Ok

MY wheel lock key is broken, and I need my wheels off. I cant find a matching key anywhere.
I know theres a technique to "break" them off. Anyone got some ideas?

 

Take a dremel or any other rotary type tool and start grinding sides on it so you can get a socket on there. doesnt have to be perfect or anything. Hammer the socket on and then use a breaker bar to take bastard off. Thats how we got my friend's broken wheel lock off his car at least. Hope you get the thing off.

 

I've used the hammer and old socket trick. It works well. Tough part is freeing the socket from the lug afterwards.

Any local tire shop should be able to take them off using the same method.

 

snap on and mac sell a specialty socket. Check sears to see if they have one.

 

Maybe the Mazda dealer?! Miata's use the same key also. Not sure about the newer ones, but atleast the ones from 93-95 do. There's another Mazda that used them also, just can't think of the name.

-Alex

 

usually tire shop have a tool for this

 

Plug weld a nut to it if the dealer can't help.

 

Just hammering a socket on there worked great for me. You don't have to hammer the socket on very far for it to work. You can separate the two afterwards using a bolt or screwdriver through the socket, then rest a wrench or pliers or something on the top edge of the socket and bang on it with a hammer. Easy to do, not easy to describe. Holding the socket in a vise would accomplish the same thing. Oh, use your "old" tools.

OR... I thought about getting one of those "Gator Grip" universal sockets with the pins that extend to fit any size bolt. Seemed like it would work, but didn't try it...

 

I took mine to Just Tires, they took the locks off with a special socket just for wore out lug nuts and the best part is they did it for free!

 

Yeah, a lot of the time they do it for free. But after you see how easy it is for them to take the locking lugs off it almost makes you feel like locking lugs are pointless. Thats what happened on my buddie's car and he just decided not to go locking.

 

sears has the bolt removal socket you need also

 

I took mine to NTB to get it off.. cost me like 5 bucks or something.

 

Like said before, just get a hammer and an 11/32 socket (I think that was the size), and beat it until it goes on... then back it off.

 

So I hammer the socket on, and try to losen it off with the ratchet? Or try to hammer the socket so it smashes the lugnut off?

 

Basically, you are hammerring on a just-enough smaller socket to have a friction-fit over the locking lugnut.

Then you use a ratchet to spin it off.

You can also get a nut extractor which does the same thing, but it has decreasing radius threads/teeth to BITE increasingly tighter into a stripped nut as it is loosened.

:-) neil

 

Hammer the socket onto the locking nut. Once you have it loose enough, remove the ratchet, and tap the socket on the side (socket still attached to the car). This will allow you to loosen the socket from the locking nut.

 

Just take it to any tire place......One of my buddies works at Discount Tire and they just use the extention piece without a socket to the air gun.....Assuming your wheel lock is a female lock.

 

look it is fuked up just go get the right tool for the job. get the socket that is made to do this. it has reverse cut grooves in it (turning left actually tightens it's grip on the bolt/nut) it is like 10-20 buks and now you own something other than a fuked up socket

 

...hard to do if you have a flat or your car is otherwise incapacitated. There is admittedly the right way to get them off and then there is the emergency way... a socket and a hammer can be effective in a pinch.

 

Good point...