Due to the crisis in the economy and other industries in our country and a number of other countries, many are trying to earn money by any means - for example, car enthusiasts are faced with the fact that they began to steal wheels from their cars. This is a very unpleasant situation, because the car turns into real estate, and you still need to spend some - by no means small - amount of money to purchase new wheels.
Now there is an effective remedy for theft - a secret bolt on the wheel. It is equipped with a special key-head, and an ordinary balloon wrench simply cannot be put on such a bolt. Numerous auto forums and communication platforms are hotly discussing these devices - everyone is wondering if they are effective, because the price of the simplest kit starts from 1500 rubles.
So, next we will discuss what the notorious secret wheel bolt is, what are its advantages and how to protect yourself from possible losses.
How did the "secrets" appear?
This is not an invention of the last days -The secret wheel bolt was invented before World War II. By the way, the Italians invented this device. In Italy, then there was a rather low standard of living, and outcasts, mainly from the southern parts of the country, visited their northern neighbors in order to steal wheels, cars and everything that could be stolen, carried away, taken away.
To protect themselves from these robbers, the inhabitants of the northern regions came up with this tricky wheel fastener. Mass production also started in Italy, but after the war.
Secrets in Russia
In Russia, a secret wheel bolt appeared in the seventies, during a shortage. A non-standard method of fastening was practically the only effective means against theft. The theft of wheels was a serious problem then - they could not be so easily taken and bought in a store.
Those lucky people who managed to get abroad for work brought sets of such protection from business trips. They were also made in the USSR - in factories and just in garages. The heads of such fasteners, of course, were not equipped with super-efficient splined or toothed connections. The first secrets were a bolt, the head of which was turned into a cylinder. The pins on the end head were off-center. The key had a hole inside with which it was possible to unscrew the secret wheel bolt.
Design and purpose
Now in order to secure expensive or just non-standard wheels, motoristsalso apply these solutions. The principle of operation is still the same, however, serious changes have taken place in the design of the heads.
Modern bolt and key to it most often have a complex profile. To open such fasteners without the original tool, you must either make a lot of effort, or very long and hard to select the right tool.
In the 90s, nuts and bolts for them with an external profile were widespread. They were as simple as possible to manufacture, and these sets were inexpensive. But it turned out that in order to remove these "secrets", it is enough for an attacker to use pliers or a gas wrench with a long handle.
A bolt with an internal pattern has grooves on the inner walls of the hole, which means that it is quite difficult to unscrew it without a special tool.
How to choose a secret wheel bolt
When choosing a suitable kit, you should check the bolts very carefully - it is important to see if the bolt really will not unscrew without a key. Too large and heavy designs should not be purchased either - they can significantly disrupt the balance of the wheel.
Not the last criterion and the length of the bolt - it is best if it matches the length of the standard bolt. If the fastener is too long, then when screwing it in, the wheel will not press against the hub completely. If it is shorter than necessary, then there is a serious risk of twisting it - this can happen even on the go.
Reliability and efficiency
So, the less the head protrudesbolt, the more difficult it will be to hook on it with any tools. Often, secret bolts on VAZ wheels for alloy wheels have holes in the head disc that practically do not protrude beyond the edge. As for the selection of a suitable key by an attacker, the probability of such an action is reduced to almost zero.
Another factor that affects reliability is how well designed the security features are on the grooves, grooves and ledges. Small grooves and grooves can result in a big problem. The key may not enter them even if they are just dirty.
You can also note the complexity of the pattern - the number of points at which the key is inserted is important here. The larger the area of such dots, the lower the risk of their accidental folding. An important factor is the brand and quality of the metal from which the bolt is made. More precisely, not even the characteristic of the alloy itself, but the resistance of the metal to drilling. Carbide alloys allow you to create a more accurate pattern, which can be very, very difficult to find the key to.
For example, expensive Asian-made kits are made from high-quality Japanese steels. The brake calipers are made from the same alloys.
Significantly affects the level of safety of the wheels and the uniqueness of the secret bolt. Even the quantity in which a batch of these fasteners was produced is important. Often, the efficiency is higher, the fewer kits were produced. By the volume of the batch, one can also say about the quality of the product - the simplest solutions, which cost from 150-200 rubles, are sold in huge quantities, and selecting the key for them is a matter of onetwo hours. Naturally, the smaller the lot, the higher the prices.
Original Secret Bolts
Automakers also offer their original solutions, which are produced at the same factories where parts for cars are made. Their advantage is that if the key is lost, the driver will not be faced with the question of how to remove the secret bolt from the wheel. A suitable key can be purchased with a unique code. The cost of such kits often starts from 3000 rubles.
How to remove the secret bolt
Of course, it is best to entrust this work to professionals - then these bolts may still be able to be used for their intended purpose. You can solve such a problem on your own only by barbaric methods. There are also special tools that are specially "sharpened" for such tasks. And the question "how to unscrew the secret bolt on the wheel" will not worry the owner of such a set, but they are quite expensive.
It can be advised to tighten the ordinary bolts on the wheel very tightly - this removes the load from the secret fastener. Then the wheel is lifted with a jack, and the secret is tapped with a hammer from all sides. Then the wheel is lowered, and all the other bolts are unscrewed. Tired? However, that's not all! Then the wheel is lifted again and the secret bolt is treated with a special compound, such as WD-40. Then the standard fasteners are reinstalled and tightened with the maximum possible force. After thatthe secret will relax, and it will be possible to unscrew it with the head.
You can also use a nut extractor. This is a pretty efficient option. The extractor is simply hammered with a sledgehammer over the head, and then the bolt is unscrewed with a wheelbrace.
CV
That's all. This is a fairly reliable option to protect yourself from theft. The car owner, without removing the wheel, can screw in a secret bolt and sleep peacefully at night.
