Anyone got a recommendation?
Bought a wheel bearing for the ML the other day, didn't expect fitting it to be dead easy but didn't expect to get stuck at such an early point as removing the wheel!
On my wheel bolt to 17mm hex adaptor some of the male security drive pattern has snapped off, so now I'm going to have to find another method of getting the security bolts out of all 4 wheels.
Haven't yet measured the security bolts outside head diameter (circular so nothing to grip to, will need a tool that hammers on and bites in), the other bolt heads are 17mm (hex) so without measuring would guess outside diameter will be 17mm..
I'd imagine there'll be tools on the market that are far better than others. Loads on Ebay but would rather not buy plastic/snap-off quality stuff!

You might find more luck approaching the dealer to get a replacement key - I know someone else recently was shopping around for them, and found out they were around £17 from the dealer, or more expensive elsewhere. Though being a merc you might be out of luck there. Is there a key number stamped onto it?

BrianH wrote:

You might find more luck approaching the dealer to get a replacement key - I know someone else recently was shopping around for them, and found out they were around £17 from the dealer, or more expensive elsewhere. Though being a merc you might be out of luck there. Is there a key number stamped onto it?

Infact just remembered it was a guy down the road from me with a Nissan - I found his key in the road a couple of weeks beforehand and returned it to him, but he managed to lose it again after that!

https://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/tools/sockets-accessories/laser-locking-wheel-nut-remover they have a tapered LH thread inside so the more grunt you put on it the tighter it grips. Laser also do a set of 4 different sizes but if you've only got the weedy little 17mm hex headed bolts not proper big buggers like we've got, I would think the Halfords set will do the job. I've also successfully used the largest socket out of a set of Irwin nut removers (these https://www.toolstation.com/shop/p63045) on a Peugeot wheel bolt with a missing wheel nut key

Its down to how much room you have around the bolt, and how deep it is sunk in , sometimes only the proper kit ( first one mentioned ) will fit

Thanks for replies, I'll check the adaptor for a number and look at tools in links this evening.

You might also be able to get it via the logbook and the local dealer - It might be an idea to ring them and see whats said if you can't find anything on the existing bolt.

Haven't even measured it yet, too busy working on customer cars.
I don't hold much hope regards the Merc dealers being much help, locking nuts will probably turn out to be aftermarket anyway. Maybe I'll contact them, or might just buy some removal tools as recommended above and buy some new wheel bolts.

Try to take a picture of the nut, there’s a few different socket keys on eBay, you might be lucky,

The only locking wheel nut numbers I've seen have been printed on a bit of card that came with the car new.

I had to order one for my old Focus. As you say, it was an aftermarket set of nuts - McGard in my case. They sent the number off to McGard who sent a new locking nut out for me. IIRC it was about £18 all in.

My girlfriends Corsa also had the number printed on a bit of card in a small plastic box that held the wheel nuts for the steel spare wheel.

Still not done anything about this, not had time! But not convinced it needs a wheel bearing now. Seems more like it needs a UJ joint on the prop to the front diff and a track rod end on the nearside (or inner track rod joint on OS). Haven't even checked if the inner track rod joints can be changed or if it'd be be a case of a new rack. Getting worse though.

Something to consider: Based on photos (and V5 proof): "from £30..."

https://www.lockingwheelnutkeys.co.uk/

Or specifically:

https://www.lockingwheelnutkeys.co.uk/product-page/land-rover-1

£40 is reasonable considering the alternatives (as seen on all the YouTube video nasties covering this !):

eg. (Just FF to 4.30)...... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyBHK2jjupg:

Now what was that saying about "cracking a nut with a sledge hammer " ?!

('Spoiler': He is simply just whacking a 19mm 12-star socket onto it.....
I do like the part where he says he 'wants to use it again' though)

Actually this is my favourite......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq77uKSMU6M

..... or just look at this link if you don't have the time to watch the video:

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/mcgard-locking-wheel-bolts-removal-drill-diy.html

Even longer..... even more painful to watch (Sorry):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-dr38wV7nA

Forgot to mention the "Hubitools LugDriller HU42025" in that last video is £400

• The moral to the tale is surely don't let anyone use an air-wrench near your wheels.....
  and always take off any locking nuts yourself, and grease those studs etc too !..

When I bought me dse, one of the nuts had been broken, right in the flange, PO had tried to get it out and failed miserably, I bought a 16mm staratt cutter, used masking tape around it to center it in the hole, took less than 5 minutes using battery driver, and I didn’t touch the wheel.
The problem is the wheel nut design, lets be honest, most cars come with alloys nowadays, so do we need locknuts?
Ok, some wheels are expensive, put a set on them, but nobody in there right mind is gonna pinch a set of standard alloys.

I have had standard alloys stolen Chris. and I had just fitted new ££ tyres; Never found out who it was (or if their minds were right either !) but I have always fitted locking nuts since...

-When I bought 2 replacements (FORD) I asked if they sold locking wheel nuts too; They didn't..... Might be something to do with wheels being £££ and locking nuts being £. Even standard alloys can be pricey of course. At maybe £1K/set new (plus tyres) locking nuts seem like a wise investment. Even wiser if we don't air-tool them on/off too !

I use lockers as I have put the spec tyres on (Pirelli Scorpion Zeros) and with the Stormer wheels, it would cost me around £900 a corner to replace!

And here was me thinking £90/corner a little excessive.... !

(After watching those videos with folks waving big hammers/chisels/ grinders/gas torches/air-tools/etc around near alloys I have become somewhat more biased...did manufacturers just invent alloys to rob us (even more) ?

I've seen a few cars on bricks in out of the way public car parks, owners not very happy when they return!
Can see why people enjoy having a vehicle that stands out (vehicle model / nice wheels / etc) but any vehicle that stands out will be the first to draw attention of thieves/vandals.. such concerns would detract from my enjoyment of a vehicle. I've seen people driving around supermarket car parks trying to find 2 empty spaces so they can park their expensive/special/sports car on the line between spaces (to leave space at each side of the car so nobody opens a door onto their car), caused me to wonder how much they were enjoying their car at that moment and if they'd be having a better time in a car they didn't worry so much about.

When I had 'really decent' cars I would locate myself way out in the corners of car parks too, but still (other) idiots still managed to park right next to me and 'ding' them.... but I found a solution to this with my clearly unwashed P38, which has been written (scratched) on, dinged many times (in my absence) and badly needs a wash; Accordingly people don't park near it... so perhaps they think me 'past caring' (and they may have a point) !

Public car park bays seem to be designed around the notion that we are all still driving around in Morris Minors...

Forgot to add the short version of the video nasty link I posted above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdRCfpwEHbM

Pretty sure you could easily cobble together a drill-centreing device/tube and use a standard left-hand stud extractor though....

My experience with stud extractors is that they are usually too hard so snap off leaving you with the remains of the extractor too. A drill centring device (or even just centre punch the centre and start the drilling carefully), a decent drill bit, a LH tap and a LH threaded bolt should do it.

OldShep56 wrote:

I use lockers as I have put the spec tyres on (Pirelli Scorpion Zeros) and with the Stormer wheels, it would cost me around £900 a corner to replace!

Yours I would put lock nuts, my khans were £2500 new with tyres, but if someone wants them there have them, wether lock nuts or not, they know if locknuts that the keys in the car somewhere, how many people take any notice of a car alarm going off, when my van got broken into and emptied, the alarm must of been going, but it was 100yrds up the road from me, the people whose house it was outside said they didn’t even hear it, ffs, this was on a busy road in London,,