Wheels Stolen Off of Vehicle -- Hot New Trend

I've heard of wheel locks not preventing wheels from being stolen. Like anything, when there's a will...

There are alarm systems with sensors that can detect when the car is tipped >
Digital Tilt Motion Sensor

 

Fit up car with cheapo steelie rims show with snows for the cold season. Wear OEM alloys¹ or ugly cheepies of your own choice shod with summer tyres for the rest of the year!

¹ which IMNSHO look really nicer sans trim! (16" OEM rims on 2009 Gen II Touring)

 

And to think I always wondered why cars with OEM rims needed locks since there are so many of them and they're not particularly stylish/high-performance (i.e. not hugely filling the wheel wells and needing to be canted at absurd angles)...

 

"Wheels Stolen While Parked"

It is truly difficult to steal wheels while the car is in motion, no?

 

Any serious thief would show up with this.

http://www.amazon.com/ATD-Tools-3065-16-Piece-Locking/dp/B00RKMUZO2/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1517445144&sr=1-2&keywords=wheel+lock+removal+tool

 

Sorry to hear OP for your loss and trouble. Who knew Prius wheels were worth so much!!! LOL. In all seriousness, when people need or want something, they'll take it if theres a will. Probably the same guy hitting these cars and selling them on Craigslist making a few bucks off peoples misfortunes.

 

Geesh, maybe I'll put our locking nuts back on.

A pretty penny for those fourth gen 17" rims. The five plastic pieces alone rival the cost of an aftermarket rim:



^ Prices without shipping, from:

Wheels for 2017 Toyota Prius | Toyota Parts

 

I watched a car repair video where someone dropped their car off for repair and they didn't leave the tool to remove the security nut.
The guy took an air chisel and backed it off. You can't do that when you are stealing wheels though. I'm sure there are other ways.

 

^ There are ways to get locking lugs off of cars that do not involve air.
There are probably Youtube vids out there because people are always losing the adapters or not leaving them with the vehicle.
One time a few cars back, I insisted that the dealer remove the "optional" locking lugs that they stuck on the car so that they could (try to) charge us 10x the street price.
They thought that I was just being a tough negotiator, which I was........but I still refused to take delivery on the car until they actually TOOK the locking lugs off of the car and replace them with OEM lugs.

OTOH, it's probably not as urgent if you're driving a car without a spare tire.....
Your call.....but if it were me?
I'd forget the locking lugs.
If you live in some high-crime area where involuntary wheelectomies on a car with rims that are already too small to be attractive are a thing, then you're already paying high insurance rates, so you might as well be covered for the loss if lightning strikes.
Peace of mind is SUPPOSED to be one of the benefits of having insurance in the first place - right?
You can still keep a $500 (or more) deducible on your insurance policy, because the OEM prices (above) are considerably higher than you can get OEM rims for real world.

YMMV.

 

When still using the locking nuts, I taped a scrap of paper with my name and phone number to the barrel of the lock nut socket; it's so easy for a dealership or tire shop guy to misplace, forget it in their pocket, and at the end of the day: who's car did that come from??

 

Man that sucks. Usually they steal the battery pack from the Prius instead because that thing costs so damn much. Hopefully insurance covers your costs.

 

A 19mm socket pounded on the locknut will remove it, insurance should help unless it was an inside job

 

Post 10. It wasn't the OP's Prius.
They spotted it on the side of the road.

 

... and you wondered why you were getting all that spam in the mail!