Posted: 4/19/2010 2:45:09 PM EDT
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Like most epic stories, this one started out small...
The wife unit was taking my truck to CA to visit her mom and I wanted to show her how to use the tool to remove the locking lugs on my '06 Sorento. Big mistake! the first one released at what felt like 200+ pound feet of torque. I replaced it with the stock lug (w/never seize applied) and then tried to do the same to the rest of the lugs. I only got two off and two were stuck, one of them had the edges outside the little "star" fracture off. The tool was now damaged too badly to use. I started with the old tried and true drill and E-Z out routine but that puppy was not coming off. I finally resorted to brute force and split it with a cold chisel, of course it only split 90% off on one side and left the last 1/2" solidly locked in the recessed area. So, now I spent the next 45 minutes hammering away at the remainder, hoping that it would rotate and it finally did, although I had kind of buggered up my alloy wheel. This left the last stuck one, I could see that the raceway was too buggered up for a replacement key to even fit so I did what has always worked for me. I went inside and took a nap! I dreamed of cold chisels, dremel tools and even the cute engineer chick at work, when, violin!, it came to me! I started trying 12 point sockets until I hit the right size to almost slip on, then I hammered like a Neanderthal on the end of that baby until It was good and jammed on there. My trusty 1/2 inch breaker bar in hand I unleashed my pent up aggression on the lug and it turned off! I even punched out the lug later so my 19MM socket is still usable, if battle scarred. Thought I would share my exploits and maybe save someone a LOT of aggravation some day. The little lady took the Altima to CA, probably because she knows what I am like when frustrated. I am siting here with a well deserved martini in hand and the dogs snoozing at my feet. Today turned out OK. |
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Quoted:
I've done the 12 point socket trick hundreds of times in the past 18 years where I work. 
The last guy I did it for gave me a twenty dollar tip for the 5 minutes it took to get all four off for him. Yup.... Used to do the beat the SHIT out of a socket on to it it all the time.... (now I just use the Wheel lock removal tool i bought from snappy) |
| Damn....I've never had a problem as long as I use a torque wrench and set them at 100 ft. lbs. Years ago I lost the lock and took a very large flat head screwdriver with a hex shank at the handle (Snap-On) and hammered it into the curvy slots and twisted the screwdriver with a wrench. |