Ask for a wheel nut key
When this car was serviced and MOT’d at Worcester’s Mobile Mechanic, we pointed out to its owner that it would need rear tyres in approximately six months’ time. The customer did not think we fitted tyres and three months later she took the car to a “professional tyre company”.
Fast forward three months and the car came in for a service and MOT. Unfortunately, the car failed the test and we needed to remove the front wheels.
However, we could not find the locking wheel nut key and the customer had no idea what one was. WMM managed to remove the front wheels but the rear wheels were excessively tight.
Strangely Ford do not sell studs on their own which meant an expensive and needless parts cost - £170 a side plus VAT for complete hubs.
Luckily for the customer, WMM had two wheel studs from a Mazda which were the same thread and the same size exactly as the two we had destroyed. This saved the customer more than £400 and the labour time was greatly reduced.
WMM managed to get the car MOT’d, serviced and repaired on the same day. We worked late to finish the car, which made the customer very happy.
The moral of the story is if you’re having tyres changed and you have locking wheel nuts, before you leave ask for the key. At WMM we make a point of showing the key to the customer.
Remember a poorly maintained vehicle is a breakdown waiting to happen, come to the experts at Worcester’s Mobile Mechanic.