Locking wheel nuts and wheel stealing

[paulhumphries]

The other thread has made me think about wheels being stolen.
I've never come across anyone who has had a wheel whether alloy or steel stolen - and I know / have worked with a LOT of people.
Do alloys reallly get stolen or is it just something else that has been assumed happens but in fact it's quite rare ?
Have you or know of anyone, personally, who has been a victim ?

Paul Humphries

[Sidney'61]

My parents once had the wheel stolen off their Talbot Sunbeam in a hotel car park. The car was neatly jacked up and left on bricks while one of the wheels was taken, they were a bit confused when they got a note through their hotel room door saying their car only had 3 wheels left!

[rayofleamington]

yes it really does happen and it is more likely to happen if you don't have locking wheel nuts.

[Luxobarge]

Yes, it happened to me a few years back.

I had the spare wheel of my Pug 205 GTi nicked - it's only slung underneath the boot on a wire cage - easy to cut the cage, and the wheel drops out! Same thing happened to a colleague at work - I welded his cage back up for him. The best fix for this is to run a coach-bolt through the wheel stud hole with the nut on the inside of the boot - then they'd have to break into the boot first, and will hopefully move on to easier pickings. You'd probably still end up with a damaged cage though!

A few years prior to this, another friend at work had one alloy stolen. The Police told him to immediately get locking wheel nuts - and I mean immediately, the same day. The reason that they only took one wheel was that the owner would normally fit the spare so the car can be driven. Then they will come back the next night and take all four, so that way they get the full set of five wheels without having to break into the boot.

So yes, it doesn happen - although maybe less these days unless the wheels are deemed particularly "desirable" by the sort of scum who nick them.l..