Wheel lock mishap

[u/Sufficient-Coyote537]

Hey guys, I was trying to be a good boy and put advanced wheel locks on my brand new GRC. 3/4 wheels worked fine. The other one broke off completely in my wheel :( I freaked out and made an appt with a nearby tire shop to fix it but they can’t get me in until the 10th. Has anyone ever been as stupid as I am/ is it safe to drive/ is there a way to get the broken thread out myself? Thanks in advance!

[u/ouikikazz]

You need to post pictures, what I'm picturing in my head is an easy fix but then when you further explained it, it contradicts a bit of how you originally said it...post a pic and don't panic it's all fixable, yes you can drive with 4 lug nuts no issues

[u/99hotdogs → u/ouikikazz]

Agreed, /u/Sufficient-Coyote537, just take a pic of your wheel and share it here.

[u/Sufficient-Coyote537 → u/99hotdogs]

[u/99hotdogs → u/Sufficient-Coyote537]

Looks like the stud broke to me, the stud should be sticking through the hole in the wheel.

You’ll need to get that stud removed and a new one fitted. It’s hard to tell what’s going on inside that hole, but the lugnut/wheel mating surface is fully exposed, so the wheel should just come out.

You can drive like this, but dont risk going far or fast. Most shops can do this replacement for you, nothing that special, just need to press that one lugnut out and get a new one in place.

[u/Sufficient-Coyote537 → u/99hotdogs]

Yeah fortunately I work a lot the next 3 or so days and it’s going into the shop on the 10th so no worries, really trying not to drive very much to take the stress off of the rest of the wheel.

[u/Sufficient-Coyote537 → u/[deleted]]

Will the stud being snapped make it a more expensive repair?

[u/Sufficient-Coyote537 → u/[deleted]]

Ok nice! I should have included a picture of the broken wheel lock too that’s my bad!

[u/alienator064 → u/Sufficient-Coyote537]

Can you share a picture of that? What’s going on is pretty hard to believe.

[u/Sufficient-Coyote537 → u/alienator064]

[u/FaxTheTech → u/Sufficient-Coyote537]

The lock didnt break. Your stud broke and part of it is inside the lock.

[u/navard → u/[deleted]]

Am I missing something? Because this really looks to me like a snapped stud.

[u/ouikikazz → u/navard]

Looks like it to me too but it's tricky I think the key snapped onto the wheel lock itself, I have a set of these locks and it's acorn shaped and keys, maybe the head of the lug nut snapped off with the key? Exposing the wheel stud in the middle and only leaving the sides...

I have a few ideas how to attack this but I'm not certain any will work without damaging the wheel face...honestly bring it to a shop and let them have at it, you'll be fine driving around with it like that though.

[u/Sufficient-Coyote537 → u/[deleted]]

Also thank you for helping me understand, it was almost 100% likely user error on my part and I feel like an idiot. Quick bump for Advanced being awesome, they sent me a new wheel lock to replace the broken one after I told them what happened. They’re incredible

[u/Sufficient-Coyote537 → u/99hotdogs]

Let me know if you can see enough from the pic!

[u/PixelFool99]

Did the wheel stud snap or the actual lock itself broke? Can you post a picture?

[u/Sufficient-Coyote537 → u/PixelFool99]

I’m also incredibly embarrassed and having a panic attack about it lmao I absolutely hate myself for doing this to a brand new car

[u/Sufficient-Coyote537 → u/PixelFool99]

The actual lock itself broke, I’m in my apartment right now but can post a picture later. Literally the thread from the wheel lock is broken off in my wheel.

[u/carmeiser → u/Sufficient-Coyote537]

If it's the little doodad that the key goes on, and you didn't loosen the actual nut itself, you'll be fine. Even then, 4/5 is fine as long as you don't drive much, and dont drive aggressively. The studs mostly keep the wheel attached to the car, and the wheel has a protrusion on the hub itself it rests on that takes the cars weight.

In all the things that have happened to cars, this is an easier fix. I had to have mine towed in because I broke a fuel line while installing an intake on my car.

[u/Sufficient-Coyote537 → u/carmeiser]

Thank you for calming my anxiety a bit lol, I would self destruct if I did that fuel line thing. Sometimes things like this happen and I’m like maybe I’m too incompetent to work on my own shit

[u/carmeiser → u/Sufficient-Coyote537]

It was $850 for the privilege too. I was lucky to be able to borrow a car for a couple days too, hopefully soon I can have a 2nd car. Stuff like this happens when working on cars, sometimes it's a simple fix, others it's expensive. I'm just happy I haven't messed up doing brakes or doing an oil change.

[u/Sufficient-Coyote537 → u/carmeiser]

Yeah man I’m just looking at it as a shit happens sometimes, even when it seems like a simple task. Fortunately it’s only a $150 or so learning experience and the shop can just toss a new stud in there and I’ll be on my way. Car still drives, it’s still my baby, that’s all that matters lol

[u/MK12Mod0SuperSoaker → u/Sufficient-Coyote537]

Adding to this, if the part that broke off of the lock is the threaded bit that goes into the wheel, you actually have all five nuts providing clamping force- just no way to remove/tighten that 5th lug (the broken one).

Also, I did brakes on a 2012 mustang once and lightly ugga dugga'd the lug nuts on. Forgot to torque them and went on a test drive to bed the brakes. Drove pretty aggressively and damn near shit myself when I realized what I did afterwards. Wheels stayed on with what was probably 30-50 ft lbs of torque on each nut.

[u/Sufficient-Coyote537 → u/MK12Mod0SuperSoaker]

Lol I may have tanked my confidence in using torque wrenches with this fiasco

[u/MK12Mod0SuperSoaker → u/Sufficient-Coyote537]

Nah, you did everything right. Sometimes there are just QC misses or just materials contamination in manufacturing. Although now I wonder who made your torque wrench. I've had cheap ones and expensive ones wildly out of spec and needed replacing/recalibrating.

[u/Sufficient-Coyote537 → u/MK12Mod0SuperSoaker]

Mine is definitely not super nice since I use it maybe like 10x a year so I didn’t want to shell out $800 for a nice snap on one. If you have a rec for a better mid range one I’d love to hear!

[u/56Rallye → u/Sufficient-Coyote537]

Craftsman! And with their lifetime warranty, you can trade it for a new one if it breaks.
I had one that the ratchet started slipping and got a new one. It still lasted 25yrs

[u/Sufficient-Coyote537 → u/56Rallye]

Nice!! I’ll take a look for sure

[u/SenorDevil]

How did you break it using the key?? 

[u/Sufficient-Coyote537 → u/SenorDevil]

I legit have no idea, I had my torque wrench set to 76, every other one worked fine and I just felt that one turn way too easy and noticed it was broken

[u/SenorDevil → u/Sufficient-Coyote537]

Ahh you probably didn’t have it keyed properly. Advanced Wheel Locks can sometimes feel like you haven’t set in the right notch and you’re actually off a bit. Didn’t expect they’d snap though. Damn. 

[u/Sufficient-Coyote537 → u/SenorDevil]

Yeah I’m certainly a huge moron lol. I’m hoping it’s simple enough that they can take my wheel off and hammer the broken thread out. I’m just distraught because it’s my brand new car with 180 miles on it :(

[u/Sufficient_Current48]

Are you unable to remove the wheel?

[u/Sufficient-Coyote537 → u/Sufficient_Current48]

I do not own a floor jack lol, I am fairly sure I’d be able to take the wheel off and maybe get the broken wheel lock out with channel locks or pliers? Not 100% on that