A key that has split inside the nut, a pattern worn smooth so the key slips, or a key nobody can find: each one leaves the wheel bolted to the car until the locking nut is taken off where the car stands.
Our only base, at Brent Cross, NW2, is in the London Borough of Barnet. We give you an arrival time when you call.
When a key snaps, part of it often stays wedged in the nut, and the nut then has to come out with the broken piece in it. That is the same removal job as a lost key, done with tools made for it and with care for the alloy. If the nut is badly chewed, the fitter says so before starting.
Searches for a master key usually come from the same problem. A master set only fits the patterns it was made for, so we do not rely on one: the locking nut is removed and a standard nut goes on in its place, or a new locking set if you want one.
A driveway, or a legal kerbside space in a street off the main roads, suits the job anywhere from Golders Green and Hendon through Finchley and Whetstone to Totteridge and Mill Hill.
We cannot stop or work on a red route; the car needs to be on a side street or private ground first. Here that means the A406 North Circular, the A1 and the A41 Watford Way and Hendon Way.
If the car is in a controlled parking zone permit bay, tell us so the fitter can park legally beside it.
Car parks at Brent Cross Shopping Centre, Colindale Retail Park, Friern Bridge Retail Park and Barnet Hospital belong to their owners. Ask the site first; without their say-so we work elsewhere.
The price depends on how many locking nuts need removing and whether you want standard nuts or a new locking set, plus any tyre work. It is confirmed on the call before anyone sets off, and it does not change in the evening or at the weekend.
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Postcode districts | EN4, EN5, N2, N3, N11, N12, N20, NW4, NW7, NW9, NW11, HA8 |
| Main roads | M1 J1 to J4, A1, A406 North Circular, A41 Watford Way and Hendon Way, A1000 Great North Road |
| Areas | Finchley, East Finchley, North Finchley, Hendon, Golders Green, Colindale, Mill Hill, Whetstone, Totteridge, part of Edgware and Cockfosters |
| Our base | Brent Cross, NW2, inside the borough |
Most cars with locking wheel nuts have one on each wheel, with a patterned head that only its matching key will turn. The key is a small socket that fits between the nut and the wheel brace. Without it the wheel cannot come off, so a lost or broken key turns a simple puncture into a bigger job.
Each key has a code, usually on a small card that came with the car or stamped on the key itself. With the code, a replacement key can often be ordered from a dealer or the lock maker, which is worth doing if the wheel does not need to come off urgently.
A nut can also be damaged: the pattern rounds off when the wrong tool or an impact gun is used, or the key snaps inside the nut. In those cases the key would not help even if it turned up, and the nut has to be removed.
Every wheel nut is tightened to the maker's setting with a torque wrench. It is good practice to have the nuts checked again after the first short drive following any wheel work, as alloy wheels can settle slightly.
If you want locking nuts again, a new set can be fitted later. Keep the new key in the glovebox and note the key code somewhere outside the car, such as on your phone, so a replacement key can be ordered if it goes missing.
Tell us whether the key is lost, broken or rounded off. A clear photo of one of the nuts helps.
You hear what the job involves and the options for your car. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
The fitter comes to your home, your workplace or a safe place to park, raises the car on a jack and does the job beside it.
Before the fitter leaves, the wheel is checked for security and the tyre pressure is set to the maker's figure.
If the key turns up but does not fit, or it slips on the nut, stop rather than force it: a rounded nut is harder to remove.
The previous owner, or the dealer that sold the car, may still have the key or its code, so a call to them can be worth it if the wheel can wait.
“Good communication, excellent work and takes the initiative. Happy to go the extra mile, highly recommended if you're in a tyre-related bit of bother!”
“Arrived and was very kind and polite. Reassured me about changing the tyres and was quick and attentive straight away.”
“Good and reliable service in all conditions.”
These are the neighbourhoods, postcode districts and main roads on record for this area. Whether we can take a particular job depends on the diary and the distance from our base, so the call always decides.
Yes, if the site allows it. Supermarket, retail park and station car parks are private ground, so the owner's permission comes first. Places of this kind in this area include:
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Tell us the make, model and registration, and whether you have the key code card. The price is given on the call.
