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View Full Version : Wheel Lock Issues, my poor CSL's...



niart906
07-20-2013, 02:59 PM
So a few weeks ago, I had ew tires mounted to my summer wheels. A set of VMR CSL reps. All went well, I gave the job to my usual shop, and they mounted and balanced the tires without issue. Zero scratches.

Fast forward to a few days ago, and I decide to repaint my brake calipers back to silver to hide all of the rust from winter. I come to find out that my wheel locks look a bit worn, and to make matters worse, they're torqued to well beyond 87 ft/lbs. (I think they're torqued to somewhere around 200+ ft/lbs, my buddy's air tools were no use so they must be good and tight) It took my brother and I about twenty minutes to remove just one. He had to apply pressure into the wheel to keep the key in contact with the bolt while I tried to remove it with a 3ft breaker bar and iron cheater bar. Not fun, so I decide to give my shop a call and drop the car off to them the next morning so they can just remove them for me with the air gun. Bad idea nono

While trying to get the remaining 3 wheel locks off, my shop ruined my key, and probably stripped all of the lock bolts. And to make matters worse, they nicked one of my CSL's with a deadblow hammer trying to squeeze a socket over it.
:jawdrop

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab207/niart906/null-58.jpg

It doesn't look that bad in the picture, but its a deep gouge, not a scratch that I could simply touch up. Needless to say I'm pissed. So after screaming at this guy who I watched hit my wheel with his hammer; I took the car to a local BMW dealer on my shop's dime to have them remove the remaining wheel locks.

A short talk with the SA later, and my car was in the hands of some BMW techs. They quickly found the right key and had at it. 20min later, my SA walks up to me, and shows me the remains of their dealership key, that is now in 3 pieces in his hand. These bolts are so tight, that even a brand new key couldn't budge them. So I convinced them to order me just a key through the dealer, because apparently you can't just walk off the street and order one. There's no P/N and you have to be a dealer to get it. But my SA was nice, and offered to sell me a spare seeing as how he now had to order a replacement for the dealership. :facepalm

What the hell do I do now?

At this point, I'm basically leaving it up to my local shop. They want to try again with a new key before resorting to more aggresive methods. Which is fine, until it turns out that it doesn't work. The shop already reimbursed me for the new key, and honestly they have been very professional about this whole fiasco. So I am thankful for that. But what are my options here?

Here is what they did to my old key:
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab207/niart906/null-59.jpg

And this is the one lock bolt I was able to remove. The other 3 are in waaay worse shape:
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab207/niart906/null-60.jpg

I used to work at my buddy's sheet metal shop, so I took the car over there to get some ideas. They reccomended as a last ditch effort to use an EZ out bolt remover, but seeing as the bolts are hardened, and deeply recessed on the rear wheels, it could get hairy. I'm to the point where I'm basically washing my hands of this. It's the shop's fault, so it is now up to them to remedy it as far as I am concerned.

What say you mafia?

Sorry for the long post, work is slow, and I'm venting a bit...

trancenation
07-20-2013, 03:12 PM
Sorry to hear about your ordeal niart! Glad that your shop is taking good care of you and the wheel key. Let's hope for the best at this point. What brand are those wheel locks? They appear to look like McGards (correct me if I'm wrong). I like the OEM BMW wheel locks as an alternative if you aren't content with the current. I'd recommend using hand tools for the wheel lock removal and installations (imo).

niart906
07-20-2013, 03:40 PM
^They're actually OEM BMW wheel locks. http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BL93&mospid=47714&btnr=36_1032&hg=36&fg=25

I normally only install and uninstall these by hand and with a torque wrench set at 87 ft/lbs. So I know this is not of my doing. I have had those off many times before without issue.
I even mentioned to my shop about how I thought it was a bit crazy to torque the wheel locks down with air tools.

trancenation
07-20-2013, 04:18 PM
Oh woops, I had no idea. We have these oem ones: http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-M3-S54_3.2L/Wheels/Locks/OEM/ES65870/ on our E46 M3 currently. A little different pattern.

Avetiso
07-20-2013, 04:57 PM
What's with the mafia and wheels recently! Seriously.

Hope it all gets worked out, buddy. Shops fault. I don't torque my wheels to any specific torque, just use the tool in the tool kit and go as far as my hands will take me. Never had issues.

niart906
07-20-2013, 05:26 PM
Oh woops, I had no idea. We have these oem ones: http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-M3-S54_3.2L/Wheels/Locks/OEM/ES65870/ on our E46 M3 currently. A little different pattern.

When I get these off, I think these are the locks I will replace them with. I like the design of these alot more, they look alot harder to strip.

BavarianZHP
07-20-2013, 05:37 PM
Wow, for a sec I thought the bolts could have rusted and fused, but you said these were only installed a few weeks ago! Man, that shop should completely reimburse you for their screw up. Oh, did they try to remove the other non-keyed tire bolts (5/hub) as well? I would suspect they were all torqued to the same amount, or are only the keyed bolts affected???

Good luck!

danewilson77
07-20-2013, 05:45 PM
You could try to torque the piss out of the adjacent bolts to see if it will help relieve the torque on the keyed bolt.

HTC DNA, Williamsburg, VA

niart906
07-20-2013, 06:07 PM
Wow, for a sec I thought the bolts could have rusted and fused, but you said these were only installed a few weeks ago! Man, that shop should completely reimburse you for their screw up. Oh, did they try to remove the other non-keyed tire bolts (5/hub) as well? I would suspect they were all torqued to the same amount, or are only the keyed bolts affected???

Good luck!

The other bolts will come out, but they're on there good and tight.


You could try to torque the piss out of the adjacent bolts to see if it will help relieve the torque on the keyed bolt.

HTC DNA, Williamsburg, VA

This sounds like a good idea, but the other bolts are already extremely tight. So I would be worried about damaging the hub or the alum. wheel.

sillieidiot
07-20-2013, 10:05 PM
the socket method is usually the best way. otherwise, you can get someone to weld a hex end to it, and then remove it that way. either way will work (went through the same ordeal on a customer's car). socket is cheaper, more work. but iono if you want the shop to do it and risk damaging the wheel again lol

E_Rak
07-21-2013, 09:43 AM
This is what I had to resort to. Wheels didn't fair entirely too well.

http://www.workshopsupplies.co.uk/contents/media/irbgxl%20%281%29.jpg

danewilson77
07-21-2013, 09:51 AM
Those look evil :drevil

ELCID86
07-21-2013, 10:02 AM
Wow. So sorry. Any recourse with the shop that over tightened? Probably hard to prove.


Shawn in VA.
Via thumbs and Tapatalk.

niart906
07-21-2013, 11:22 AM
the socket method is usually the best way. otherwise, you can get someone to weld a hex end to it, and then remove it that way. either way will work (went through the same ordeal on a customer's car). socket is cheaper, more work. but iono if you want the shop to do it and risk damaging the wheel again lol

Using the socket method caused them to gouge one of my wheels. Besides, these wheel locks have a rotating collar. So even if you could get a socket on them, it won't do any good.


This is what I had to resort to. Wheels didn't fair entirely too well.

http://www.workshopsupplies.co.uk/contents/media/irbgxl%20%281%29.jpg

Those do look scary. They may work, but I doubt they will fit within the recesses of my rear CSLs. Even if they did fit, I'm sure those wheels would be toast.


Wow. So sorry. Any recourse with the shop that over tightened? Probably hard to prove.


The shop has taken full responsiblity. They already paid for the replacement key I had to order. So when that arrives it's in their hands to remedy this.

E_Rak
07-21-2013, 05:20 PM
Those do look scary. They may work, but I doubt they will fit within the recesses of my rear CSLs. Even if they did fit, I'm sure those wheels would be toast.


Scary indeed. Fit into the lug hole on the rim but caused some scraping in there. :/ We estimated about 800 lb of force to turn my bolts off... Car sat around most of the winter while I was at school