yep, i tried to get the wheels off today to clean and well, the dealer put the lugs on so tight...anyway, i ended up stripping the lock lug.

any ideas on how to get it off before i break out the drill and the vice grips.

thanx gents and or ladies.

 

Here's what a friend and I did many years ago when this happened (not on my car). Find a Craftsman socket that is just a little too small to fit *over* the locking lug nut. Pound it on with a hammer -- really force it on there so it cuts into the locking lug. Turn the larger socket that's now embedded into the locking lug nut. This was over 20 years ago, and it worked that time.

Why a Craftsman specifically? Well, I know from experience it can handle the abuse. Also, my friend who's car it was actually took the abused socket back to Sears and got a free replacement from the lifetime warranty. Lots of chutzpah for the latter part considering the abuse we heaped on it that day.

Hope it works from you, and as you can imagine: I in NO way guarantee you won't screw up your car or anything else. YMMV. Caveat attemptor. ;-) Be careful.

This is one reason I hate shops that use those air wrenches on lug nuts. I always use a high quality torque wrench with lug nuts.

 

I had a similar problem after having my Mini serviced. I was able to remove the locking lug nut by clamping vise-grips on it as tight as I could get them, but instead of using a hammer, Islipped a 3 foot piece of pipe over the handles of the vise grips. the extra lererage got the lug nut loose fairly easy, and i didn't have to risk damage by beating on the Vise-grips. Good luck, hope this works for you.

 

the socket idea does work...i did it to a camaro i had years ago tryin to get my cragers off but, imma pass on tryin it on my cooper. thanks though.

the vice grip idea is spot on. im goin to do that i guess. ive done that before as well. im so pissed at the dealer for this. no need to tighten that much.

thanx guys.

 

Thats how I got my rear subframe bolts loose to install a swaybar; except I had the right socket (in 3/8, not 1/2 ). Torque is an amazing thing.

 

Similiar thing here except I used some duct tape on the lug nut first to give the socket a bit more bite and then used a long breaker bar on it.

 

Hi, try snapon.com (Sorry i don't know the correct size of the mini lugs yet.)

Socket, Lug/Lock, Flip Twist, 3/4" - 19mm
Stock#: LSR2501

 

Try the Damaged Bolt/nut remover at Sears (item #00952166000 Mfr. model #52166 ). It is only $29 (you may be able to catch them on sale for $19) and they work well. The BMW dealer use to really tighten down the oil drain plug on my 3 series and I had to use this everytime to get it off. Sounds like the MINI mechanics went to Overtightening 101 along with the BWM mechanics.

 

yeah so i went for the vice grip method today to no avail. all the vice grip did was slide around a bunch.

i read the other posts that were put up (thank you gents) and im goin to look into it tomorrow night.

thanx again.

 

let them figure it out, cause they have the wheels to replace yours when they really screw it up! They caused this, they should fix it.

No excuse for crap like this. And throw away the locking lug nuts on the rest of the wheels while your at it.....

After you get regular lug nuts, of course!

Matt

 

There are kits at sears that are meant for this job.

 

Variation on vise grip method: grind flat spots on stub to grab with wrench. Apply WD 40 three times to contact point between head and wheel before attempting to loosen. Apply hours apart.

Variation on method described above: use less WD 40, then heat stub. Then turn with wrench.

Something not mentioned: weld a tee to the stub. Slip long pipe over tee and turn.

 

This is the right kit at Sears meant for this job

#947392 is the only bolt-out kit at Sears with a lifetime warranty. One side removes rounded-off lug nuts and the other side removes locking lugs.

 

doesn't even need to care about locking lug nuts. So locking lugs are a pain, and only realy deter stupid and lazy wheel theifs!

Matt

 

Naah, no crook is going to take the extra effort required to cut new splines into the locks with these. They just use a 1/2" drive King Gator (by Gator Grip) socket to remove the locks faster than you can using the real key. As a bonus, the locks are left undamaged.

 

I have nothing but trouble with them. One time it was my fault.... Left the key at home when I took my car for tires... Twice the crappy shop didn't take note of the location I'd told them that the key was stored, and it added over an hour each time to a mount balance.

The idea that these little pieces of metal make wheels any safer is pretty rediculous.... They just make $ for the dealers that charge for them.

Matt

 

snap on makes a socket designed specifically for this purpose. I used them to get the lug nuts off my last car after loosing the wheel lock socket. hammer it on and take it right off!

 

im goin to hit up the sears tomorrow and see if the local one has it in stock. hopefully they do. its a good tool to pick up regardless so, its a buy i wont feel so bad about.

thanks for all the info gents!

cheers

 

Good luck! Let us know how it goes

 

well, i got fed up in waiting to get those lugs off. i took a trip to my local (not so local) mini dealership and they told me it would cost $100...ha, yeah right...so, i took a hammer to the lock key and tapped it on the lock lug. it kinda reshaped the lock key just long enough to get the lugs off with a breaker bar.
so, end of story. i just barely got those suckers off.

 

Do you mean to say that the dealer refused to take responsibility for overtightening the lugs? Let's have their name so that we will all know what a good dealership they are.

And can avoid them in the future. This is totally unbelievable.

OK, maybe not so unbelievable. In fact ..... totally believable from what I read here and my own experiences with my dealerships service department.

 

I had this problem with a Beetle I owned before the MCS. Most tire shops have a kit of what can best be described as an easy-out turned inside out. That, along with an impact wrench had the thing off in seconds.

In my case, the shop knew I had purchased tire from them in the past and did me the favor no charge.

 

Don't know if this might be a problem on the Mini, but on some Infiniti's, the tech's were warping the rotors on the cars by tightening the lugs incorrectly. THey would add the lock kit and zip the locking nut on with an impact wrench. The locking nut was so much tighter than the other nuts that it actually warped the rotors.

I'd think this is Mini of Manhattan or Habberstad by his location. I don't think something like this would happen at habberstad though.

 

ramsey/mahwah, nj. mini dealership. yeah, i was more than disappointed in there attitude.
needless to say, i will be avoiding that place.