How can I remove the alloy wheels from my Y Reg Ford Mondeo Est?

leave the nuts loose on the car drive forward a few feet and slam on the brakes problem sorted

caveman
July 2007

OK, to complete the picture, I am now able to answer my own question and help readers to avoid falling in to the same trap.

- The spring lock washers as descibed in the original question were in fact a "red herring". They actually secure the hub in place and not the wheel.

- The reason why the wheel rim remained tight on the hub after removal of all five wheel nuts was because of the corrosive reaction described by "bg" above. I was aware this could happen, but would never have believed it could result in such a stubborn seizure!

- The solution? - assertive action by an experienced tyre fitter, i.e. a good hard kick in the right place and right direction. Problem solved.

- Preventive measures for the future would be to remove all wheels on a regualr basis and keep the corrosion under control by wire brushing.

- Are alloy wheels worth all this trouble?

Terry Allman (originator of the question)
February 2006

I had this happen on a cadillac and a olds ...had to physically beat one of the rims off from inside ....the others came off when I let the rack down with the lugs off and rocked the car
anytime alumium and metal come in contact theres a problem with a chemical reaction

bg
February 2006