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defender4

Member Since: 22 Jun 2011
Location: South East London
Posts: 411

2007 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Java Black

Locking wheels nuts/bolts - more trouble than they're worth?

Took her Mini in for its first MoT. It fails - there's a cut on the inside of the offside rear tyre. Pop into Slow Fit for a replacement and after 40 minutes hanging around I'm told that the locking wheel nut is on 'very tight, it might get stripped', I say 'please try' it (very bad move). Not only do they strip the inside 'key' element off the adaptor but the stripped off metal is left inside the locking wheel bolt on the wheel meaning that even if I get another adaptor it won't go on the wheel bolt. (Incidentally, another adaptor is £26.50 and takes a week to come from Germany)

It proves impossible to clear the metal out of the wheel bolt and I'm recommended to get the bolt drilled out at the main agent. Thinking this could prove expensive, and that I don't ever want to go through all this again, I buy four standard wheel bolts, and get main agent to replace the three remaining lockers (FOC). I then go to my local (unbranded) guys who gently (well, maybe not) take a hammer and chisel to the stuck locking wheel bolt and replace it with a standard wheel bolt.

They're not even alloys on the Mini, just the bottom of the range wheels, why fit locking wheel bolts for crying out loud ?
The adaptor is made of two different metals so that they can fit different 'keys' in a standard adaptor, no wonder they strip.

Moral: don't let Slow Fit or anyone else near a tight locking wheel bolt with an air gun.

29th Mar 2012 6:40pm

MartinK

Member Since: 02 Mar 2011
Location: Silverdale (Lancashire/Cumbria Border)
Posts: 2665

2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 USW Orkney Grey

Similar thing on MrsK's old MGTF.

I accidentally removed the locking wheelnut key with other things when tidying the boot to head off for the weekend to Skye. Got a puncture outside the Stein Inn.

The local tyre repairer ended up welding a bar onto the locking wheelnut "bolt" and taking it off that way.

Wifey wasn't too impressed

I replaced the locking nut with an ordinary non-locking one.

On the Defender I now carry a 2nd "backup" (one in my toolbox, one in the battery box) locking wheelnut key, after I broke one on my last Discovery2....

Daft think is, some local NEDS seem able to get the wheels off in 5 mins with no wheelnut key at all

Defender "Puma" 2.4 110 County Utility (possibly the last of the 2.4's)

Last edited by MartinK on 30th Mar 2012 7:51am. Edited 1 time in total

30th Mar 2012 6:27am

ken

Member Since: 18 Aug 2009
Location: Banging Birds with my bitches !!
Posts: 4328

There are other ways to remove the locker

Not for public issue

Mini / BMW lockers are

I Have one or to of them on my fleet

30th Mar 2012 6:32am

BigMike

Member Since: 13 Jul 2010
Location: Lancashire
Posts: 2253

More trouble than they're worth. If someone wants to nick your wheels, a locking nut can be take off in seconds anyway, and if you're on a trip and have a problem with one, it can turn into a nightmare. Easier and safer just to dispense with them, imo

30th Mar 2012 6:42am

Dave-H

Member Since: 08 Feb 2011
Location: Surrey
Posts: 1507

2007 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 HT Tonga Green

BigMike wrote:
More trouble than they're worth. If someone wants to nick your wheels, a locking nut can be take off in seconds anyway,

Yep, we have a locking wheelnut removal kit at work ........ can shift any locking wheel nut as quick as undoing a standard nut ... kit is readily available for sale too

Guns and Landrovers .... anything else is irrelevant.

30th Mar 2012 9:36am

ken

Member Since: 18 Aug 2009
Location: Banging Birds with my bitches !!
Posts: 4328

Dont even need a kit

30th Mar 2012 10:36am

Grockle

Member Since: 24 Nov 2008
Location: Peak District National Park
Posts: 2266

2008 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Tonga Green

no locking wheel nut invalidates your insurance cover on them 2.4 90 XS
1968 1/32 scale Britains 109 Pick up.

30th Mar 2012 11:06am

BigMike

Member Since: 13 Jul 2010
Location: Lancashire
Posts: 2253

And how exactly would they know?

30th Mar 2012 11:20am

iruffell

Member Since: 03 Sep 2010
Location: Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Posts: 343

2009 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Zambezi Silver

A local garage a few years ago managed to strip the locking key on my 90 TD5 and then tried to charge me about £90 for a new set of nuts and key, as you can imagine I was none too impressed and refused to pay for them and have never been back since.

30th Mar 2012 1:27pm

Retroanaconda

Member Since: 04 Jan 2012
Location: Scotland
Posts: 2642

When I bought my 110 it came with the standard LR locking wheel nuts (steel wheels) but no key to be found anywhere. Hammered an appropriate socket on and it was off in 30 seconds.

As above you can buy locking wheel nut removal tools anywhere, they're really about as much hindrance to a thief as a Defender door lock. May stop an opportunist thief, but who steals wheels on a whim!? Might look a bit off walking down the street carrying 5 Land Rover wheels/tyres...

Save your money for something else and do away with the damn things.

30th Mar 2012 5:54pm

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