the wheel locks. It is only an adapter that fits into the pattern on top of each lock, and the other end is the hexagonal nut shaped side that your lug wrench turns. It does not stay on the wheel lock, it's only to be used when tightening or removing the wheel locks.

 

Are you the original purchaser, or did you get it used?

When was the last time anyone changed or rotated the tires? They would've needed the lock key to do these.

Have you looked in the wheel well for a small metal cylindrical thing with a hex head on one side, but has a raised pattern that matches your wheel lock pattern on the other? It might be in your center console, your glove box, or an ashtray, etc.

Edit: It should look something like this: Mcgard Locking Wheel Lug Nut Key Patent No 4664000 | eBay But don't buy this particular item, it is probably not the pattern that you have, it's just an example of what you need to look for in your car.

 

If the picture you posted is of your wheel, in it's current state, then it definitely has wheel locks installed. In your picture, there are 4 regular lugnuts and 1 wheel lock. You either have the key somewhere in your car, or the dealer that last rotated your tires forgot to give it back to you.

 

Yes others just got the wrong impression from you’re first post. You just need the key that probably is somewhere in your car. You will need it when you (or somebody else) have to remove the wheel. xliderider posted good link of what it should look like (it's not going to be exactly the same).

Yes it almost feels like people’s were against me too even thought I was right all along.


Have you checked the hidden storage? How known is this "secret" center console compartment? | PriusChat

 

Let's try a summary!

1. Sally's photo in her first post is of her actual wheel.
2. The photo shows four regular lug nuts and one wheel lock.
3. Because the wheel lock doesn't look the same as the lug nuts, Sally thinks something is missing on each wheel.
and
4. She can't find the key for the wheel locks.

What she should do:

1. Accept that nothing is missing on the wheels.
2. Check with the last dealer that rotated the tires and tell them they lost her wheel lock key.
3. If they don't have it, get a replacement key that matches the pattern of the existing wheel locks.
or
4. Have someone remove the wheel locks and replace them with regular lug nuts.

 

When I take my cars in for service, I always tell the service advisor, "the wheel lock key is in the cup holder" because I leave the key there, along with the keyfob. Otherwise they would have to look all over the car to find the wheel lock key.

So, the fact that you never even knew you had wheel locks installed, and the dealer never called you to ask where your wheel lock key is, leads me to believe it's in a common place, like the center console storage area, or the glove box.

 

won't the dealer have a key when she takes it in for the next service?

 

one question, if the wheel looks different to her, did someone take the covers for the wheel locks, or the whole wheel cover that covers all the lug nuts?

 

sally, is it possible that you just never noticed before?

 

This, I've never heard of covers for the wheel locks.

That's one of the reasons I like the Gorilla wheel locks, because they look more like regular lugnuts.

 

Sally, if the dealer forgot to return your wheel lock key to you after the last service, then hopefully, they have a bin there with all the parts and stuff left by customers somewhere. Make sure you tell them they were the last ones that removed the locks and reinstalled them.

 

The picture's getting clearer. If the dealership is rotating your tires, for sure they've misplaced the locking nut. Hopefully they'll acknowledge that and resolve it.

There are ways to get the locking nuts off sans the special socket. Simplest: they get an old 12 point socket, that's a size that can JUST be jammed onto the nut, with a hammer.

Then connect to an impact driver and give it quick jolts. Pretty much chews it up, but it's toast anyway.

 

Doubt it highly....because the OP' say's....

Could buy that one cover falls off....randomly...can't buy that the locking lug nut cap on each tire all simultaneously fall off.

Looks like somebody was trying to steal the wheels and failed.

 

That only came out on cross examination.....and I'm still a hard sell on theft.
Why would somebody lift 4 locking lug nut covers and not leave them laying all around the car?
I'll buy a thief removing two or three, but I would think that they would see a pattern emerging before walking over to the fourth wheel and removing THAT cover just to confirm their hypothesis that all four wheels are equipped with locking lug nuts.

Perhaps a recent service visit???

All of this is academic.
Right now if something happens to one of the tires, the vehicle is going to be immobilized until a skid truck comes along or a replacement adapter is found.