Why Oh Why Would anyone.............

00slk

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Tighten wheel bolts to 300lbs for crying out loud!!!
In the end I had to use an extended power bar and stand on the handle and jump with my full weight on the thing, finally loosened off the 16 wheel bolts with what felt like a shoot gun going off and a shock wave through my lower body, the lock nut just sheered off making it impossible to remove the wheels.
Took the car to the local garage to have the locking bolts removed as they had the right equipment.
End result 1 mangled special lock bolt remover!
Next we tried the expensive heat machine, the bolts weren't having a piece of it!
Hmmmm completely knackered now to remove any wheels.........These has been been over tightened recently too, and possibly deliberately!
Hopefully a new puzzle nut will do the trick, but I don't hold my hopes high.

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Not impressed :(
 

Craiglxviii

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I’ve no idea why people do this. I always make s point of telling any wheel fitter the correct torque to use, but that’s only since the “no torque” incident!
 

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I had a nightmare on a previous E trying to get the locking wheel nuts off as they'd been fitted with an airgun. Thankfully the wheel nut adaptor didn't break but the nuts were in such a bad way I just replaced them with the normal nuts. Since then I'm exceptionally careful with locking wheel nuts. Whilst the Mercedes ones are pretty secure they are a pain when they get damaged.
 

umblecumbuz

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First thing I do on acquiring a car is to remove the ridiculous locking bolts. Who steals alloys nowadays?
Popular local garage has a sign: 'If you do not give us your wheel bolt key, we do not work on your car.'

To remove a stuck bolt, locking or normal, I have used a little trick before now which works.
Loosen the other four bolts but do not remove. Drive the car forward, say, a meter, and stamp on the brakes. Reverse and do the same thing. Several times. This action will put all the torque onto the offending bolt and break the friction between bolt and wheel.
It should then be easier to remove.

Unfortunately, in your case, this has come too late. Be very interested in how you eventually solve the problem.
Feel for you. What a horror if you had a puncture at night in the rain miles from anywhere!
 

John Laidlaw

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First thing I do on acquiring a car is to remove the ridiculous locking bolts. Who steals alloys nowadays?
Popular local garage has a sign: 'If you do not give us your wheel bolt key, we do not work on your car.'

To remove a stuck bolt, locking or normal, I have used a little trick before now which works.
Loosen the other four bolts but do not remove. Drive the car forward, say, a meter, and stamp on the brakes. Reverse and do the same thing. Several times. This action will put all the torque onto the offending bolt and break the friction between bolt and wheel.
It should then be easier to remove.

Unfortunately, in your case, this has come too late. Be very interested in how you eventually solve the problem.
Feel for you. What a horror if you had a puncture at night in the rain miles from anywhere!
I like this tip, thanks makes sense!
 

Blobcat

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Just been out and removed my locking wheel nuts, I wasn't sure on their condition as I didn't fit them last time. All off and original bolts refitted so no issues in the future :)
 

ZZZZ

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Had a similar experience not that long ago - tyre fitters (Tyres Northampton) used an air gun most likely, and when I went to Tony at WiM a day or two after, the locking key sheared ...

Had to buy a new one from MB - £35 - and take another trip to WiM to get the full geometry done.

I’ll never go back to Tyres Northampton again ...
 

LostKiwi

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Saw a great method for getting damaged locking bolts out a while back.
Sometimes when they get damaged the locking key cams out of the bolt.
Park the offending bolt next to a pillar or entrance to the garage. Put the key in the bolt and socket/power bar on the key. Using a scissor jack force the key)power bar assembly onto the bolt using the pillar/door entrance to push against.
 

SL63 Mark

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It is the curse of the air gun, unfortunately, as has been said. I never let the things near my car, and only take it to a couple of places who know what they are doing and use torque wrenches. I have a half inch torque wrench I use on my own nuts.

The temptation for businesses to use air guns must be huge, especially when they are fitting hundreds of tyres a day, it's a real boost to productivity.
 
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00slk

00slk

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There's a tyre shop who would like me to let them know how I get on too :rolleyes:
We have certainly tried all the right moved with the heat and lock nut extractor (which cost over £500) :shock: It destroyed one of the £25 shapes which form the pattern of the lock nut, then this then allows you to undo the nut, that just sheered off too.
My last resort is to order a new lock nut from MB and then give this one ago......Gently.
I have tried the Kiwi method of shock treatment on the locking bolt itself and putting wait on the extension by means of a club hammer while slow turning the lock nut, however there was a cracking sound and that's where it stops. Is there a chance I have broken through the first stage of the undoing process.
I had a Jag or a BMW with no locking nut key once and those were easy as the nuts stood proud of the wheel by a few mm so I was able to weld a bolt on the end. Not so with the Mercedes their bolts are a mile inside the wheel :(
 

flowrider

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What is the correct torque for wheel bolts, this has made me want to check mine!
 
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00slk

00slk

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It is the curse of the air gun, unfortunately, as has been said. I never let the things near my car, and only take it to a couple of places who know what they are doing and use torque wrenches. I have a half inch torque wrench I use on my own nuts.

The temptation for businesses to use air guns must be huge, especially when they are fitting hundreds of tyres a day, it's a real boost to productivity.

I have seen them using the air guns.
I use an air gun too sometimes but only to speed up the turning of the nuts, never to full tighten. I then use the torque for the final nip. My local garage use the torque wrench as well I'm happy to report :)
 

ZZZZ

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130Nm for W169 18” AMGs too
 

LostKiwi

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Spec is 130Nm for 230s and 110Nm for 210/129 from memory - possibly difference between M12/M14 bolts.
 

flowrider

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Thanks all, just checked my wheel bolts and they were all ok but I re-torqued them anyway.
 

umblecumbuz

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... The temptation for businesses to use air guns must be huge, especially when they are fitting hundreds of tyres a day, it's a real boost to productivity.

It's about time all air guns used by tyre fitters had built in torque adjusters.
I've even got one on my impact driver. Surely it's not too high tech for them ...!
 

mercedes13156

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Saw a great method for getting damaged locking bolts out a while back.
Sometimes when they get damaged the locking key cams out of the bolt.
Park the offending bolt next to a pillar or entrance to the garage. Put the key in the bolt and socket/power bar on the key. Using a scissor jack force the key)power bar assembly onto the bolt using the pillar/door entrance to push against.


I had to get a damaged locking nut off my car about a year ago. I called a mobile tyre fitter who advertised his ability to remove locking wheel bolts. He set up an axle stand at the same height as the bolt then rested a long steel bar with a pointed end on it and smashed it into the joint between the rotating collar and the bolt. It broke in two immediately and when it came off he applied one of the "reverse claw" type of sockets with a two pound hammer. Once that was securely on, he put a three foot bar onto an extension and used the axle stand to support the extension horizontally as he wound it out. It all took five minutes and he went around and replaced all four lockers with standard bolts as well for £25. Apparently, the secret is to properly support the socket to prevent it twisting off the bolt. I've done this with a two foot bar when removing various wheel bolts and it works. It's much easier than just applying a wheelbrace and jumping up and down on it.
 

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