Replacement of nuts, bolts, and locking nuts

Many vehicles are equipped with wheel lock nuts designed to help protect wheels from theft. People often see videos on social media showing cars left sitting on bricks, plastic crates, or wooden blocks after thieves remove the wheels. This happens because stolen wheels and rims can easily be resold on online marketplaces. In cities like New York, wheel theft can occur frequently in areas where cars are parked on the street. Wheel locks help make it more difficult for thieves to remove the wheels and can sometimes discourage theft attempts. However, vehicle owners may lose the special key used to remove these locks, or the vehicle may be purchased from an auction or previous owner without the original key. In those cases the locking nuts must be removed using specialized tools. In most situations they can be removed carefully, but if they are severely over-tightened, corroded, or damaged, additional methods may be required. In rare cases minor cosmetic damage to the wheel surface may occur. After removal, new lug nuts or a new set of wheel locks can be installed to ensure the wheels are properly secured