V70: Wheels/Brakes Security wheel nuts

[eldrichard2005]

HI Just found out today that my security wheel nut adaptor has been trashed due to my last tyre change a few months ago when my local garage replaced the tyres on the front

The problem i have I need to change the tyres again and can I get a new lockng nut adaptor?

Any ideas appreciated

Ritchie

[Clan]

yes you can if you know the key number , your volvo dealer should be able to help determine the number if you have no record .. what year car is it?

[abv70]

Just had my front tyres changed at an independant, they pointed out that the Volvo locking wheel nuts were really poor, the adapter is the type that fits into the locking nut. apparently this can easily snap, they changed it and gave me a set where the adaptor fits all around the locking nut giving much better grip/hold

[Tony g6hbq]

http://www.mcgard-europe.de/englisch/automobil.htm

These supply the OEM locking nuts

[Parkhouse]

...and if you don't have the key number, a Volvo dealer called Rufe on VPC forum advised me to take a photo of the stud and send it to mcgard. They also require a scan of your driving licence and registration document and will supply one key for Euro 18 or two for Euro 30. I'm awaiting the new key with bated breath.....

[Frank B]

I've replaced the locking nuts with ordinary ones, is wheel theft a problem on Volvos ?

[grass hopper]

not just Volvos but all makes,just to change 4 tyres on a xc90 with 19 inch alloys can cost £1000 ! add the price of alloys and there is £2000+ straight away ! worth spending £30 on a set of locking wheel nuts ?

[Sanzomat]

I've become a victim of these rubbish McGard locking nuts. I went to change the wheels front to back to even out the wear and the nearside front locking not wouldn't undo. The key just slips out of the bolt head as soon as any torque is applied. I've done a bit of searching and these lockers come up as a problem in just about every make's owners forums so its not just Volvo who have a problem here. My dealer suggested the best thing to do would be to order up a new key (I have the code sheet) but wanted £15 plus vat for the part and said it would take about a week as they come from Germany. I tried McGard direct and they charge 18 euro delivered so a bit less than £15 plus vat. I asked them specifically if it was likely that a new key would sort it or if the bolt itself might be the problem (although the clover leaf on the key was clearly a bit mangled) They said the bolts are much more hardened than the keys, deliberately so that if anything is going to go it will be the key (makes sense) so I went ahead and ordered one. To be fair they did offer to send me one for free if I first sent back the old one but as the post to send it back would have been around £7 I thought the difference was worth the time saving to get my wheels off. The new key arrived today (4 days from order to receipt from Germany to UK so pretty good). I managed to get three of the bolts off but the fourth, deliberately left to last, was the troublesome one. This just slipped off the bolt head again. Seems to me that its the bolt head that is the problem as the key still looked new after undoing the other three. So I'm left with two useless keys and one wheel that I can't get off.
I've emailed McGard for advice and on Monday I'll try the dealer and meanwhile I'll hope I don't get a puncture.
Various forums offer suggestions such as getting the AA/RAC out as they have a special tool (but if a brand new genuine key won't work then can't see how that will) to welding the slip ring up and hammering on a socket (doesn't look like there is room in the wheel recess for that). I've tried using an impact driver on the key so that the maximum turning force is when the maximum "push-in" force is applied but no good. I've tried loosening all the other bolts and also over tightening all the other bolts (slightly - don't want to damage the alloy). The best option seems to be to weld a nut or similar to the bolt head, or maybe to split the key too get the centre part out and weld that to the bolt head.
I've already decided that once they are out they are never going back in again so I'm not bothered about how much damage the McGard bolt sustains in the process!! I've bought some other make locking bolts (less secure but should always be removable!) to replace them with. Already done on three of the wheels.
I strongly recommend that anyone who has McGard locking bolts fitted removes them while they still can and puts something different on. These things are clearly not up to the job and will leave you stuck sooner or later. The blame may well be that tyre dealers etc damage them with their air guns but that is a fact of life for cars and anything fitted should be able to cope with such minor abuse so If they can't then they are not fit for purpose.
I'm pretty sure that mine had only ever been undone/replaced using hand tools and properly torqued using a torque wrench as I've had my tyres replaced by a local guy I know from my rallying days and I've watched him do the work. The wheels have only been touched by me, my trusty tyre dealer and Volvo main dealers so to my knowledge have never seen an air gun.
My car is only two years old and just coming to the end of its second set of front tyres. What will happen when these McGard equipped cars get a few years older? If they can only be undone three or four times before they fail there will be an epidemic of cars with unremovable wheels.

[Clan]

If you get a cheap set of cranked ring spanners from machine mart ( £10) use the 19mm and get it welded to the bolt , the heat may help loosen it , if the spanner bends before loosening the bolt , force the spanner in and out with the help of a hammer, eventualy the hardened cap will ease off , leaving a nice countersunk depression to drill in the mild steel bolt . 12 mm should do it , then force the wheel off with a lever from behind and the remains of the head will snap off .
Volvo ditched these bolts about 18 months ago , they use an italian make now with the wavy part around the outside so more grip .

[cloggers]

Originally Posted by Clan

If you get a cheap set of cranked ring spanners from machine mart ( £10) use the 19mm and get it welded to the bolt , the heat may help loosen it , if the spanner bends before loosening the bolt , force the spanner in and out with the help of a hammer, eventualy the hardened cap will ease off , leaving a nice countersunk depression to drill in the mild steel bolt . 12 mm should do it , then force the wheel off with a lever from behind and the remains of the head will snap off .
Volvo ditched these bolts about 18 months ago , they use an italian make now with the wavy part around the outside so more grip .

From experience I can confirm this 100% correct. I had mine taken off that way for more than I cared to spend on it after a local shop used a pneumatic gun with the locking wheel nut adapter and completely f&%@ed the adapter and the nut.

The new ones are a lot better, I bought mine on Ebay but cannot remember how much they were. I would advise everyone to get them changed over when you have to change your alloys or tyres as the old model is not going to last for a long time...