I'm looking into buying wheel locks for my car and had a question: if I were to purchase a set of MINI factory wheel locks, can my wheels still be stolen by someone who also has a key from a factory set? Thanks!

 

Yes, but extremely rare chance of that happening.

If someone really wanted to steal your wheels, they will do it, with or without wheel locks.

 

I've considered getting a set of locking lug bolts, but I don't think they do any good. There's a real problem around Albuquerque with people stealing the spare tires off of cars, like Rav4s, CRVs, etc, and the wheel locks haven't deterred anyone from what they have said in the paper. I've seen ones padlocked on, chains wrapped around, you name it. Now more often than not, those types of cars have no spare on the back. I assume the ones that have covers over them have spare tires underneath, but I guess I can't say for sure!

A guy I work with had one stolen off his Rav4, bought a cheap replacement from a junkyard and had that one stolen as well. They don't even have to be nice wheels.

 

If they want it they take it we used to put a socket on the outer circumfrence of the locking lug and hammer it onto it until it was wedged on then the ratchet would just spin it off, when you want to junk a car and save the rims you find a way. Thiefs are good like that and for free they dont care about a few scuffs. Locks keep honest people out...its an old saying but a true one.

 

Yikes!! Although this is pretty rare in Austin, I occasionally find myself in Houston where these types of petty crimes are rampant. Thanks for the heads up guys...

 

They probably end up somewhere on the local rez...

 

It depends on the wheel. In some cases a hammered socket trick will suffice, my wheels have such a narrow well that there would be no space for a socket to fit around the lug, but I agree in general, my grandfather used to say that locks are for honest people. Apparently you have major proof right here on that theory.