Stolen Spare Wheel

[Creamytash]

I have 20" Wolfrace rims and the spare is the standard 18" alloy and this is secured by the locking wheel nut that apparently can be removed with vice grips.
It is posts like this that make me wish my master welder uncle had not died early in life from cancer.
Anything he ever made was totally bomb proof, albeit NEVER light
So my eyes have been opened that VW spare wheels are often stolen and that a Wheel Safe is a good idea.
In this thread several purchase points have been mentioned - can anyone confirm the best place to buy currently please?

Found mine on Flea-Bay. FYI - I did quite a comprehensive post on how I have addressed my Spare Wheel Security if you wanted to give it a gander.

 

[ChrisBell]

So... I've now fallen victim to this! Wish they'd just taken the van ha! wondered what was hanging down. Apparently it's the security tie which was cut through after grinder or something had been used to take bracket off. Must look in daylight.

 

[ChrisBell]

So... I've now fallen victim to this! Wish they'd just taken the van ha! wondered what was hanging down. Apparently it's the security tie which was cut through after grinder or something had been used to take bracket off. Must look in daylight.

Thing is guys and gals... Does not look like it happened anytime recently! Worth a check under van every now and again. Lucky I now know and can think about carting a spare wheel around now! Apparently Fords are as commonly targeted!! Forecourt where I get mine serviced has been targeted a few times!

 

[T6 dork]

Thing is guys and gals... Does not look like it happened anytime recently! Worth a check under van every now and again. Lucky I now know and can think about carting a spare wheel around now! Apparently Fords are as commonly targeted!! Forecourt where I get mine serviced has been targeted a few times!

I've said this many times put a old steel wheel under there with a just legal tyre to get you home, thieves wont bother after they see it..
tighten the bolts to 150nm

i have one 17" left i think £20

 

[DaveD]

I've said this many times put a old steel wheel under there with a just legal tyre to get you home, thieves wont bother after they see it..
tighten the bolts to 150nm

i have one 17" left i think £20

That's my tactic too, it's of no value but would get you home if needed.

 

[DXX]

The image on the Heyner site doesn’t really show it’s construction, probably for obvious reasons.
The shiny hex’ head on the bolt is a thin shroud which pushes onto a rotating collar on the periphery of the round bolt head. If a thief applies torque to the hex’ head it will just spin without releasing. If they work out that the hex’ head can be removed they then need to jam / crush the rotating collar on the bolt head before using a Stilson / Mole grip to remove the bolt.
There are easier ways to get the whole bracket off.

Today I removed the old Heyner locking bolt that I had lost the key for, for anybody who thinks it’s 2 min job it isn’t.
I didn’t want to use an angle grinder and shower my van with steel dust
First I had to chisel the hole saw guard off, 3Lb hammer and my best nut splitting chisel. After that I found that even 18” stilsons don’t grip or crush the rotating ring on the bolt head, I had to chisel that to shreds first and then the stilsons won’t grip the hardened bolt head as the teeth don’t bite in.
I won’t say what I finally used but it’s a specialist tool.
New Heyner bolt and hole saw fitted, locking key made yellow so I’ll see it in the road the next time I leave it there.
Sods Law I’ll find the old key tomorrow.

 

[Sasquatch]

A correctly sized extractor would have seen you right.

 

[DXX]

A correctly sized extractor would have seen you right.

You just mentioned my specialist tool but it wouldn’t fit inside the hole saw guard.