I drove my car to CA in June, and had a tire issue while there. Local dealer called me into the garage to see where three of the wheel locks were not properly seated. That was just an fyi from them, as obviously I had survived the trip without incident.

When I got home I had my dealership take the wheels installed in CA off, and replace them with another set I own.

Flash forward a couple months...I recently acquired all the tools I need to do my own wheel swapping, and last night I discovered that my dealer, once again, had installed wheels improperly. (2 of 4 not seated properly).

If the inner splines of the wheel lock don't pop out even with the rest of the wheel lock, then the entire wheel lock will turn. This is what the little center lock tool does when it's used to remove the hub. It pushes the inner cylinder inside, releasing the wheel hub so it can be turned one way or the other, depending on whether you're tightening or loosening the wheel lock.

Now I wonder how much attention they pay to proper torques. Oh well.

Just an fyi to others in the forum. My dealership is notoriously kind and incompetent, so hopefully your experience is different. As scared as I used to be of my CLs, I feel much more confident now that I know for certain they are installed properly. Go figure.

 

I too was nervous about the CL's and paid hundreds to have a shop R&R my wheels between sets. They even intimidated me to think I shouldn't touch it which made me just figure it out on my own. I spent the money and got the tools and haven't looked back. I've literally saved thousands of dollars just in the past three months from that

 

How can they even do this?

I've taken off my CL's over 50 times in the process of adjusting suspension height and corner weights. I've never seen a wheel or wheel lock seated incorrectly. I'm a little confused, how did you find out they were not properly seated? The inner splines didn't come out?

 

I feel if you have CLs, you should have the tools and know how to properly secure them. It's not that hard and you get some cool tools!

 

I had to remove the passenger side rear CL wheel on my 2012 TTS yesterday. First time for me to do this. I had all the right tools and special grease. The removal and reinstallation went fine but when we remounted and retorqued the CL the inner cylinder did not want to extend back out. It took some wiggling but we finally got it out where it is supposed to be. All in all it was not too difficult and I feel a lot more confident if I have to do this on my own in the future.

 

No special tool required to slightly rotate the center locking mechanism to pop out. It is critical that it is out and engaged to ensure the wheel lock does not loosen.

Simply get a Craftsman 1/2" universal Joint Drive for $15.00

Craftsman part number 4425

Walt

 

Just curious, what tools are necessary for the CL wheels? Can it be done by one person, or do you need another one to sit in the car and apply the brakes? I've heard conflicting reports on that, perhaps it's based on the tools you need. Thanks!

 

I bought a breaker bar, torque wrench capable of up to 400 ft pounds, a center lock guide tool to protect the pccbs as I remove and replace the wheel, and the Castrol lube recommended by Porsche for the lock threads.

I did need someone on the brakes, especially when removing the fronts. But, my car was on my lift rails so there's a chance that I may have had a different experience on the ground, but I doubt it. The wheels would spin on the lift rail as I attempted to break the nut loose. Who knows, now with the nuts at the proper torque, and the center safety locks in their proper positions, I may not have those issues going forward. A couple of the nuts that were hardest to remove were not safely locked into place, so the nut may have been moved well beyond the recommended torque while the car was in use.

 

correct, the inner splined safety mechanism didn't pop out flush with the rest of the wheel lock. You can push it in and get a sense of it's movement in and out with your finger. Just take the center cap off and push it in and out. Mine don't alway default to the outer (locked) position, so they have to be "jiggled" a bit to get them to do that.

Getting it properly in place is simple to do, so I can't appreciate why my dealership didn't do it properly, except for that little matter of incompetence.

 

I've had to get someone to step on the brakes to break loose the front. The tire was sliding without it. The back was held by the ebrake.

 

CORRECT:



NOT CORRECT:

 

I just went and checked my car, all 4 you can push in with your fingers.

The rears are further inside, not as close to the edge as the fronts.

Also, if you push them with your finger, they will get stuck inside, like your INCORRECT photo, and then you use the Center Lock tool, and it pulls it out with a Magnet I guess.

 

they should all be flush, just like the CORRECT photo. If you jiggle them around in there they should all pop out, otherwise it does open the door for some movement of your lock nut.

 

They are spring loaded so they should extend when the splines are aligned correctly.

 

The rears are deeper in though, and I'm able to move them around no problems. I'm guessing they just sit deeper compared to the fronts.