a little tip

[Rotary Evolution]

if you use wheel locks, DON'T LOSE YOUR WHEEL LOCK KEYS!

i'm sick of chiseling, welding and hammering to get wheels off.



that is all...

[RETed]

WTF?
This sounds like a whiny rant to me...

If you're sick of it, this is why you charge a premium to do jobs like this.
If you don't like to do it at all, then just deline the job.
WTF?

There is nothing useful about this post.
I don't see any positive reason for this thread?


-Ted

[Rotary Evolution]

i suppose you won't complain if you ever run into it.

it isn't helpful? it is, to keep the key in a safe place somewhere inside the car where you know where it is. and no, tire shops don't charge you to dig through your dirty shit for a wheel key. they will charge you to try not to destroy your wheels. plenty of people don't ever even think about it. if even one person reads and thinks "i wonder where my key is" and puts it in a safe place, then perhaps it isn't so useless.

is it a whine? fuck yes it is.

[djmtsu]

You know what is easier?

Take a picture and send it to one of the wheel lock manufacturers. $8 and a couple days later and BAM! Wheel lock is off. If it is an emergency, well then too damn bad.

Ask me how I know.....

[Kman Art]

We have sockets for this very same problem. They are cut in a fashion that when you crank em in reverse, they dig into whatever you want. Great for stripped wheel lugs as well as those pesky wheel locks.

Of course, they don't work on all wheel locks.

Sorry to hear about your problem. It's an issue that we seldom get at our shop but when we do, it's a bitch.

[Rotary Evolution]

sorry, i was super irritated after getting more wire to weld these bitches to get them off. fuck wheel locks, thieves will get them off if they want your wheels anyways.

and the lugnut removers only work for some wheels, that have enough clearance and these do not.

[RedR1]

I always wondered how shops get those super lock wheel nuts/lugs off. now i know. . . that stinks though. but yes, charge a super premium so the owners learn a lesson. too many of them try to take advantage of shops with the, "they should know how" mentality

[rx7 vinnie]

I run into this almost every week in my shop...... I charge alot for my time, tools, and skill. It doesn't bother me.

[Rotary Evolution]

it also depends on the car i suppose. this car i had rebuilt the engine several months ago on, after which he decided the 25 year old stock power plant wasn't enough in stock form and wanted to turbo the 6 port n/a block..

pages of work later and many addons sometimes you just want a car gone. if it had come in with just suspension work or a wheel swap, no biggie. with the wheels needing to be removed to add the water injection kit behind the bumper it put the rest of the car at a standstill until you get the locks off.


but i can't say it is the current owner's fault, he bought it in project form with boxes of parts.

anyways, i always keep my lock key in a place i know where to find it(with the jack and lug wrench). most people don't even know they have wheel locks on their car so i make a note to tell them where i put it so that they know, sometimes i simply leave it on the center console for them to figure out where to keep it. seldomly i get a car and the wheel lock key is sitting on the console already(owner thought ahead).

[RETed]

i suppose you won't complain if you ever run into it.
I don't complain because I will charge you up the ass to take care of it.
If you start to whine about it, I will tell you to fuck off.
You can go complain to some other shop to take care of your problem.

it isn't helpful? it is, to keep the key in a safe place somewhere inside the car where you know where it is.
You can TELL people what to do, but it doesn't mean they will do it.
Ever lost, misplaced, or forgotten your keys to start the car?
Did you do it on purpose?
Yeah, so you can tell yourself all you want about what NOT to do, but SHIT HAPPENS.
This is why you charge customers to take care of stupid jobs.
If you can't understand this rule, then you have no business running a business.


and no, tire shops don't charge you to dig through your dirty shit for a wheel key. they will charge you to try not to destroy your wheels. plenty of people don't ever even think about it.
All shops that I have encountered that does kind of work will NEVER guarantee any damages to the wheels.
If the customer insists no damage to the wheel, I will tell them to leave the car with my for a month, and I will charge them $1,000 per wheel for this kinda stupid shit.


if even one person reads and thinks "i wonder where my key is" and puts it in a safe place, then perhaps it isn't so useless.
Within the time it took to read that sentence, 10 more people were born into this world who will forget their wheel lock key...
If you want to argue about metaphysics, this is not the place for it.


is it a whine? fuck yes it is.
I'm glad you admit it.
You can deal with it in your own sub section then...


-Ted

[Rotary Evolution]

and people think i'm angry..