Investing in a good vehicle is an expensive undertaking. It would really break your heart if it happens that somebody steals it. NHTSA estimates that over 750,000 drivers fall victim to vehicle crime each year and the loss amounted to $6 billion and $5 billion in the year 2015 and 2016 respectively.

There are many ways to keep your vehicle safe, and even though car thieves are coming up with smart ways of stealing, it is those that have little to no security measures that are easily stolen. Careless mistakes like leaving your keys in the ignition or valuables in plain view, and driving without locking the doors or with windows down can prove costly.

Anti-theft devices

Carjacking also does happen, but there are many anti-theft devices that will help you keep your vehicle safe. They include steering wheel locks, tire wheel locks, kill switches, electronic tracking systems, and baby monitor among others.

The theft of wheels, tires, and rims especially those that are high-end and attract a good price is common. Yet much of it go unreported.

Experienced thieves who work in groups can leave your car on blocks in under 10 minutes whether they are jacking it up or using a tow track to elevate it. One of the most effective ways to prevent this is by using the best car wheel locks which make lug nuts extremely difficult to remove.

How wheel locks work to keep your vehicle safe

Before you install the wheel lock lug nuts, you need to remove the existing lug nuts first. Start by removing the hubcap using a lug wrench if it is present. It will enable you to access the log nuts.

After this, you need to check the lug nuts if they require any special tool for their removal. If not, you need to loosen all of them using a lug wrench before jacking it up for replacement with wheel lock lug nuts.

Just like lug nuts, you will need to install wheel locks correctly to avoid them getting loose with time. For this, you will need to install using the right torque and torque wrench. You also need to place the wheel locks securely on the bolt. So that you do not round the keys off. The danger of not doing this is having a hard time when you will be removing the bolt.

Wheel locks use a specific key which comes with the set for installing and removing them. This is because they only operate in a specific pattern. This simply means that you need to be careful not to misplace your wheel lock key. This is because you will need it when removing the locks in the future.

When removing the wheel locks, insert the key into the same socket that you use to remove other lug nuts. Then, use the socket wrench to remove the wheel lock lug nuts.

Types of wheel locks

Every wheel style has its own different wheel lock and you can only remove them using a specific key. A wheel lock set consist of four to five lug nuts together with a device used to remove the lugs.

There are different types of wheel locks depending on their design and materials that they are made of. They include locking lug-nuts that have rough interior design but smooth exterior surface. This makes it extremely hard to open without a key or even break it with a wrench.

There are the spline drives where lug-nuts are fitted into smaller lug holes with a closed-end design and more gripping power.

Car manufacturers sell alloy wheel locks. They are characterized by a solid alloy material finish and a special socket. There is also the clamp wheel lock that is placed around the wheel and the rims so that the vehicle cannot move unless the clamp is removed.

These Wheel Locks Work to Keep Your Vehicle Safe!

As the number of tires, wheel and rim thefts increase, it is important that you use wheel locks to keep your vehicle safe and have peace of mind every time you park your car.