Lock Nut Key????

jodyperry · 20th September 2006, 13:32

Hi

I don't know if i have a leg to stand on but I bought an astra which was a year old about 2 half years ago and up till 6 months ago I did not need to change the tyres. When one burst i did not have the lock nut key to get the tyres off and had to call the aa to do it. I now need 2 more tyres and i have rang the garage to say that we were not supplied with a lock nut key but they are saying its their word against mine ad they find it hard to believe i have not had a service or changed the tyres so far. Correct me if im wrong but I am a typical woman with cars and i pointed out tat services was not a legal requirement and i only need them changing now as they are pretty bald and apparently illegal. They have said there is nothing they can do as it was so long ago and basically say i have lost it!! they are however willing to take the tyres off for me and charge me £100!!!! I DIDN'T HAVE THE KEY IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!! is there anything i can do??

alibobsy · 20th September 2006, 13:41

Just wondering is this you local dealership garage or just a local garage. Our vauxhall dealership is brilliant and have even doen minor stuff on the car for free as we are long standing customers of theirs. Surely it doesn't cost £100 to buy the key thingy. We have ours and it doesn't look like something too expensive, might be worth buying one from the dealership? Last time we needed tyres we shopped around for prices, but the best value for the type and size of tyres we wanted with fitting was thro the dealership. Was the £100 just to take the tyres off or did it include new tyres?
ali

jodyperry · 20th September 2006, 13:58

hi

no its just to take the tyres off and they are the dealers. our whole family have been buying cars from them for the past 10 years. You can get a replacement but they are saying we need the serial number when i asked what bit of paperwork this would be with he said its in the box with the kay!! no help if we never had the box with the key! lol

clint1974 · 20th September 2006, 14:02

To take the wheels off you mean! It should be in the boot with your spare wheel, if not im sure your vauxhall dealer will be able to supply one.

Rich44 · 20th September 2006, 14:41

They dont need a serial number the dealership should have all the keys it just means someone will have to sit there and go through them to find the right one for you. In your case it would probably be cheaper to then go out and buy a new set of locking wheel nuts from Halfords certainly cheaper than £100 they want

ukaviator · 20th September 2006, 15:15

Hi Team.

If you take the car registration document with you to the main Vauxhall Dealer,they will be able to look up the details of the car on their system.
Providing you are the owner they have a database of key numbers and radio codes.Wheel keys, they may have also.Give them a call first as it depends on the age of the car whether they hold this information.

Hope this helps

Ukaviator

Darwin · 20th September 2006, 17:52

Is it a mk5 Astra ?

dolly · 20th September 2006, 20:57

Happened with me when I bought a new Corsa - we never got them either and I kicked up a stink about it and they conceded and gave me replacements. This was after about 8mths though, not as long as yours.

phunkeymonkeh · 20th September 2006, 21:12

you can get a set of replacement locking nuts and key for about £35.
I bought some from a shop the other day.
I suspect they will be far more expensive from the dealer

Bookworm · 21st September 2006, 00:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by jodyperry

Correct me if im wrong but I am a typical woman with cars

Ok, you're wrong with that for starters. You may be, but let's not carry that kind of stereotypes, please.

Quote:

and i pointed out tat services was not a legal requirement

No, but keeping your vehicle roadworthy is.

Quote:

and i only need them changing now as they are pretty bald and apparently illegal.

If they are "pretty bald", as you say, they have been illegal and in need of a change for a long time!

Quote:

They have said there is nothing they can do as it was so long ago and basically say i have lost it!! they are however willing to take the tyres off for me and charge me £100!!!! I DIDN'T HAVE THE KEY IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!

Well, you are in a difficult position, as if it comes down to your word against theirs, the fact that you didn't get your car serviced for 2 yrs and kept on driving with illegal tyres is not going to make you look terribly savvy when it comes to motors, and careless to boot, so I wouldn't give great odds on you winning, tbh. And there is the question of how would you know if you had it or not in the first place, as you wouldn't come across as someone who would have checked when they first got the car.

So all in all, I don't see that there is much you can do, apart from paying for a new set, frm the dealer or elsewhere.

Darwin · 21st September 2006, 14:10

This may be the address you need

Neil Brimson
Executive Support Manager
Vauxhall Motors Limited Customer Care
Griffin House
Osborne Road
Luton
LU1 3YT

Rich44 · 21st September 2006, 23:29

I hope you are not driving around in the car at the moment, I dont want to take the high ground or lecture you but if you drive a car with defective tyres in the wet you are going to lose control and possibly kill someone and even if you dont if you're caught its 3 points PER TYRE so having 4 tyres = BAN from driving plus a hefty financial fine too.

Tyres have wear bars on them little raised strips of rubber inside the tread, when the tread gets down to these its time to change them as they are on the legal limit not waiting till they are bald, the next thing after going bald is having exposed cream bits this is the canvas poking thru and once that happens it could blow out at any time resulting in a sudden loss of control of the vehicle that happens at high speed and you or an innocent bystander is DEAD please please keep an eye on your tyres in future

Good luck getting the wheel nut sorted out

ian cognito · 21st September 2006, 23:39

We had a similar problem a few weeks ago and had to get the RAC out, and they couldn't get the wheel off so they stuck a bung in the puncture. Our key wasn't lost it was chewed by a garage last time we had the tyre replaced. £25 for a new ket plus 7 days waiting, £80 for vauxhall to take off the nuts so we had them forced off and ordinary nuts put on - it just wasn't worth the hassle! I've learnt not to buy another vauxhall car!!!

jodyperry · 21st September 2006, 23:39

hi

i don't think i explained myself that well and didn't mean to offend anyone!!! took it to the garage today and the tyres arn't quite illegal yet but cerainly getting close to the line,and 'highly advisd to change'. Looks like by the responses that I don't have a leg to stand on but thanks for any help and cheers for the address.

meggyweggy · 23rd September 2006, 16:36

One way to do it is to buy a new set of locking wheel nuts before you do this then drill out the old ones. You will need a very good drill and preferably a 240volt one not a battery one

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