Lost McGard lock nut key

lightspeed

Right so im a big eegit and seem to have lost the lock nut key for my McGaurd lock nut bolts.

http://www.halfords.ie/motoring/car-styling/alloy-wheel-tyre-sets/mcgard-locking-wheel-nuts-24012su

I also lost the packaging and did not register them with McGaurd.

From what I looked up online, there are only two options which are

1) cust the alloys off with an angle grinder
2) drill through the lock nuts but that can risk doing damage to the wheel hubs which would probably be the more costly option than option 1.

The alloys are non original GTI alloys.

Has anybody experience with the above? Most people I ask say you can removed lock nuts with the right tools without the lock nut key. However, most don't seem to understand the above have a spinning collar. So the top of them just turn and spin with the rotation of the wrench and the actual lock nut wont rotate at all. Hence the only solutions appears to be drilling them out.

mikeecho

Have a nut spot welded onto the locking nut, and take it off that way.

lightspeed

mikeecho wrote: »

Have a nut spot welded onto the locking nut, and take it off that way.

Yeah that is something a friend of mine mentioned as well. I read about it online and it was described as a difficult job. Id be a bit weary of getting the soldering metal dripping all over the alloy but could be an option though. Alloys have a few marks on them at this stage anyway.

clogher71

If you are not in a hurry, go and talk nice to a Ford dealer, most fords that use locknuts are mcguards, they should have a master set, and if you are lucky the master set will have a key suitable to remove your nuts! You will have to bring the car to them, they will not give you the master set to borrow!

gibbon75

You need to take a very good quality close up picture of the locking nut and forward it to McGard.
See the contact details below:

http://www.mcgard.de/en/home/kundenservice/ersatzschluessel.html

porsche boy

what we do in the job is get a slightly smaller socket to the wheelnut, hammer it on and wind it off with the airgun. this eliminates weld dripping on your alloy and having to go at it with a grinder. If its similar to the Ford & Volvo ones you'll need to chisel off the protective spinner part first. An air chisel will do this in a matter of moments.

porsche boy

what we do in the job is get a slightly smaller socket to the wheelnut, hammer it on and wind it off with the airgun. this eliminates weld dripping on your alloy and having to go at it with a grinder. If its similar to the Ford & Volvo ones you'll need to chisel off the protective spinner part first. An air chisel will do this in a matter of moments.

colm_mcm

clogher71 wrote: »

If you are not in a hurry, go and talk nice to a Ford dealer, most fords that use locknuts are mcguards, they should have a master set, and if you are lucky the master set will have a key suitable to remove your nuts! You will have to bring the car to them, they will not give you the master set to borrow!

AFAIK they only use something like 8 different possible codes on fords.

clogher71

colm_mcm wrote: »

AFAIK they only use something like 8 different possible codes on fords.

You are probably right, but as I said if you are lucky..( it could be one of the eight )