991.2 Centre-locking Nuts Issues - Page 5 - 911/Carrera GT - PistonHeads UK

As seems to happen to a lot with these, my 4-years-old centre-lock nuts were badly corroded. I bought a second set of nuts from ebay (as new from Porsche are £800). I had these powder coated on the outer surface only. I then had the originals swapped for the refurbed items at a Porsche independent specialist. Straight away a ticking sound started from the front offside centre-lock on large steering angles to the right. I have had this looked at by OPC Newcastle and they now respond "the only way to be sure to get rid of the noise is new centre-locks and new wheels". I asked why even the wheels need to be changed - "because you bought the car preowned, not from an OPC, you don't know the history of the wheels". Has anyone had a similar experience please? Perhaps resolved without centre-locks and wheels replacement!

I would not power coat anything it changes the metal due to the heat. if it did not tick before, then buy some new centre locks nuts and bin the ebay powder coated ones and put it down to bad luck. The ticking only happened with new power coated nuts, so it's not going to be the wheels. it sounds like you have the org nuts, so fit them back on. Edited by Porsche911R on Friday 19th June 15:46

Fair point. I will probably refurb the original nuts, but paint not powder coat (it does look great though!). Or bite the £800 bullet. I very much doubt the issue has somehow 'spread' to the wheels Also to note, it must be a minute level of tolerance as only one nut is affected. Edited by T S Magnum on Friday 19th June 15:58

Why not put the original (albeit scruffy) ones back on to see if it solves the problem and then go back to making them pretty?

Would be hard to refurb them on the car I think. Risk of damaging the wheels. I would swap just to see if it fixes and then swap over twice more if it was an easy job! I don't have the tools and don't want to purchase them just for this. Think I might avoid centre-locks like the plague in future

T S Magnum said: Would be hard to refurb them on the car I think. Risk of damaging the wheels. I would swap just to see if it fixes and then swap over twice more if it was an easy job! I don't have the tools and don't want to purchase them just for this. Think I might avoid centre-locks like the plague in future What tools do you need ?.. I have all the gear for your CLs, Just give me a shout and your welcome to lend. Or I know a good mobile wheel guy that can come to you and sort.

Ticking noise is a very odd outcome from changing CL unless the wheel is loose surely. who swapped them for you? Surely you could go back to them and ask them to check the car over FOC if they fitted the new nuts Edited by c4sman on Friday 19th June 16:21

CorrosionInhibitor said: What tools do you need ?.. I have all the gear for your CLs, Just give me a shout and your welcome to lend. Or I know a good mobile wheel guy that can come to you and sort. Wow, that's a kind offer. I mean the large torque wrench, breaker etc. Are you in the North East?

c4sman said: Ticking noise is a very odd outcome from changing CL unless the wheel is loose surely. who swapped them for you? Surely you could go back to them and ask them to check the car over FOC if they fitted the new nuts Edited by c4sman on Friday 19th June 16:21 OPC Newcastle say it is a common issue with refurbed CL nuts. I don't understand why either The noise remains after OPCN removing, checking, refitting the nuts so I am confident the fitting is now okay.

T S Magnum said: Wow, that's a kind offer. I mean the large torque wrench, breaker etc. Are you in the North East? No bother, yes there is breaker bar, torque wrench, wheel removal tool and also paste. Yes I certainly am and proud of it..

CorrosionInhibitor said: No bother, yes there is breaker bar, torque wrench, wheel removal tool and also paste. Yes I certainly am and proud of it.. Me and a couple of centre lock owning buddies are thinking of investing in the gear required to remove the centre locks. Are you able to advise or suggest what to buy. Ideally this gear would be able to fit in a 911 for road trips or taking to tyre shops for new tyres etc Ta.

jcosh said: Me and a couple of centre lock owning buddies are thinking of investing in the gear required to remove the centre locks. Are you able to advise or suggest what to buy. Ideally this gear would be able to fit in a 911 for road trips or taking to tyre shops for new tyres etc Ta. i only followed what other guys had previously purchased and there are other examples out there but below is what i bought:- breaker bar and torque wrench https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Precision-Instruments-C... cl wheel removal tool https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Porsche-Centrelock-Whee... paste https://www.design911shop.com/Castrol-Optimol-Past...

c4sman said: Ticking noise is a very odd outcome from changing CL unless the wheel is loose surely. who swapped them for you? Surely you could go back to them and ask them to check the car over FOC if they fitted the new nuts Edited by c4sman on Friday 19th June 16:21 OPC Newcastle say it is a common issue with refurbed CL nuts. I don't understand why either The noise remains after OPCN removing, checking, refitting the nuts so I am confident the fitting is now okay.

I’m no master tech but something doesn’t feel right. Indie had no other ideas on the cause of the tick?

Just got the car back from PCN after a frustrating chat with the guys there. They were understanding and helpful with advice etc. but I'm left fairly jaded by the situation. Their position is that wheels and CLs must only be refurbed by a Porsche approved bodyshop. If either one is refurbed outside of the official 'system' you may end up with the clicking. I have found no mention of this in the user manual. Again the only 100% solution they could offer was new nuts and wheels to the tune of £8k

c4sman said: I’m no master tech but something doesn’t feel right. Indie had no other ideas on the cause of the tick? The ticking has only been since the indie swapped the nuts. It remains after PCN have refitted the nuts though.

Swap front wheels side to side. Yet keep the locks where they are. If then tcking occurs to the left side (at large steering angles as you say) you know its the wheel. If when swapping the noise stays on the offside, its the nut or hub. Just an idea.

Are you sure it’s not the Ackerman effect on full lock, which feels like a judder?

CorrosionInhibitor said: i only followed what other guys had previously purchased and there are other examples out there but below is what i bought:- breaker bar and torque wrench https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Precision-Instruments-C... cl wheel removal tool https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Porsche-Centrelock-Whee... paste https://www.design911shop.com/Castrol-Optimol-Past... Great choices. PI torque wrench is well regarded but expensive (the only suitable torque wrench that fits in the car). I went for a massive torque wrench (Norbar 3/4" 5R Commercial Torque Wrench 300-1000Nm) for home use and rely on just a extendable breaker bar in the frunk for emergency removal and refitting. Total costs around £350 plus optimol grease. The other alternative is normal small torque wrench plus a Sealey torque multiplier but I don’t have personal experience of this.

I should really get one as I’ve got two cars on CL’s...I am very lucky that my local tyre shop is excellent (people with nice cars travel a long way to use them) but that doesn’t help if I’m away and am certainly intend on doing some road trips later in the year.

What 911 is it? 991 or 997. Per my earlier suggestion about swapping front wheels, then swap the front nuts side to side too... does the ticking change sides? Could the indie have damaged something (not wheel or nut) when changing the nuts? Did you watch’em? Where the wheels removed or just the nuts?

rbh said: Are you sure it’s not the Ackerman effect on full lock, which feels like a judder? Yep sure, it’s different to that. No physical judder but a clicking noise. Thanks though.

churchie2856 said: What 911 is it? 991 or 997. Per my earlier suggestion about swapping front wheels, then swap the front nuts side to side too... does the ticking change sides? Could the indie have damaged something (not wheel or nut) when changing the nuts? Did you watch’em? Where the wheels removed or just the nuts? It’s a 991. Swaps are a good plan, I don’t have the tools though. I will get some kind assistance from a PHer though. I watched half of the job. Not that wheel though. Seemed to go well. And OPC have refitted since. Only nuts removed.

c4sman said: CorrosionInhibitor said: i only followed what other guys had previously purchased and there are other examples out there but below is what i bought:- breaker bar and torque wrench https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Precision-Instruments-C... cl wheel removal tool https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Porsche-Centrelock-Whee... paste https://www.design911shop.com/Castrol-Optimol-Past... Great choices. PI torque wrench is well regarded but expensive (the only suitable torque wrench that fits in the car). I went for a massive torque wrench (Norbar 3/4" 5R Commercial Torque Wrench 300-1000Nm) for home use and rely on just a extendable breaker bar in the frunk for emergency removal and refitting. Total costs around £350 plus optimol grease. The other alternative is normal small torque wrench plus a Sealey torque multiplier but I don’t have personal experience of this. Just seen this thread and thought I’d chip in with breaker bar stuff. I have CLs on my 997.2 turbo. I invested in the Norbar 5R during lockdown to take off the wheels for ceramic coating. It’s a great tool at a great price. Only cost £350. I had the wheels off in seconds. I now prefer them over the usual multi-stud versions.

Chubbyross said: Just seen this thread and thought I’d chip in with breaker bar stuff. I have CLs on my 997.2 turbo. I invested in the Norbar 5R during lockdown to take off the wheels for ceramic coating. It’s a great tool at a great price. Only cost £350. I had the wheels off in seconds. I now prefer them over the usual multi-stud versions. They’ve gone up a bit, paid £270 in 2017. Great bit of kit though!

Hi I am not very conversant with the correct technical wording but i have experienced ticking when on full lock with one of my cars many years ago. It didn’t have carbon ceramics but it did have the same symptoms. We had a solution to stop it for a few thousand miles before it returned again. The final solution which cleared it once and for all was to swap the system for AP rotors. Try removing the rotor and clean all the bolts that hold the rotor to the hat. It has been known for the build up of debris to cause the ticking noise to occur. Bit of a long shot but you never know?

Thanks Tony. Mine is on steel discs. It is 99% the CL nut rather than a brake issue though. Started when the nuts were replaced and OPC Newcastle advise it is the same as other refurbed nuts cases they have had in. As OPCN acknowledged, this will be a growing problem as the cars reach an age where the nuts look terrible (IMO due to poor coating choice by Porsche) and owners understandably don't want to pay £800 for 4 nuts.

T S Magnum said: Thanks Tony. Mine is on steel discs. It is 99% the CL nut rather than a brake issue though. Started when the nuts were replaced and OPC Newcastle advise it is the same as other refurbed nuts cases they have had in. As OPCN acknowledged, this will be a growing problem as the cars reach an age where the nuts look terrible (IMO due to poor coating choice by Porsche) and owners understandably don't want to pay £800 for 4 nuts. Also an easy £800+ quid each time they suspect and the owner just takes it up the behind. Used to be discs, pads and tyres (until you checked yourself) CLs will poss become a nice little earner.

Before pulling the trigger on £800 worth of nuts with the OPC, ask ‘em to prove this will rectify the tick e.g. refit one of the original non powder coated ones, or borrow one off a dealer car. I’d hate to spend £800 and still have the issue. I assume the issue is easy to replicate at parking speeds.

Not sure how different 991 CL nuts are constructed and fit with the wheel when compared to a 997, but having removed and inspected the 997 ones a few times I just don’t understand what within them could cause ticking? Once installed and the locking mechanism engaged, nothing should be moving or rubbing against anything else (and no different to a 5 stud in that the wheel is locked to the hub). Nothing should be loose or turning separate to the wheel. My only guess is that the indie didn’t tighten correctly, and or didn’t engage the locking mechanism or the refurb process damaged the nut. After you drove the car this could cause damage to the face of the nut or wheel (where there was free play maybe) and so the wheel can no longer be tightened correctly against the hub and the wheel is moving wrt the hub, causing the tick as weight moves around the rim. Not sure that helps but you definitely need to try the old nuts or swap before spending big £

Did they powder coat the surface that mates to the alloy centre of the wheel ? Or did they leave this a unpainted or anodised alloy ?

FWIW I had my cl nuts go bad after just 4 months from new. Opc told me to get nicked whereas PGB paid for 4 new ones. It’s odd that such an obvious fault is allowed to remain unchecked.

What’s the ticking noise sound like? It’s highly unlikely a wheel bolt ( these are bolts not nuts) is going to make any noise whatsoever. This thing is on there at 600 Nm, if it was loose you’d know about it with a damm sight more than a ticking noise. Ignore the OPC, they are full of shoite and are just trying to pull your pants down and shame you for not using their own refurb people ( who are probably the same people...)

Jakob911 said: FWIW I had my cl nuts go bad after just 4 months from new. Opc told me to get nicked whereas PGB paid for 4 new ones. It’s odd that such an obvious fault is allowed to remain unchecked. Wow, 991 must have very different finish to 997. My CL nuts are holding up fine after 9 years and 25k miles?

c4sman said: Jakob911 said: FWIW I had my cl nuts go bad after just 4 months from new. Opc told me to get nicked whereas PGB paid for 4 new ones. It’s odd that such an obvious fault is allowed to remain unchecked. Worst of it was the opc after having the car for a decent time tried to say I must have used some kind of abrasive cleaner on them. Meanwhile their showroom had a used gt3 with same problem sat in showroom . If it walks and quacks like a duck.... Wow, 991 must have very different finish to 997. My CL nuts are holding up fine after 9 years and 25k miles?

churchie2856 said: Before pulling the trigger on £800 worth of nuts with the OPC, ask ‘em to prove this will rectify the tick e.g. refit one of the original non powder coated ones, or borrow one off a dealer car. I’d hate to spend £800 and still have the issue. I assume the issue is easy to replicate at parking speeds. Yes I will be refitting the originals to see whether that resolves it. As you say, luckily it is easy to recreate around an empty car park.

c4sman said: My only guess is that the indie didn’t tighten correctly, and or didn’t engage the locking mechanism or the refurb process damaged the nut. After you drove the car this could cause damage to the face of the nut or wheel (where there was free play maybe) and so the wheel can no longer be tightened correctly against the hub and the wheel is moving wrt the hub, causing the tick as weight moves around the rim. This bang on what the OPC are telling me, although I haven't seen myself. Hence their ominous warning that £800 on new nuts might not fix it and it might be more like £8k on new nuts and wheels!

c4sman said: Jakob911 said: FWIW I had my cl nuts go bad after just 4 months from new. Opc told me to get nicked whereas PGB paid for 4 new ones. It’s odd that such an obvious fault is allowed to remain unchecked. Wow, 991 must have very different finish to 997. My CL nuts are holding up fine after 9 years and 25k miles? Depends what yo clean them with. Needs to be PH neutral otherwise they will go milky like the one pictured. I have cl that are nearly 3 years old and they look as good as new

T S Magnum said: Look at the state of my original ones. 13k miles on them. In is a shocking gap in the otherwise seemingly good quality level. They have been badly maintained with ‘truck wash’ type cleaner like a highly concentrated traffic film remover.

ChrisW. said: Did they powder coat the surface that mates to the alloy centre of the wheel ? Or did they leave this a unpainted or anodised alloy ? Everything other than the outward facing surfaces was masked off. How successful the masking was I don't know for sure but it looked a decent job. To update today the Porsche approved Newcastle bodyshop have told me they won't refurb CL nuts. Ergo as far as Porsche are concerned the only sanctioned solution to crummy-looking wheel nuts is bending over for £800 on a new set. These will be warranted for 2 years only. Ridiculous IMO. As I said to the OPC yesterday, 991s are getting older now and this issue is going to come up again and again...

T S Magnum said: Look at the state of my original ones. 13k miles on them. In is a shocking gap in the otherwise seemingly good quality level. What is the condition of the internals to the CL Hub when it’s removed ? If the reverse is as bad as the outside face then there possibly lies your issue.

ttdan said: What’s the ticking noise sound like? It’s highly unlikely a wheel bolt ( these are bolts not nuts) is going to make any noise whatsoever. This thing is on there at 600 Nm, if it was loose you’d know about it with a damm sight more than a ticking noise. Ignore the OPC, they are full of shoite and are just trying to pull your pants down and shame you for not using their own refurb people ( who are probably the same people...) I'm inclined to agree wih you on the OPC approach but just to add salt to the wound their own refurb people won't touch them. Hard to describe the noise. Sort-of like a creaking door, ish. Although I'm chuffed to say there was no sign of it on this evening's run-out. Not counting my chickens yet though. There's the offending nut in this pic.

CorrosionInhibitor said: What is the condition of the internals to the CL Hub when it’s removed ? If the reverse is as bad as the outside face then there possibly lies your issue. That is one of the original nuts. No noises with these on. Each one looks fine inwards from the O-ring, it seems to be only the external surfaces that get knackered by the sun, water, cleaning products etc. I was told several times by the OPC that 'this is a high performance vehicle' and 'those are racing car items'... That clearly explains why the coating can't cope with the expected use after 4 years / 13k miles

Look at the state of my original ones. 13k miles on them. It is a shocking gap in the otherwise seemingly good quality level. Edited by T S Magnum on Saturday 20th June 23:17

Having looked at my car it seems like one of the reasons the 997 CL nut/bolt doesn’t cosmetically deteriorate when compared to the 991 is it doesn’t have a paint finish on it to deteriorate. They are not colour coded and it’s just the raw metal finish which holds up well. Not sure why Porsche choose to paint something that going to have 600nm of torque applied directly to it!

c4sman said: Having looked at my car it seems like one of the reasons the 997 CL nut/bolt doesn’t cosmetically deteriorate when compared to the 991 is it doesn’t have a paint finish on it to deteriorate. They are not colour coded and it’s just the raw metal finish which holds up well. Not sure why Porsche choose to paint something that going to have 600nm of torque applied directly to it! Indeed. My 997.2 nuts are bare metal and were never coated. I’ve polished mine up in the past and they looked great. Need to do them again soon though as want to get them gleaming. I prefer them as bare metal.

c4sman said: Having looked at my car it seems like one of the reasons the 997 CL nut/bolt doesn’t cosmetically deteriorate when compared to the 991 is it doesn’t have a paint finish on it to deteriorate. They are not colour coded and it’s just the raw metal finish which holds up well. Not sure why Porsche choose to paint something that going to have 600nm of torque applied directly to it! I think they are anodised not painted. Hence some products which OPC use strip it off. I don’t let OPC wash or clean my car, my car lives out side and my bolts look new.

Porsche911R said: I think they are anodised not painted. Hence some products which OPC use strip it off. I don’t let OPC wash or clean my car, my car lives out side and my bolts look new. Ah OK. Makes sense. I haven’t let anyone else wash my car in 6 years of ownership!

Porsche911R said: c4sman said: Having looked at my car it seems like one of the reasons the 997 CL nut/bolt doesn’t cosmetically deteriorate when compared to the 991 is it doesn’t have a paint finish on it to deteriorate. They are not colour coded and it’s just the raw metal finish which holds up well. Not sure why Porsche choose to paint something that going to have 600nm of torque applied directly to it! I think they are anodised not painted. Hence some products which OPC use strip it off. I don’t let OPC wash or clean my car, my car lives out side and my bolts look new. OPC washes are with the garden hose and the sponge and bucket that they also use to clean the service bays ..

Not sure if the finish is slightly different but this is mine after 6 months

Porsche guy said: Not sure if the finish is slightly different but this is mine after 6 months I also suppose it depends on how many times you remove wheels too..

...and usage - sunlight, road salt, water, cleaning products etc.

My thoughts. The surface of anything that needs the number of Nm to do them up and undo them is going Get a hard time. The condition of the standard wheel bolts/nuts is nothing to shout home about and after a couple of years and in time the surface of the nuts deteriorate so the socket can slip requiring an 18mm one to be hammered on to get the nut off.

My CL are in reasonable condition after 3 years, however, I do not take it to a car wash as their cleaning fluids are alkaline and undoubtedly etch the anodised coating. I’ve coated my CLs with a nano sealing product, which I think has helped.

T S Magnum said: ttdan said: What’s the ticking noise sound like? It’s highly unlikely a wheel bolt ( these are bolts not nuts) is going to make any noise whatsoever. This thing is on there at 600 Nm, if it was loose you’d know about it with a damm sight more than a ticking noise. Ignore the OPC, they are full of shoite and are just trying to pull your pants down and shame you for not using their own refurb people ( who are probably the same people...) I'm inclined to agree wih you on the OPC approach but just to add salt to the wound their own refurb people won't touch them. Hard to describe the noise. Sort-of like a creaking door, ish. Although I'm chuffed to say there was no sign of it on this evening's run-out. Not counting my chickens yet though. There's the offending nut in this pic. Lovely looking car. I strongly suspect your wheel bolt has nothing to do with the noise.:thumb:

Centrelocks are anodised which means the surface aluminium oxide film is dyed. Wheel cleaners often contain strong alkalis e.g caustic soda which strip the oxide layer including the dye. I’ve had no problems with centrelocks on my cars but only use pH neutral cleaners. By the way the centre lock tools on eBay mentioned in the thread are made by me

7Racer56 said: Centrelocks are anodised which means the surface aluminium oxide film is dyed. Wheel cleaners often contain strong alkalis e.g caustic soda which strip the oxide layer including the dye. I’ve had no problems with centrelocks on my cars but only use pH neutral cleaners. Thanks for the info. It seems sensible for Porsche to specifically mention the cleaning requirements of anodised CL nuts in the user manual. Particularly so when the only offical solution to ugly surface damage is £800 of replacement nuts. That refurbishment of the nuts may lead to a ticking noise and Porsche recommending new nuts and wheels for £8k completes the madness!

Whilst the CL itself is torqued up to 600 Nm, so not likely to be loose, is it possible the bits inside the CL - the locking devices - could be the source of the rattle. Should be easily eliminated by re-fitting the scruffy old CLs. A decent torque wrench is not cheap, but then you do have the convenience of only undoing one fastening per wheel, rather than the usual five.

check the locking mech just had a thought it could be that not seated.

Thanks guys. Now the nuts have been removed, checked and replaced by OPC Newcastle so I am confident about the securement and no 'foreign bodies'. They say the ticking can be minute paint particles on the nut bearing surface I agree with comments here that sounds unlikely.

T S Magnum said: Thanks guys. Now the nuts have been removed, checked and replaced by OPC Newcastle so I am confident about the securement and no 'foreign bodies'. They say the ticking can be minute paint particles on the nut bearing surface I agree with comments here that sounds unlikely. ‘Minute paint particles’ 😁 the nut surfaces are covered in aluslip. One thing to look out for us to make sure the lock comes out all the way in the spline. I’ve often had to persuade them out by wiggling. Sometimes loosening a bit and retightening will get them to pop out fully. Worst case I’ve threaded a bolt in and pulled them out. When locked you should only see the edge of the spline

7Racer56 said: ‘Minute paint particles’ ?? the nut surfaces are covered in aluslip. One thing to look out for us to make sure the lock comes out all the way in the spline. I’ve often had to persuade them out by wiggling. Sometimes loosening a bit and retightening will get them to pop out fully. Worst case I’ve threaded a bolt in and pulled them out. When locked you should only see the edge of the spline Surely the OPC would have checked this when they refitted as it’s a core and critical part of the procedure (safety issue if they’re not popped out flush). I’m still convinced this is something other than CL bolt, unless wheel and or bolt seriously damaged by running loose, preventing them from ever being tightened properly as the surfaces cannot mate (if that’s the word!) properly

These centre locks do look great, but I’m sure if Porsche offered a standard 5 nut set up there would be a fair few who’d option this. Especially those who’ve driven their car enough to need to get a new set of rubber.

Thanks for the info on the visible check of the CL locking. I didn't know to take the centre caps off to check that before OPC looked into it I would expect the OPC to have mentioned this as part of the assessment, if there was anything amiss though. As said, I would definitely expect it to be resolved by the OPC now. The car isn't with me so I can't currently check.

As a rule of thumb I’d take almost anything the opc service folks say that sounds like waffle as just that. So pressing is the need to get cars In and out do you really think they’re reviewing your issue with the time, patience and eye on keeping costs down as you’d like? I had an issue with brake performance n a 997GTS , pedal pressed and v little response. In and out all good according to opc. An experienced independent ex porsche tech found a pin sized hole in vacuum pump as the cause. Back to opc under warranty with a wtf? Ring round a few independent techs see what they think, the good techs leave opc’s as it’s a bit of a hamster wheel day to day.

bumping an old thread.... For anyone contemplating tacking CL removal/refit themselves (I have been since 2017 for various reasons) I thought I would share some recent experience. I purchased a brand new Norbar 5R wrench in 2017 to use with my car but had been considering the Precision Instruments 3/4" Torque Wrench/Breaker Bar Handle Combo Pack as an alternative as it fits in the frunk whereas the Norbar doesn't. I bit the bullet and ordered PI wrench from a US supplier on ebay (pedromrodriguez1 if you are interested). I then managed to sell my Norbar on Ebay for £6.50 more than i paid for it and took delivery of the PI wrench. After reading some forums I noticed the the PI combo pack didn't come with a key bit of kit that allows you to use the breaker bar with the extension tube that you use with the torque wrench with. It also made by PI and is called the A10C4D600F. This small bar is a game changer for the PI wrench as it allows it to extend to 160cm which is huge and therefore super easy for anyone to break the CL nut. Just in case anyone wants to take the plunge I got the bar online from Radwell International (link below) and they shipped it from the US for approx £40 all in) https://www.radwell.co.uk/en-GB/Buy/PRECISION%20IN... Pics below are the combo pack, the extension tube and the fully extended breaker set up. Hopefully this is helpful for those worried about CL and wanting the independence of a portable removal and refitting solution Edited by c4sman on Wednesday 19th August 11:50

Thanks a lot, good info.

No problem, should add the wrench itself cost £370 all in with shipping and duties taken care of by eBay.

That’s incredibly helpful thanks. I’v never invested in a CL removal tool as I have a very good local independent tyre company but when the world returns to normality am intending to do some road trips in my GT3 so I think this would be a good investment. Hard enough locating tyres in remote places never mind the right tools as well !

c4sman said: bumping an old thread.... For anyone contemplating tacking CL removal/refit themselves (I have been since 2017 for various reasons) I thought I would share some recent experience. I purchased a brand new Norbar 5R wrench in 2017 to use with my car but had been considering the Precision Instruments 3/4" Torque Wrench/Breaker Bar Handle Combo Pack as an alternative as it fits in the frunk whereas the Norbar doesn't. I bit the bullet and ordered PI wrench from a US supplier on ebay (pedromrodriguez1 if you are interested). I then managed to sell my Norbar on Ebay for £6.50 more than i paid for it and took delivery of the PI wrench. After reading some forums I noticed the the PI combo pack didn't come with a key bit of kit that allows you to use the breaker bar with the extension tube that you use with the torque wrench with. It also made by PI and is called the A10C4D600F. This small bar is a game changer for the PI wrench as it allows it to extend to 160cm which is huge and therefore super easy for anyone to break the CL nut. Just in case anyone wants to take the plunge I got the bar online from Radwell International (link below) and they shipped it from the US for approx £40 all in) https://www.radwell.co.uk/en-GB/Buy/PRECISION%20IN... Pics below are the combo pack, the extension tube and the fully extended breaker set up. Hopefully this is helpful for those worried about CL and wanting the independence of a portable removal and refitting solution Edited by c4sman on Wednesday 19th August 11:50 This is awesome dude, thank you for sharing the info. You now need to film and upload the process to Youtube and I am sure some of us will feel suitably emboldened to take on this troublesome task ourselves!

Cheib said: That’s incredibly helpful thanks. I’v never invested in a CL removal tool as I have a very good local independent tyre company but when the world returns to normality am intending to do some road trips in my GT3 so I think this would be a good investment. Hard enough locating tyres in remote places never mind the right tools as well ! Cheib if you don’t mind our asking - who is your fabled tyre fitter?! (praying they might be London based)

Fl0pp3r said: This is awesome dude, thank you for sharing the info. You now need to film and upload the process to Youtube and I am sure some of us will feel suitably emboldened to take on this troublesome task ourselves! I’ve done the job quite a few times now but I’m not one for filming . In any case I found this YouTube film super helpful on “how to” but also critically what problems to look out for. I recommend it if you’re going to have a go. https://youtu.be/8Occky5wSB4 Once you’ve done a wheel is not complex or intimidating at all and actually as quick or quicker than doing a 5 bolt properly with a torque wrench (which people often skip).

Last time I did the job

thanks for the link guv’nor - one day when I have my own garage and space I will grow a pair and have a go! :-O

c4sman said: Last time I did the job Do you have a link for the PI wrench as i search under the ebay seller pedromrodriguez1 but no joy, the seller has a couple of pages of tools but nothing like what you have posted Cheers

Fl0pp3r said: Cheib said: That’s incredibly helpful thanks. I’v never invested in a CL removal tool as I have a very good local independent tyre company but when the world returns to normality am intending to do some road trips in my GT3 so I think this would be a good investment. Hard enough locating tyres in remote places never mind the right tools as well ! Cheib if you don’t mind our asking - who is your fabled tyre fitter?! (praying they might be London based) Black Boots in Chesham in South Bucks,,,,people come from a fair distance to use them. They have “touchless tyre” machine so your alloys are safe. They supply DK Engineering with all their tyres so well used to exotica....the last time I was in there they were trying to find tyres for a Zonda which I assume was for them. I used to live in NW3 which is about an hour’s drive. Just a decent,, well run local business....don’t charge the earth either. I’ve got winter wheels for the family 4x4’s....they charge £10 to change them over.

r1flyguy1 said: Do you have a link for the PI wrench as i search under the ebay seller pedromrodriguez1 but no joy, the seller has a couple of pages of tools but nothing like what you have posted Cheers Looks like he only has one left but I can’t workout how to send you a link from the eBay app. If you go on eBay and put 153824551023 in the search, it should find it (that’s the eBay item number). I think the other US sellers on eBay should be fine if that doesn’t work out, but make sure they are transparent about the final total cost including shipping and duties. I chose this seller as at the time it was the best total cost for the breaker and torque wrench combo pack (don’t accidentally buy the version that is just the torque wrench which looks cheaper). I think the right part number for the combo is C4D600F36H.

C4D600F36H is Breaker combo C4D600F is just the torque wrench

c4sman said: C4D600F36H is Breaker combo C4D600F is just the torque wrench Excellent thank you. A quick search and i found this one 233679105713 (ebay item number) which looks to be a great price. I shall be purchasing it very shortly Thanks for your help, very much appreciated

r1flyguy1 said: Excellent thank you. A quick search and i found this one 233679105713 (ebay item number) which looks to be a great price. I shall be purchasing it very shortly Thanks for your help, very much appreciated Looks good to me. If you’re getting the extra extension bar (A10C4D600F) for breaking, Radwell take about a month to deliver. I had a problem in that the first one got lost but they were super quick in sorting thing out to get a replacement.

For anyone who has found this thread useful and invested in the PI wrench I’ve another top tip to make the set up work even better. The storage box the PI wrench comes in fits in the front luggage compartment but take up a lot of space as it has to sit at an angle (not great for a weekend away if like me you hate luggage clutter in the passenger compartment). So I found this shadowfoam product on Amazon (£26) that allows a much neater and fit and forget solution. An hour with a craft knife using the original boot liner as the template to start and hey presto! I think it also looks pretty trick sitting on top of the standard tool cutout storage I’ve obviously lost 5cm depth in frunk, but it still comfortably fits our two carrry on luggage bags which we’d use for a weekend away so no issues there. Hopefully the pictures are self explanatory. I went for 50mm thick foam mainly for the wrench head which is the deepest item, and instructions for cutting are best obtained by searching shadowfoam on YouTube where they have an instructional video. I have no affiliation with shadowfoam and the other versions out there may be just as good. Hope that’s useful.

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A very neat solution.

Nicely done!