If you have lost your locking wheel nut key, search the car first, then look for the key code card, then either order a replacement key using that code or have the nut removed by a fitter with proper extraction tools. Forcing the nut off yourself is the one option that reliably makes things worse.
Below: where keys and code cards hide, how to order a replacement, what proof to have ready, why DIY removal damages alloys, and when removal at the car makes more sense.
If the wheel has to come off today, our page on removing a locking wheel nut without the key covers the removal side.
Where should you look for a lost locking wheel nut key?
Most lost keys are still in the car, just not where the driver expects. The key is a short socket with a patterned end, small enough to roll out of sight. The RAC suggests keeping it in the glovebox, a side compartment in the boot or the centre console (RAC), so those are the first places to check.
- Glovebox, including inside the handbook wallet.
- Under the boot floor, in the foam tray around the jack, wheel brace or tyre sealant kit.
- The spare wheel well, and the centre of a space saver if the car has one.
- Side pockets in the boot, behind the removable panels on either side.
- Door bins, the centre console and under the front seats, where a loose key tends to end up.
- At home, with the service book or a bag of parts, if a garage handed it back separately.
Think back to the last time a wheel came off. A tyre change, brake work or a service is the most common point for a key to go missing, because it is taken out of its usual place and not put back. If that was recent, ring the garage and ask them to check.
If you find a key, check it properly before using it. The pattern should match the nut exactly and the key should sit fully home without rocking. A key from another car will not fit, even on the same model, and forcing a near match is a quick way to round the nut.
What is a locking wheel nut key code, and where is it?
The key code is the reference number that identifies your lock pattern, and with it a replacement key can be ordered without anyone touching the car. It normally comes on a small card or sticker supplied with the locking set. McGard, a maker of locking wheel nuts and bolts, says its ID registration card or sticker is included in every set and identifies the part number, style and pattern code of the lock set (McGard FAQs). McGard also notes that the glove compartment is the most common place for that card to be kept.
Places the code turns up:
- A credit card sized code card in the handbook wallet or service book.
- A sticker inside the handbook cover, on a service record page, or on the box the set came in.
- The invoice or paperwork from whoever fitted an aftermarket set.
- Occasionally, a number marked on the key itself. Not every key carries one, so do not rely on it.
What the code will not come from is a database linked to your number plate. For the McGard keys it supplies, Nissan UK states that key numbers are not stored or recorded, and that key codes are only available from the key code sticker supplied with the set (Nissan UK parts).
How do you order a replacement locking wheel nut key?
With the code in hand, there are two routes: a franchised dealer for your make, or the maker of the locking set. Which suits you depends on who fitted the nuts.
Through the vehicle dealer
If the locking nuts came with the car from new, the parts department of a franchised dealer is the natural starting point. Give them the registration and the key code and ask them to order the matching key. The RAC gives the same advice: contact the dealership or the manufacturer, who can provide a replacement based on the car's model and the locking nut code (RAC).
Without a code, some dealers can still help. Nissan UK says that if you do not have the code card you should visit a Nissan dealer, where a master set is used to work out the correct key number so the right replacement can be ordered. Other makes vary, so ring your own dealer and ask whether they hold a master set for the nuts on your car before you drive over.
Direct from the locking nut maker
If the set was bought and fitted after the car left the factory, or the dealer route goes nowhere, go to the maker named on the nut, the collar or the original box. McGard says replacement parts for its sets are sold direct and that you need the ID registration number from the card to order an extra key or lock. For customers in the UK and Europe, McGard's European customer service handles replacement keys by email and says that registering your key means you can get a replacement quickly if you lose both the key and the code card (McGard customer service). Other brands run their own schemes.
A replacement key comes in the post, so it is a fix for later rather than for a flat tyre on the drive this morning. You will also see online sellers offering to match a key from a photo of the nut. If you go that way, buy from a business you can identify, and check the new key seats fully before putting any force through it. Our tyres page sets out the budget, mid-range and premium options.
What proof of ownership should you have ready?
Expect to be asked to show the car is yours, because a locking wheel nut key is a security item. Whoever holds the key can take the wheels off. Requirements differ between businesses, so ask what they need when you call, and have these to hand:
- The V5C registration certificate (log book) in your name, or the new keeper slip if you have just bought the car.
- Photo ID with a name and address that match.
- The bill of sale or finance paperwork, particularly for a car bought recently.
- The key code card or registration number for the locking set, if you have it.
It helps to know what each document shows. The V5C records the registered keeper, the person responsible for registering and taxing the vehicle, and GOV.UK has made clear that it is not proof of ownership, advising buyers to ask for proof such as a bill of sale (GOV.UK).
If you bought a used car and the key never came with it, raise it with the seller. Ask for the key, or at least the code, before a sale completes. Our guide to spare wheel maintenance covers the rest of the kit worth checking at the same time.
Why does DIY removal damage alloy wheels?
Locking nuts are built to defeat the tools most people keep at home, so improvised removal tends to damage the wheel before it beats the nut. The nut sits in a recess in the alloy with very little clearance between its head and the painted face of the wheel. Anything that slips, skids or spins in that gap marks the wheel.
The usual DIY attempts, and what tends to go wrong:
- Hammering a socket on. An ordinary or cheap extractor socket driven over the nut can skid, crack or jam. Many locking nuts have a free-spinning outer collar that is designed to turn under a gripping tool, which is exactly what it does.
- Mole grips and chisels. These chew the collar, scar the wheel face around the recess and rarely shift a properly tightened nut.
- Drilling. A bit that wanders can cut into the wheel seat or the stud, and a damaged seat means a replacement nut may not clamp the wheel correctly.
- Heat or welding. The heat is a few centimetres from an aluminium wheel, a rubber tyre and, on many cars, a tyre pressure sensor on the valve. That is not a driveway job.
The hidden cost is that a half-rounded nut is harder to remove than a clean one, even with professional extraction tools. So if your first careful try with a found key does not bite cleanly, stop there. If the wheel is already marked, see wheel refurbishment vs replacement.
When should you get the nut removed at the car instead?
Ordering a key makes sense when nothing is urgent and you have the code; removal makes sense when the wheel has to come off now, or there is nothing to order with.
| Your situation | Sensible route |
|---|---|
| You found the code card and nothing is urgent | Order a replacement key from the dealer or the lock maker |
| No code, but your make's dealer holds a master set | Ask the dealer to identify the pattern and order the key |
| Flat tyre or puncture and the wheel is locked on | Have the nut removed at the car so the tyre can be sorted |
| Key has snapped, rounded or no longer seats fully | Removal, then new nuts, because a new key will not grip a worn nut |
| Used car with no key and no code | Removal, then standard nuts or a new locking set with its code card |
Removal at the car means a fitter with proper extraction tools takes the locking nut off where the car is parked, at home, at work or in a car park. Our locking wheel nut removal service covers London, the Home Counties and the Midlands, including Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire, and once the nut is off we can repair or replace the tyre in the same visit. The price is confirmed on the call before any work starts, and a realistic arrival time is agreed on the same call. If you would rather not take the car anywhere, mobile tyre fitting brings the work to your driveway or car park.
If this happens on a motorway, do not try to deal with the wheel there. If you can do so safely, leave at the next junction exit or services, or get to a safe side road; if you are in danger, call 999, and National Highways can be reached on 0300 123 5000. Driving any distance on a flat has its own cost, as explained in is it safe to drive on a flat.
How do you stop it happening again?
Whichever route you took, a few habits stop a lost key turning into a problem next time.
- Keep the key in one place in the car, ideally with the jack or wheel brace, and check it goes back there after every tyre job.
- Photograph the code card and keep the photo somewhere other than the car.
- Register the set with its maker if registration is offered, as McGard does.
- Ask for a torque wrench, not an impact gun. McGard warns against using an impact spanner on its wheel locks because it can damage the lock, the key and the vehicle, and says to retighten to the torque in the vehicle manual after the first 50 km. Continental gives the same advice to re-check wheel nuts 30 miles or 50 kilometres after a tyre change (Continental Tyres).
- Check the key is present when you buy a car and before a long trip. It is on our car tyre emergency kit list for that reason.
If you would rather be rid of locking nuts altogether, a fitter can swap them for standard nuts or bolts with the correct seat type, thread and length for the wheel. Either choice is fine as long as the replacement matches, which is one of the things covered in what a tyre fitter checks. If the nut needs to come off, book online or call 07473 720871.
If you fit the spare yourself once the wheel is off, follow our guide on how to change a tyre safely.
