Mcgard locking wheel nut removal

How to remove a Mcgard locking wheel nut in under 30 seconds without the special McGard coded adaptor key.

[@robroberton2667]

Valve grind compound was an absolutely magic idea! I removed four Toyota brand wheel locks that were extremely tight with the aid of a 19 mm deep socket and valve grind compound. The socket alone did not have sufficient grip. Thanks for the great solution !!

[@johncooper7242]

thank you Rob for your feedback glad you managed to remove your wheels .

[@ÆCME]

Fabulous Idea John! I've 4 mcguard, like yours to tackle on extremely deep expensive, limited edition alloys... God knows how I'll do it , but I'll try you're way . The paste is the only hope. Cheers mate, Glad you got the bugger's off 👍

[@ÆCME]

Fabulous Idea john ! I've 4 mcguard, like yours to tackle on extremely deep expensive, limited edition alloys... God knows how I'll do it , but I'll try you're way . The paste is the only hope. Cheers mate, Glad you got the bugger's off 👍

[@johncooper7242]

good luck mate ....take it nice and slow and it should grip ok.

[@ÆCME]

​@@johncooper7242 Thanks John 💯

[@thesouth50]

Easy peasy for u sir. Took me 4 hours and a welding machine

[@johncooper7242]

guess I was just really lucky then .

[@weedwild]

how did that work out? i recently misplaced my key and my idea is to buy 4 similar sockets and weld one to each lock. works in my head but not sure how that would play out.

[@thesouth50]

@@weedwild it was difficult. But not in the sense of trying 20 different things till one worked. My method was just time consuming. At firstI tried hammeringon a socket. But my lug juts were torqued to spec. That wouldn't work and I cracked 2 sockets. Not sure if that's the difference maker in all this. But I had to go borrow the welder. That was an adventure in itself. But if u already have access to one. Your one step ahead. I tacked a socket to the lugs and put a torch on it to get it hot then took my breaker bar and went very slowly. I ended up getting them off. I promise u though. It's very cheap insurance to go ahead if u buy these lock lugs to just order an extra key or 2. Put one in the garage, and the house junk drawer. They only cost like 14 bucks

[@marcomolina2654]

I fucken hate these things

[@raymondconaghan3160]

Perfect, some lowlife broke into my car and took only the wheel nut lock to come back another time to take the wheels. I was getting quotes from £80 to drill out the locks but lets hope this works.

[@voterdown]

👌🤪 good thing you whispered and kept looking around….shshhhhhhhh

[@johncooper7242]

Ha Ha it did look suspicious didn't it ! I could hear a Woodpecker close by and was trying to spot it whilst talking .......honest guv😄

[@You_are_not_normal]

John i have found Irwin bolt removal sockets absolutely amazing for all sorts of rusted rounded and locking wheel nuts. You can buy them off Amazon the best tools in my box plus they are not made of cheese like the cheaper ones. Highly recommend them pal

[@johncooper7242]

nice idea they look like a useful addition to anyones toolbox thanks for posting

[@johnhonest9347]

In the beginning of the vid i thought he was stealing

[@johncooper7242]

ha ha ....no I was looking for a Woodpecker I could hear calling near by lol

[@nigelbryant5932]

I paid £60 for a replacement key. Mine are on so tight the key sheared off. Kwick fit and other tyre places can’t remove them. The videos on you tube make it look easy. Mine are the same as yours. Done up by an idiot with a gun.

[@stuart121972]

Did your mcgard locking bolts have spinning collars on them? I had Tyres on the Drive out today to change 3 tyres on my Astra. First two wheels came off ok, but the key broke on the third one and he didn’t have any tools to attempt removal so ended up leaving the third tyre with me. So I am now left with broken key and the bit that’s broken off it is jammed in the bolt so even if I got a replacement key I couldn’t use it on that bolt. I tried hammering a socket on but it just span due to the rotating collar so I gave up and took to the internet for ideas. Fortunately the car is a second car so no urgency to get it done, it’s due an mot by the end of the month and I’d like to get the tyre changed as it’s got some cracking in the sidewall.

[@johncooper7242]

sorry I missed your message Stuart. I expect that you have probably sorted the problem by now. i don't know how deeply recessed or inaccessible the wheel nuts are on your car but I would have thought that it should be possible to use a thin cold chisel and chisel the key part out of the locking wheel nut. With a 1/4" wood chisel you might be able to cut the spinning cover off the locking wheel nut but if the worse comes to the worse you may have no other option that to use a angle grinder to cut the wheel off the hub and replace the wheel unless you can reach the nut with a welding torch and weld something to the locknut

[@andyhedges5705]

I've got to do this tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

[@johncooper7242]

good luck Andy. Just make sure that you smear some graphite or something course inside the socket first. if you can't find some grinding paste then use something like fine sand mixed with vasoline or grease or even file the inside of the socket first to roughen it up. Try to use a 12 point socket as a 6x point is unlikely to be successful and will probably just spin on the nut. Pull on your ratchet or bar slowly rather than jerk it and the socket will have more chance of gripping good luck

[@andyhedges5705]

@@johncooper7242 thanks John. Worked perfectly. Only difficulty was all my tools are back in England so had to use a piddly IKEA hammer. I also sacrificed four cheap sockets. Thanks for posting your video. Helped tremendously.

[@johncooper7242]

@@andyhedges5705 thats great news well done and thanks for the feedback Andy, much appreciated

[@BMWguru]

I’ve got the same wheel locks on but a 19mm socket doesn’t my fit anyway of finding out the right one to get on and removing them?

[@johncooper7242]

What car do you have Pete ? if the wheel nuts are metric then you just need to find the socket that just doesn't quite fit over the locknut and hammer it on. If it won't hammer on then go up 1x size. If it then goes on too easily it won't work. make sure you smear some graphite around the locking nut or at least file it around the outside so that your socket has something to grip otherwise it will just spin. Follow all of the instructions in the video and they will come off. Note :if you have imperial wheel nuts then you'll need a imperial socket set .

[@billzhang9752]

Could you give me the name of the material you use in the video to increase the friction? Where can I buy it?

[@johncooper7242]

it is valve grinding paste and you can buy it in any car accessory shop

[@billzhang9752]

@@johncooper7242 Thank you very much

[@13madbob]

Thank you sir

[@johncooper7242]

hey you're welcome Bob . Hope it got you out of trouble

[@drwisdom1]

I think Mr. Cooper demonstrated that these locks work pretty good. It is going to be really hard to extract the lock from the socket. So if someone wanted to steal the wheels they would have to have four sockets. To loosen I would have used a 1/2 breaker bar rather than a short 3/8 ratchet.

[@johncooper7242]

you and most others would have had to use a breaker bar because you are weak and don't have the arm and body strength that I have . The ratchet was a 1/2" not 3/8 but you were so busy looking for an opportunity to flame me that you didn't hear me describe that in detail in the video did you ! 156 watchers gave me a thumbs up for a helpful video you just criticise ....... Your responses illustrate how some people take any opportunity to snipe at others .You studiously ignore the fact that I have gone out of my way to film and show others how they can get themselves out of a bind at no cost. By the way its easy to remove the lock from a socket it just takes a little commonsense

[@drwisdom1]

@@johncooper7242 Are you kidding? I complimented your video. You have some attitude there. Trump fan?

[@johncooper7242]

@@drwisdom1 Sorry but where exactly did you compliment my video ? all I see is criticism ? have I misunderstood your comments ? You stated that you would use a 1/2" socket and bar which tells me that either you didn't actually watch the video or you wern't paying attention. It is not difficult to remove the locking nut from the socket so you don't need 4x sockets but then you neither bothered to read through the comments where I explain how its done nor have you ever tried this yourself so your comments here are speculative and unhelpful . I'm English not American so I have no interest in American Politics.

[@drwisdom1]

​@@johncooper7242 I recently bought some really nice used 17" Tacoma wheels, tires, and nuts for $200. They came with some McGard wheel locks which I haven't had since the 1990s. But it only had one key so I ordered an extra and searched KZbin for "McGard" and your video came up. Since it was about easy removal of the locks I was concerned they wouldn't really protect me. What I saw was if you don't have the key you can still remove the lock with the right strategy. I also like that it wasn't so easy to do that thieves could use your process to quickly steal 4 wheels. It is not going to be fun to publicly remove the lock from the socket to then move to the next wheel. Thieves will have to have 4 sockets and people might hear them hammering them on. I was wrong on the ratchet size because I was estimating based on its length. I have changed a lot of tires over the last 40 years and I always use an 18 breaker bar because it is so much easier and I don't want to break my ratchet. Its fine if you want to use that ratchet, but readers should use longer breaker bars. I keep a Snap-On SN4B in every one of our vehicles in case I get a flat. It is both a 1/2 breaker bar and speeder. Plus it never needs to be charged.

[@johncooper7242]

@@drwisdom1 I am fortunate in that live on a private estate with only one entrance and excellent security surveillance but the area where I live has extremely low theft and vandalism fortunately so I probably don’t need locking wheel nuts . They are a pain at the best of times especially when doing routine maintenance but they are probably invaluable for those forced to park on a public street. Why on earth did you assume that I would somehow use a ratchet to remove my wheelnuts on all my vehicles ? I never use a ratchet for removing wheel nuts, nobody does. I use a spider wheelbrace like everybody else. For the purposes of the video I had little other option than to use what I had to hand which was a ½” socket set ....... yes a breaker bar would be easier and safer but i rarely need to use one even at 70 years of age .. I'm sure that you didn't intend for your comments to be critical but that is how they came across. If you do not wish to be misunderstood perhaps you might think about how your comments might be construed or just add something that is clearly appreciative or approving . It is easy to be critical of others that spend hours of their free time filming, editing, producing and uploading videos for the benefit of others. Thanks for a friendly and constructive conversation ......take care

[@edwinaml1646]

i have audi a5 the socket doesn't work even RAC recover man could not remove .. do u have any idea..?

[@johncooper7242]

Edwin if you follow the video EXACTLY then you will be able to remove the Mcgard locking wheel nuts. You must use a 12x point socket ...and apply something inside the socket to increase the grip like valve grinding paste which will increase the friction on the lock nut. You can buy the paste at Halfords or any car accessory shop. Hammer the socket on hard as you can then very slowly turn the locknut off with your socket ratchet . If you have a long socket breaker ...bar all the better if not put a metal pipe over the ratchet handle to increase the leverage .

[@edwinaml1646]

@@johncooper7242 thank u..

[@JohnSmith-vq1kf]

I tried for 3 hours...gave up....the 19 mm socket goes on tight...but when turned to remove it just spins....gave up...I forgot where I bought the wheel locks....I will call McGard anyway on Monday....

[@johncooper7242]

hey John sorry to hear that it wasn't successful for you. Did you follow all of the suggestions I made ? Did you use a 12x point socket ? Did you smear course grinding paste inside the socket ? Did you hammer the socket on really hard ? Did you apply turning pressure on the breaker bar slowly ? You may also find it helpful to roughen up the McGuard nut first using a rough file which will stop the socket slipping . If you missed out any of these steps then you probably will not have any success.Let me know how you got on

[@Katsis68]

Was this a spinning lock nut?

[@tentedalex]

This one and the spinning lug nut are basically the same. No edges and it just spins off

[@samsnow7370]

I have a mini/bmw lock nut that was on too tight and stripped 2 lock keys (original and a replacement at $60). I couldn't budge my with a 2 foot breaker bar socket wrench. You are only using a 8 inch wrench. The person that put that locknut on really cranked it on ... I have to take to the dealer.

[@johncooper7242]

yes I am only using a 8" socket bar but i am immensely strong and could probably lift the corner of the car off the ground . Most people today are physically weak and would need a long breaker bar . The problem with using a breaker bar is that you are too far away from the wheel nut to be able to press the locknut key into the locknut to prevent it slipping out . This is why you stripped both your lock keys because you did not press them into the wheel nut really hard whilst turning the breaker bar. Either use a shorter bar or find someone with some upper body strength to do the job

[@dirkwickert6378]

Was ist das für eine Nuss

[@davidstewart5452]

I have the same locknut and lost the key..RAC came along and said sorry we dont carry locknut removal tools...prats..i did find it...

[@johncooper7242]

David ...don't forget to put the key in a special safe place where you'll not find it again next time you need it lol. I always put it back in the glovebox now cos i'm always misplacing stuff

[@drwisdom1]

@@johncooper7242 I won't use wheel locks unless I have two keys - one for the vehicle and one at home in case the other gets lost.

[@johncooper7242]

@@drwisdom1 well good for you ....arn't you the smart one. I unfortunately bought the car without a key and didn't think to check if it had wheel locks. I won't make that mistake again.

[@drwisdom1]

@@johncooper7242 I was just stating my wheel lock policy. How could you interpret that as an attack on you?

[@johncooper7242]

@@drwisdom1 then please explain how your comment is helpful or relevant to others removing locking wheel nuts when the key has been mislaid. It just sounds to me like self righteous smugness . Re-read your comment and see how your comment might appear from my viewpoint . Also please show me exactly where your comment is 'complimentary'

[@ashkiller713]

Now how did you get it off

[@johncooper7242]

watch the video.........

[@ashkiller713]

@@johncooper7242 the socket from the bolt

[@johncooper7242]

@@ashkiller713 ahh! your messages are so short that they make no sense. You meant how did I remove the wheel nut from the socket yes ! I placed the socket into a vice and then placed a short steel bar( ie a 3/8" socket adaptor,) into the top of the socket against the wheel lock then hit the bar with a hammer to drift the nut out of the socket . Commonsense really .

[@mattyp8254]

John Cooper what if you don’t have access to a vice?😂

[@johncooper7242]

@@mattyp8254 use your teeth ! sheesh.....