Video suggestion: Chrome capped lug nuts

[Angela]

It seems an ever increasing amount of vehicles are coming with chrome capped lug nuts, and within my service, I’ve had to creatively remove them on at least five or six patron’s vehicles this last week alone. We live in a wet, cold, snowy climate, and I’m sure water is getting inside them and freezing/swelling.

Eric should do a video about methods to deal with chrome capped lug nuts when they fail, and suggestions for replacement parts where people can get real steel ones that aren’t crap.

In my service, I’ve had to hammer a close enough size socket onto the lug, remove it that way, then remove the lug from the socket with a screwdriver and a hammer on a bench. It usually punctures the cap when you do this. Sometimes the lugs get stuck and can’t be removed from the sockets. Sometimes the customers get angry, and I tell them this is a bug, not a feature.

I’d love to know if there’s a tool to remove these easier than having to hammer a socket on and removal that way.

Ford even got class action sued for this problem! http://www.autonews.com/article/20170825/OEM01/170829821/ford-sued-over-inferior-design-of-lug-nuts

Topic

[EricTheCarGuy]

Yea, I hate those. As for a video, not sure. I mostly work on Hondas that don’t use that type of lug nut. It’s difficult to make a video about something if you don’t have an example handy. If something comes in that needs that service and I have the time, I’ll make a video.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[Zac Aleksovski]

SMA Eric O has a double ended impact socket with one side 18.5mm & the other a 19.5mm that is specifically made to deal with those lug nuts. I think the one he has is MAC.

[EricTheCarGuy]

You also need a special long nosed impact to use that socket.

[Zac Aleksovski]

We didn’t have one of those type sockets for the sheet metal lug nuts (probably the tool companies didn’t think of it yet at that time) but one for different sized lug nuts on each end. We just used a 3″ extension with a short nosed impact gun. It was the shop socket so finding it when you needed it was a rare occurrence. We just hammered on a close fit socket to remove the crumpled up sheet metal ones.

[Author]

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