Did you know that there are 3 main types of Locking Wheel Nut?

1. Keyed head locking wheel nuts are definitely the simplest and most common nut in use today. It is a very simple hexagonal socket which unlocks the nut by inserting it inside the matching keyed head pattern on the nut.
2. Sheer head bolt locking wheel nuts  operate in the exact same way but are bolts rather than nuts. These bolts are very common amongst vehicles from French manufacturers such as Renault, Citroen and Peugot. They also have a special feature in that the  heads that are designed to sheer off, when an attempt is made to remove the bolt without the matching locking wheel nut key.
3. Rotating Collar nuts are very, very difficult to remove without the correct locking wheel nut key. This is due to its complex construction and its rotating collar which spins around the wheel nut itself. So without the correct locking wheel nut key it is imposible to remove without specialist equipment.

So what do I do if I lose my locking wheel nut key?

Your options are limited to just two. Firstly, you can buy a new locking wheel nut or secondly you can remove it and replace it.

So which option is easiest? Well that depends on lots of factors, time being the main one. Purchasing a new locking wheel nut key may seem the easiest option at first, but not neccesarily.

Every key has a unique code which can be found on stickers in various places such as the locking wheel nut box/bag and even the vehicle handbook. You can then contact the main dealer but you will always need the code.

Depending on the age of your car this may not be possible anyway, as often when a vehicle gets older, the keys are lost, the wheels are changed and the locking wheel nuts may have been replaced with aftermarket versions. So the code will be of no use to you what so ever.

As you can see this is a minefield, so whats the second option? 

Have the locking wheel nuts removed by a specialist technician and replaced with either standard bolts or a new set of aftermarket nuts. These are just as effective however a fraction of the cost that OE equivalents that the main dealers will supply you with. So unless you have access to the original locking wheel nut key code the removal option may be your be best option.

How do you remove locking wheel nuts without the key?

The answer is simple. There is only one way and that is to remove them with specialist trade only locking wheel nut removal tools.

These tools are used by the likes of the AA or RAC and only supplied to the motor trade for obvious reasons. These tools can remove nearly 100% of locking wheel nuts without a matching key.

BEWARE: There are many DIY kits that claim to remove locking wheel nuts but only create a bigger problem and are very ineffective despite their claims. There are also lots of videos on youtube or social media claiming to remove locking wheel nuts in a variety of ways, try to copy them at your own risk. Locking wheel nuts are not meant to be removed with standard DIY tools or what would be the point of having them.