Just bought a used Mazda 3. It's a nice little car, but for some idiot reason Mazda felt the need to put those idiotic locking lug nuts on it...you know, the kind that take the special socket to engage the little grooves, and inevitably gets lost or stripped and then you can't get the wheels off when you need them.

I'll never understand why these stupid things are standard in the first place...who steals wheels off of a Mazda 3? I mean, maybe some people live in shithole neighborhoods in the inner city where that actually happens, so I guess it could be an option for them (but even there, you'd think the wheel thieves would target nicer cars), but why do they feel the need to put them on cars that belong to the 99% of us that will never need them?

So naturally, I ordered new standard lug nuts, and when they arrived today, I went about removing the security nuts to replace them. Thankfully the previous owner still had the security socket that came with the car in the glove box. Unfortunately, the asshole techs at the tire shop must have torqued the dang things on there with an impact, because I needed a 3' pipe on my 2' breaker bar to break them loose. I got through three, and then it stripped out on the 4th one.

I JB welded the crap out of it and pounded it on there with a hammer. It's currently sitting in the garage waiting for the JB Weld to set up...hopefully it breaks loose for me tomorrow and I can be done with them. Screw you Mazda, and screw you security lug-nut inventor guy. And while I'm at it, screw everybody who feels the need to shove obnoxious solutions to big-city problems down the throats of all the rest of us.

Last time I went down that road the solution involved an air chisel, a drill, another lug stud and a strained tendon in my hand.

Never before or since have I seen lugnuts tightened so tight that aluminum from the wheel transferred to the lugnut.

Well that sucks.

A common remedy is to take a slightly larger socket and hammer it on tight. Then you should be able to remove it.

Good luck to you.

One came on my last used truck purchase. No one told me. Asshole didn't leave the key with the truck.

A split rim from a road hazard at the divide of 2 highways almost led this thing to getting me killed.

Hours of delay and a commercial shop with an air wrench was required to get me going again.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:

Screw you Mazda, and screw you security lug-nut inventor guy.

How about "screw every asshole who feels the need to over tighten lung nuts?"

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
...felt the need to put those idiotic locking lug nuts on it...you know, the kind that take the special socket to engage the little grooves, and inevitably gets lost or stripped and then you can't get the wheels off when you need them...

I spent a wonderful day in Bakersfield trying to get those off a VW Passat with a flat tire about 15 years ago.

Funny things was they towed me to the Bakersfield VW Dealership and their service department couldn't even get them off. I finally ended up at a local tire shop where they had to weld a bar onto them to take them off. As all 4 tires were within 5K of needing to be replaced, I replaced them all and didn't use the locking nuts.

You can say I really really hate them.

I just had to use a lug but removal socket tool due to over tightening.

Absolutely unnecessary pain in the ass. Had completely stripped the lug nut trying to get it loose with the breaker bar.

Bought a truck last year and it had locking nuts mixed in with the variety pack on each wheel. Had to run a chisel through the center of three of them and put a socket on the end of the chisel. Didn't damage the wheel at all, but the curb rash was enough for me to give the wheels and tires away and buy another set.

Thinking about getting some full moon hubcaps, but does anybody make moons for twenty inch wheels?

Get a 12 point socket that is just barely too small to fit over the locking lock nut. Them pound it on with a hammer. Grab a breaker bar or impact gun and take it off.

I learned this trick when I had a car with such lugnuts and no security key thing to get them off.

Worked fine on all four.

I would suggest using a socket you don't care about.

Have actually refused to accept service from shops that use impact tools even after I offered the use of my personal 4-way lug wrench and they declined to use it. And have replaced the lock (theft resistant lug nuts) nuts on several vehicles. ....................drill sgt.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:

Screw you Mazda, and screw you security lug-nut inventor guy.

How about "screw every asshole who feels the need to over tighten lung nuts?"

Or, "Screw the guys who steal wheels and drive the need for security lug nuts in the first place."

When I went to replace the tires on the trailer for the boat we sold last spring I twisted one stud off trying to get the wheel nut off. On the other wheel I couldn't budge them. Pulled both hubs off and took them in to get them straightened-out.

When I got them back, complete with new tires, I went out and bought a good click torque wrench and tightened them properly.

I [b]did[/u] use a butterfly impact wrench to initially snug them down slightly, but the torque wrench did the final tightening.

Are you sure the locking wheel-nuts came OEM from Mazda? Sounds like something a dealer would add on to charge a premium for like pin-stripes, window tint, VIN etching, and undercoat.

My buddy at his shop gets too many vehicles with locking lug nuts and no key to take them off. He calls the customer and too many don't even know what he's talking about. If they give permission he has special sockets that are made for taking off the locking lugs. Then they can buy regular lugs.

I have regular lugs and put anti seize on mine and use my electric impact if I'm at home.

quote:

Or, "Screw the guys who steal wheels and drive the need for security lug nuts in the first place."

That's the thing, though...I've been a cop in this county for 10 years and never once have I worked a case of stolen wheels. Stolen cars, sure. Stuff stolen out of cars, sure. Slashed tires, sure...but never wheels stolen off a car. It's not a thing (and even if it was, I'd highly doubt econobox mazda factory rims would be high on their target list). There is no need...it's a (horrible) solution looking for a problem.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:

Screw you Mazda, and screw you security lug-nut inventor guy.

How about "screw every asshole who feels the need to over tighten lung nuts?"

That, too, to some extent, but these damn things dont even have to be overtightened to ruin your day. They can rust, or get dinged, or somebody can lose the stupid proprietary socket, and then you're on the side of the road SOL.

In 20 years of working on my own cars I've never stripped a standard lug nut, even if it was overtorqued. I've had to use some big cheater bars, and I've broken a few studs, but I'd take a broken stud over a lug nut that you can't get off any day. A spare and 4 lugs will get you home...a flat tire you can't get off won't. And a wheel stud is pretty easy to replace at home in the garage.

quote:

Originally posted by comet24:
Get a 12 point socket that is just barely too small to fit over the locking lock nut. Them pound it on with a hammer. Grab a breaker bar or impact gun and take it off.

I learned this trick when I had a car with such lugnuts and no security key thing to get them off.

Worked fine on all four.

I would suggest using a socket you don't care about.

Great response.
I had a 1997 4-Runner I was changing brake pads on in a friend's driveway SEVERAL years ago.
The Toyota 'LOCK' lug key chipped off a big part of the locking lug nut.
Called a coworker that did mechanic work on the side and he told me exactly what you recommended.
I lost a socket (Craftsman, & Sears replaced it), but I finished the brake job.
It was well worth it...

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:

Screw you Mazda, and screw you security lug-nut inventor guy.

How about "screw every asshole who feels the need to over tighten lung nuts?"

And screw assholes that over tighten lug nuts too.

Sorry V, I had to.

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Originally posted by SPWAMike0317:

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:

Screw you Mazda, and screw you security lug-nut inventor guy.

How about "screw every asshole who feels the need to over tighten lung nuts?"

And screw assholes that over tighten lug nuts too.

Sorry V, I had to.

Yeah, that too.

quote:

Originally posted by iron chef:
Are you sure the locking wheel-nuts came OEM from Mazda? Sounds like something a dealer would add on to charge a premium for like pin-stripes, window tint, VIN etching, and undercoat.

Maybe not from the factory, but a lot of dealers put them on new cars, in some cases it may help with their insurance.

We put them on every Silverado/Tahoe/Suburban on our lot when I was working at a Chevrolet dealer in college.
Came in one morning to 6 Silverados sitting on blocks. At >$1k per truck (retail) it was a no brainer to throw $42 of locking lugnuts on them.

On my Mercedes, the locking lug has an outline cut into it that the key engages, so the above mentioned 'hammer a socket onto it' method wouldn't work there. Plus the lug bolt holes in the wheel are quite tight, so it takes a standard size socket to get on them (an impact socket [on a breaker bar] won't fit).