Oh yeah, fun stuff. Try the mercedes ones with the star shape 17mm. Some company actually came out with a dedicated lug socket, just for that specific lug application. I think the brand was AST. I got in the habit of turning my impact gun down to lowest setting, when reinstalling, then i hand torque my lugs. Cant promise the next person taking the wheels off will have the same discipline, but oh well. 😂. I also like using torque sticks when refastening with ½" impact. There are some cheap technicians that wont entertain buying those. Heck, they probably are sliding by, using standard sockets on metric lugs for all i know 😂
Those do suck but at least they are still hard bolts that don't damage by just existing in the heat. These have a weak shell on the bolt head so they can have chrome on it but it tends to expand and is super easy to damage. So once they expand you get ones that get stuck in the socket or won't even let it fit on anymore and if they have any damage or you use a slightly bigger socket to compensate they shred. The pitch of 1.25 sucks and that combined with being wheel bolts makes them rare to find especially in Arkansas of all places, but the real problem is that shitty chrome shell. GM even does it to regular lug nuts. I've had a Malibu with the same issue. One of the lug nuts turned into a jagged circle before I finally used an extractor on it.
Also, here's the really weird part. Even the Mercedes ones aren't rare. Most of them are a 1.5 thread pitch. This is a 1.25 thread pitch. That is insanely rare for a wheel bolt and I have no idea why they chose that but it's what makes these so hard and expensive to replace. If I could have bought them as cheaply and easily as most lug nuts and wheel bolts I wouldn't have made this video or complained. They made this thing incredibly stupid for no reason from head to end.
Because of the combination of wheel bolt and 1.25 thread pitch your choices are: Buy online and wait for shipping Spend 100-200 dollars in town if you need to replace them all.
Tried, they really layered these on. The Dremel was getting to the point of cutting the real metal and yet the cover still wouldn't budge despite being half cut through.
I have the right socket. Maybe actually work on a car with the kind of lug nuts or wheel bolts where the material expands and no longer fits the socket so you'll understand the real problem instead of just making yourself look stupid with comments like this. Here's a clue, if it was the wrong size socket I would have had a problem with all the wheel bolts and not just the ones that had already expanded or been damaged by someone else. But I guess the ones that fit my "wrong socket" had magically shrunk huh?
Oh yeah, fun stuff. Try the mercedes ones with the star shape 17mm. Some company actually came out with a dedicated lug socket, just for that specific lug application. I think the brand was AST. I got in the habit of turning my impact gun down to lowest setting, when reinstalling, then i hand torque my lugs. Cant promise the next person taking the wheels off will have the same discipline, but oh well. 😂. I also like using torque sticks when refastening with ½" impact. There are some cheap technicians that wont entertain buying those. Heck, they probably are sliding by, using standard sockets on metric lugs for all i know 😂
Those do suck but at least they are still hard bolts that don't damage by just existing in the heat. These have a weak shell on the bolt head so they can have chrome on it but it tends to expand and is super easy to damage. So once they expand you get ones that get stuck in the socket or won't even let it fit on anymore and if they have any damage or you use a slightly bigger socket to compensate they shred.
The pitch of 1.25 sucks and that combined with being wheel bolts makes them rare to find especially in Arkansas of all places, but the real problem is that shitty chrome shell. GM even does it to regular lug nuts. I've had a Malibu with the same issue. One of the lug nuts turned into a jagged circle before I finally used an extractor on it.
Also, here's the really weird part. Even the Mercedes ones aren't rare. Most of them are a 1.5 thread pitch.
This is a 1.25 thread pitch. That is insanely rare for a wheel bolt and I have no idea why they chose that but it's what makes these so hard and expensive to replace. If I could have bought them as cheaply and easily as most lug nuts and wheel bolts I wouldn't have made this video or complained. They made this thing incredibly stupid for no reason from head to end.
Because of the combination of wheel bolt and 1.25 thread pitch your choices are:
Buy online and wait for shipping
Spend 100-200 dollars in town if you need to replace them all.
I always end up cutting the cover off.
Tried, they really layered these on. The Dremel was getting to the point of cutting the real metal and yet the cover still wouldn't budge despite being half cut through.
Get the right socket
I have the right socket. Maybe actually work on a car with the kind of lug nuts or wheel bolts where the material expands and no longer fits the socket so you'll understand the real problem instead of just making yourself look stupid with comments like this.
Here's a clue, if it was the wrong size socket I would have had a problem with all the wheel bolts and not just the ones that had already expanded or been damaged by someone else. But I guess the ones that fit my "wrong socket" had magically shrunk huh?