Friday, December 18, 2009

Cheapest McGard 24137 Chrome Cone Seat Wheel Locks (M12 x 1.5 Thread Size) - Set of 4


These sound good in theory and look like a nice, cost effective way to protect your wheels, but aren't worth it for most people.

When I went out to my garage a few days ago, my tire was flat from a nail. I took the lug nuts off and inserted the key for these wheel locks. The whole top of the wheel lock broke off and I was not even putting full pressure on it! After calling around to several shops who would be able to deal with this problem, I had to have the car towed, ($120) to the shop I decided on. They have a special kit that's also sold on Amazon to remove them. The shop told me they got the kit because they see this all the time and "someone just came in with the same problem yesterday". Imagine if this happened to you if you got a flat on the freeway or in an emergency. Not the best situation to have. Search online, I just read several similar experiences in forums. Also, look at the "grooving" of the lock - not very deep at all and as a result, not strong enough under normal use. Take note: these are NOT supposed to be used with a shop pneumatic socket gun, they are supposed to be HAND tightened, but never are, so when it's your turn to take them off, they could be too tight and break under the pressure you put on them. But if they are hand tightened, how would that really stop a theif?

Unless you have very expensive aftermarket wheels, stick to regular lug nuts and avoid any hassles. I'd probably have a better chance of getting struck by lightening than someone trying to steal my stock wheels with these locks the dealer forced on me. Also, read up, any "real" wheel thief or anyone that knows what they are doing could bypass/remove these pretty easily if they wanted to. They are basically designed only for thieves who would put your car up on bricks and use a regular tire iron. Maybe other brands are better, but stay away from these.Get more detail about McGard 24137 Chrome Cone Seat Wheel Locks (M12 x 1.5 Thread Size) - Set of 4.

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