[Neverlost99]

I have a 2015 BMW 228ix convertible. I just saw a guy on a flatbed w/ a flat. He did not have the special nut to unlock the wheels. I have this with my LEXUS but have never seen this for the bimmer. I have had tire work done an no one mentioned an issue. Am I missing something?

[freakystyly]

What's the question? Do you have wheel lock nuts? You'll have to check your car to find out...

They are typically oddly shaped where a normal 17MM wont fit over them. I'm not 100% sure but it may have been an option when purchasing the car.

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-part...901ecs38bm~ec/ They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes so it isn't always 1 key for 1000 locks type thing.

They require a special bit to unfasten, usually found in the glove box or storage compartment in the trunk.

[msej449]

My 2016 M235i came with the locking nut adapter inside the BMW toolkit roll that was in the trunk. This is a black plastic fabric tool holder about 8”x5” that rolls up for storage. The Adapter fits in one of the pockets and is a circular metal plug about 1-1/2” long with the top designed to fit into a wrench. Mine fits over the bolt head and contains a male version of the female bolt-head pattern on the hub. In mine the pattern is a circular wavy line, but I think that this varies.

I also noticed that there’s an adapter-sized recess in the foam holder that stores the inflation kit in the well of the trunk next to the battery, so perhaps this is where the adapter is stored on some variants. Of course, wherever it’s stored to start with, a mechanic might not put it back there, so it’s always worth keeping track of where it is after any work is done at the garage.

But you may not have them fitted any more: A lot of owners replace their four locking nuts with plain ones. This on the assumption that the very ordinary alloys on the 2 Series aren’t worth stealing, or at least the probability is very low. Whereas the probability of an issue with the locking nuts is quite high - at least on the basis of what forum members have posted. It’s not unusual for an inept mechanic to over-tighten the locking nuts and when they next come to be removed, the force required strips them. Leaving you with a difficult and expensive process of drilling them out.

In six years of reading posts on this and other 2 Series forums, I’ve never come across a thread mentioning theft of unsecured wheels, while I have come across many threads describing fitters who’ve stripped the locking nuts, and the subsequent hassle of extracting a stripped bolt. Of course, if you have expensive aftermarket alloys on your particular car then you may still want to secure them with locking nuts. But for those of us with standard, ex-factory wheels, I’m not sure they’re worth it.

[Neverlost99]

Thanks for the in-depth reply. I looked in the tool kit and didn’t see anything that looked more than a Towing eye and a couple of Allen wrenches. All my nuts look identical so it’s possible they were changed out. Thanks

[Neverlost99]

I put the 17 mm on each one and it works so I guess I don’t have them. Thank you

[msej449]

Just for completeness and anyone looking at this subsequently:

The BMW locking bolt and nut that came ex-factory. This has vertical splines which are irregularly spaced. If the bolt is over-tightened, the force needed to remove it may strip the splines off, as this setup doesn't seem to be as strong as a standard hexagonal bolt.



In contrast, here is my AluTec locking bolt and nut on my winter wheels, which has the wavy line male/female connector, which I suspect is much more robust than the splines on the BMW:



Anyway, I've dispensed with these and replaced them with just a standard bolt. This makes it much easier when I put the wheels in for their summer/winter swaps and personally, I don't think that alloy wheel theft is an issue any more, like it was back in the 1980s and 90s. Almost every car has them now and the ones that come as OE on the 2 aren't anything special.

[Ajowhan]

Originally Posted by msej449

Just for completeness and anyone looking at this subsequently:

The BMW locking bolt and nut that came ex-factory. This has vertical splines which are irregularly spaced. If the bolt is over-tightened, the force needed to remove it may strip the splines off, as this setup doesn't seem to be as strong as a standard hexagonal bolt.



In contrast, here is my AluTec locking bolt and nut on my winter wheels, which has the wavy line male/female connector, which I suspect is much more robust than the splines on the BMW:



Anyway, I've dispensed with these and replaced them with just a standard bolt. This makes it much easier when I put the wheels in for their summer/winter swaps and personally, I don't think that alloy wheel theft is an issue any more, like it was back in the 1980s and 90s. Almost every car has them now and the ones that come as OE on the 2 aren't anything special.

The vertical spline thing sucks.. I once accidentally used 17mm on it since it kinda fit and I forgot to use the key... the socket welded into the bolt.. Luckily friends have extra socket and I have extra bolt...