wheel locks
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 41
Likes: 39
From: REEDERS P.A.
wheel locks
Good Day All;
I just traded in my 07 coupe for a 13 Grand Sport Coupe, after getting it home I noticed that it has wheel locks on it so I started to search for the lock. I checked all the normal spots, console,glovebox and the 2 storage boxes in the rear. No lock, I contacted the dealer and they had no idea about it ,there response was call GM , so thats what I did ,after spending 20 minutes on the phone trying to describe what a wheel lock was the young lady came back and told me thet they are on the wheels. Well needless to say I explained I new where they locks were it was the key I need. Now waiting for her to call me back. Does anybody have any idea where GM would have hid the key? Or at this point should I just try to order a new key. Any help? Thanks
I just traded in my 07 coupe for a 13 Grand Sport Coupe, after getting it home I noticed that it has wheel locks on it so I started to search for the lock. I checked all the normal spots, console,glovebox and the 2 storage boxes in the rear. No lock, I contacted the dealer and they had no idea about it ,there response was call GM , so thats what I did ,after spending 20 minutes on the phone trying to describe what a wheel lock was the young lady came back and told me thet they are on the wheels. Well needless to say I explained I new where they locks were it was the key I need. Now waiting for her to call me back. Does anybody have any idea where GM would have hid the key? Or at this point should I just try to order a new key. Any help? Thanks
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 2,576
Likes: 237
From: Murphy NC
You have a universal key for them in your tool box.
Try a 23mm socket first and go up a size or down until you have one that will snuggly slide over the lock when you hit it with a hammer.
Next, take a BFH a install the key then take a ratchet and spin off the locks and throw them away.
Don't hammer the socket all the way on. Just enough to break the lug free.
You want your socket back. Sockets are actually useful where wheel locks are useless.
If you have Craftsman sockets that is better, if you break one you can return it.
Try a 23mm socket first and go up a size or down until you have one that will snuggly slide over the lock when you hit it with a hammer.
Next, take a BFH a install the key then take a ratchet and spin off the locks and throw them away.
Don't hammer the socket all the way on. Just enough to break the lug free.
You want your socket back. Sockets are actually useful where wheel locks are useless.
If you have Craftsman sockets that is better, if you break one you can return it.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 2,576
Likes: 237
From: Murphy NC
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 2,489
Likes: 579
From: Central Gulf Coast Florida
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 5,526
Likes: 16
From: Mechanicsburg Pennsylvania
But respectfully, then why lock you car, why take your key fob with you - 'if a crook wants you car, the locks won't slow them down much at all'.
I believe that a locked item is an impairment - an obstacle that translates to requiring more time, more difficulty, more tools. I think a reasonable number of crooks will pass by a theft opportunity that presents more challenges in lieu of easier ones.
Can my locked alarmed car and wheels still be stolen - sure. But I like my odds compared to the unlocked, unalarmed car and wheels on the Vette 3 spots down in the parking lot.
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 10,909
Likes: 2,701
From: Phila Suburbs 2023 C8 & 2013 650ix
Report back after you get them off about how much time it took per wheel to get one lock off. And how much noise did you make hammering on that socket. Now multiply that by 20 and tell me locks don't make sense. Here's what you should buy:
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 2,992
Likes: 394
From: Naples FL
2023 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2022 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2021 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2020 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2015 C6 of Year Finalist
I agree gorilla locks are the best. I have 5 locks on each wheel and when a thief see's that many he knows he will destroy the wheel trying to get it off which will do him no good. So he probably just leaves.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 18,097
Likes: 1,593
But respectfully, then why lock you car, why take your key fob with you - 'if a crook wants you car, the locks won't slow them down much at all'.
I believe that a locked item is an impairment - an obstacle that translates to requiring more time, more difficulty, more tools. I think a reasonable number of crooks will pass by a theft opportunity that presents more challenges in lieu of easier ones.
Can my locked alarmed car and wheels still be stolen - sure. But I like my odds compared to the unlocked, unalarmed car and wheels on the Vette 3 spots down in the parking lot.
I believe that a locked item is an impairment - an obstacle that translates to requiring more time, more difficulty, more tools. I think a reasonable number of crooks will pass by a theft opportunity that presents more challenges in lieu of easier ones.
Can my locked alarmed car and wheels still be stolen - sure. But I like my odds compared to the unlocked, unalarmed car and wheels on the Vette 3 spots down in the parking lot.
I installed the Gorilla locks a few weeks ago..
Attachment 47726660
Last edited by R&L's C6; Jul 4, 2013 at 08:53 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 12,346
Likes: 5
From: Mustang OK
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 8,514
Likes: 235
From: Currently somewhere in IL,IN,KY,TN,MO,AR,MS,AL, or FL
GM doesn't install wheel locks. A few dealers will add them at extra cost. Since this is a '13 I have to assume it is new. That means it is the dealer's problem. Have them removed. You don't need them and if YOU lose the key then it will be YOUR problem. A commercial "removal system" (hardened socket set) that will remove pretty much any lock in short order costs about the same as a set of locks. http://www.arizonatools.com/wheel-to...FVIV7AodbCoAXg
Safety Car
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 3,807
Likes: 508
From: Oshawa, Ontario
Good Day All;
I just traded in my 07 coupe for a 13 Grand Sport Coupe, after getting it home I noticed that it has wheel locks on it so I started to search for the lock. I checked all the normal spots, console,glovebox and the 2 storage boxes in the rear. No lock, I contacted the dealer and they had no idea about it ,there response was call GM , so thats what I did ,after spending 20 minutes on the phone trying to describe what a wheel lock was the young lady came back and told me thet they are on the wheels. Well needless to say I explained I new where they locks were it was the key I need. Now waiting for her to call me back. Does anybody have any idea where GM would have hid the key? Or at this point should I just try to order a new key. Any help? Thanks
I just traded in my 07 coupe for a 13 Grand Sport Coupe, after getting it home I noticed that it has wheel locks on it so I started to search for the lock. I checked all the normal spots, console,glovebox and the 2 storage boxes in the rear. No lock, I contacted the dealer and they had no idea about it ,there response was call GM , so thats what I did ,after spending 20 minutes on the phone trying to describe what a wheel lock was the young lady came back and told me thet they are on the wheels. Well needless to say I explained I new where they locks were it was the key I need. Now waiting for her to call me back. Does anybody have any idea where GM would have hid the key? Or at this point should I just try to order a new key. Any help? Thanks