Think about it. You have a 'special' adapter that fits into the 'speciallly cut head of the bolt. Okay so where do you keep the adapter? In the car of course. So if someone wants to make off with your wheels all that he or she has to do is break into your car and open your glove box or maybe look under your seat and voila. No more wheels.

 

... If the thief is going to be ballsy enough to break into my car just to look for the wheel lock nut, I'm going to just go ahead ahead and assume that they should be smart enough to just steal the whole damn car while they're in there.

So why locking wheel nuts? Because they came standard on my car. As with all things, there are no measures to stop a REAL thief; all these little things do is stop the average/casual hooligan. Even a LoJack system like Boomerang can be defeated if you have the know-how and motivation.

 

Its a deterrent.. its not a fool-proof solution. It will make the theft more difficult and they will most likely move on to an easier target..

 

Discussed here: http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23948

Bottom line: it buys you time.

 

My cop buddy says that theves like to work fast. Wheel locks slow them down and maybe they pick another victom. I have them because one of our local club members had 4 wheels stolen from his MINI last year.

 

I zip tie my wheel lock in the engine well. I really doubt that someone who wants your wheels would break into your car and rumage through the glove compartment and under the seats.

 

I recently ordered after market wheels and tires and the sales person recommended wheel locks. I had forgotten about them. Who would think of such a thing? But I remember a NAM member (Thamos?) had his wheels stolen. That could be quite disturbing aside from being a real pain in the ****.

 

Thieves can actually get wheel locks off without a key. I have never tried it but if you crank down the other lugs on the wheel the one locking lug will become loose enough to get off without a key.

 

I don't lock my front door to my house, let alone lock my wheels bolted onto my car.

 

I stopped using wheel locks... just too much of a hassle since I only
park my car either in my garage, at the dealership, meets, and at
gas stations. :smile:

 

I've used wheel locks on several vehicles over the years and never had any wheels stolen despite several break-ins. What I always did was find a place where I could duct tape the key to an inside body panel, usually under some carpet or an interior panel. A lot of times I couldn't actually see the key, I had to feel for it.

This did backfire on me one time. I dropepd the car off to get the wheels balanced and forgot to give the mechanics the key. I went to see a movie at a theater next door and when I came out a couple of hours later, they were practically tearing the car apart to find the key. They never did find it. That made me feel good about my hiding place, but ticked off the techs.

-Keith

 

I don't even have a house. If I could afford one in my town I would have to lock the door even though the windows would be vulnerable.

A former professor and his author wife have a splendid house in a beautiful part of the Berkeley (CA) hills and don't lock their doors. But the morning after she bought her little Accura sedan it was still in front of their house but without its wheels. The police said that certain specification wheels are very popular with kids who modify cars. I figure that goes for the MINI's too.

You're fortunate those issues haven't arrived in Manitoba yet.

 

I wish I were in your predicament.

The MINI is my only car. I don't drive it much, but it is especially when I need it that I must park in uncontrolled areas (such as commercial or residential streets and big parking lots). So despite the hassle and the possibility of getting the entire car stolen (although I read on NAM that MINIs are hard to steal) it might be better odds for me to use wheel locks than not.

Oh, what a world this has become when we must bar our windows to deflect burglars toward our neighbors.

 

When I lived in Detroit (in a gated apartment complex) I got to my car 1 morning about 2 weeks after I put new wheel on it and noticed that the center caps were all gone. I swore and looked around, got in the car, started it, then realised something looked wrong. I got out and had another look. Luckily. The bastard(s) who too the center caps also removed and TOOK all 20 of the wheel nuts. We assumed that this was prep for stealing the wheels. They were all ready to prop the car onto blocks and take the wheels off when someone or something interrupted them. I was sooooo mad, but I was very lucky that I got back out and looked again. Would have been MUCH more expensive if I'd driven 20 feet and had the car hit the ground.

 

OK I'll be the one to call it. B.S.!

 

I dont know about getting that 4th lug nug loose theory.

There is a tool to undo the lugnut from the outter edges rather than the lug head itself. Most body and mechanical shops have this tool in cases when an accident vehicle is brought in and the wheel locks go missing from the accident or through owners carelessness.

Ive seen enough ghetto bodyshops with employees that have access to things like this. Dont think tow truck companies are the only nasties on the road...

My stolen 95 Maxima GLE was found in a rough part of queens, NY (bordering brooklyn) in an area with loads of bodyshops... im sure the parts of from my car were still in the area. Goddamn thieves....

 

Why would you keep the wheel lock key in the car? How bright is that?

Would you keep your spare plastic key in the GB as well.

Put the wheel lock on your key fob. No hassles, always there.

 

ok first off, you can get the special lock nuts off without the key. How do i know this? because ive done it

But let me assure you, it was not done to steal. The first car i ever bought was a 1970 VW beetle, it had rims and tires on it. well...when it was time to put new tires on it, i found out it had lock nuts on it and the prevous owner never gave me the key to the lugs.

Sooo...what do i do? find a $5 socket just small enough not to fit onto the lug. Beat it on with a hammer (doesnt take long) put a torque bar and a cheater bar (pipe extension) and twist the little bastard off. I did this on all four wheels. problem solved!

But im sure theives do it differently, as banging a socket onto the lug nut would make some noise, especially at night when people are sleeping.

 

I brought up this question in another thread about wheel theft, but there was no response: Would a wheel theft trigger the OEM car alarm?

 

I like to put the wheel lock key from another set of wheel locks in my car's center console or glove compartment and hide the real one somewhere else- near the spare tire/battery compartment area (notice I didn't say compact spare).

I guess this is mean if someone really intended to steal my wheels.

Also I can put two different wheel locks on one or two of the wheels just to be extra mean.

In the end if they break in to steal the wheel lock key then they could also try to tow away my MINI in less time than it would take to steal the wheels and fiddle with the locks.

 

Is that a wheel lock in your pocket or....

My lug nut adaptor is about 5 inches long.

 

Did I say five?

I meant uhhh... eight.

 

Clever. I was wondering how long a thief would be fooled since I have my wheel lock bolt in the original box in the trunk.

I noticed you did not mention compact spare and wonder why. I sense another clever idea.