From Grovehill and Woodhall Farm down to Apsley and Bennetts End, a car parked without its locking nut key is fine to drive, right up until a wheel has to come off. Then the locking nut has to be removed, and we do that at the car.
Hemel Hempstead is about 16 miles in a straight line from our only base at Brent Cross, NW2. We give you an arrival time when you call.
One more search can save the cost of a removal. Keys end up in the glovebox, the door pockets, the spare wheel well or tool tray under the boot floor, or the pack with the handbook. If you bought the car second-hand, ask the seller.
If a hammered-on socket or another tool has already been tried on the nut, tell us, because a nut damaged by earlier attempts is harder to remove without marking the alloy.
Offices and warehouses in the Maylands business area, the Marlowes and Riverside shopping centres, the Heights at Adeyfield, the hospital and both stations run private car parks. So do the Saracen and Frogmore industrial estates. We need the owner's permission before working on any of them.
A driveway or a residential street in Adeyfield, Boxmoor, Leverstock Green, Gadebridge, Warners End, Highfield, Chaulden or the Old Town is easier, as long as the ground is firm and there is room around the wheel.
We never work on the carriageway of a motorway or main road, on a hard shoulder, in a smart motorway emergency area or on a slip road. That covers the M1 at junction 8, the M25 at junction 20, the A41 and the A414 Breakspear Way and Two Waters Way.
The car is safe to drive on its locking nuts if the tyres are fine, so there is no need to move it far: a nearby side street or a car park where the owner agrees is enough.
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.
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.
“Had two tyres replaced and was really impressed. Friendly and efficient, job completed quickly. Highly recommend!”
“Arrived and was very kind and polite. Reassured me about changing the tyres and was quick and attentive straight away.”
“Amazingly fast, polite and saved my day.”
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.
