[Cligedy]

I had a set of wheel locks that screwed me. It was a set where the key fit inside the nut like in Bluto's pic. The nut was torqued down and split down the side while I was trying to back it off. Trying to turn the nut just let the crack spread and the key just turned in the groove.

I took it to a tire shop and they wound up using an air chisel to back the nut off. The tech slipped a few times with the chisel and really boogered up the wheel.

I'm sure this was an exception, but I doubt I will ever trust wheel locks again.

 

[Cligedy]

Air chisel is not the removal method that crooks and mechanics use (when they don't have a working key).

If your mechanic uses a chisel, find a new mechanic.

This was when I was new to town and didn't have a good shop yet. It was a chain/ franchise tire shop. The air chisel was not their first choice though, we tried a few other methods first. This was 7 or 8 years ago, so I don't remember the specifics.