From Thamesmead and Erith down to Sidcup and Foots Cray, a lost, broken or slipping locking nut key keeps a wheel locked to the car. The fitter removes that nut where the car is parked, aiming to leave the alloy unmarked.
Bexley is about 18 miles in a straight line from our only base at Brent Cross, NW2. We give you an arrival time when you call.
Residential roads in Welling, Barnehurst, Blackfen, Lamorbey, Crayford, Belvedere, Slade Green and Northumberland Heath give the fitter what is needed: level ground and space to kneel beside each wheel. A driveway is better still.
We cannot stop or work on a red route; the car needs to be on a side street or private ground first. In this borough that means the A2 Rochester Way and East Rochester Way.
If the car is in a controlled parking zone permit bay, tell us so the fitter can park legally beside it.
The Broadway shopping centre at Bexleyheath, Erith Riverside, Tower Retail Park and Queen Mary's Hospital at Sidcup all run their own car parks. So do Crayford Industrial Estate and Europa Trading Estate. The site has to agree before a fitter starts work there, so check with them first.
Once the locking nut is off, a standard wheel nut or bolt goes on, or a new locking set if you want to keep that protection. It has to match the car's thread and seat type, so give us the make, model and year on the call. If the right nuts need sourcing, we tell you before booking.
A tyre with a puncture or damage on the same wheel can be dealt with on that visit.
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 | DA1, DA5, DA6, DA7, DA8, DA14, DA15, DA16, DA17, DA18 |
| Main roads | A2, A20 Sidcup bypass, A206, A207, A2016 Eastern Way and Bronze Age Way |
| Areas | Bexleyheath, Sidcup, Welling, Erith, Crayford, Belvedere, Barnehurst, Blackfen, Slade Green, Lamorbey, Foots Cray, part of Thamesmead and Abbey Wood |
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.
“From start to finish, Hiwad was incredibly professional and helpful.”
“I called out for a mobile repair. The service was quick and quite reasonably priced. Would recommend.”
“Fast and reliable.”
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.
