Can you say "Irritated"? So I decide to check my brakes. This makes the first time I am pulling off my wheels since aquiring the car, other than the day I bought it, 6 months ago. when I took it to "O" tire shop for an alignment/rotation/replace one tire. I grab my Big Star lug wrench and the McGard wheel lock keyed-socket that came from the original dealer-installed-factory option. I carefully apply pressure-nothing. I end up having to use one foot to push down, while pulling up with one arm on the star wrench with all my(210lbs) weight. Snap! goes the McGard socket! All the "key-patterned" metal material breaks off of the socket into the lug nut's patterned groove. So I then try to remove the regular lug nuts and find they ALL were tightened way beyond their normal range(150ftlbs?). The snot-nosed punk at the tire shop had went crazy with his damn air wrench! I DO remember telling them to torque them down to 80ftlbs max. So I go buy 4 regular matching lug nuts ($22), return to the tire shop with my original work invoice from March, and have them use their "special" socket tool to remove all 4 of the damn McGard lock nuts, and tell them I will install the new regular ones myself. But before I know it, the worker out in the bay had found the box of my new lug nuts, and installed them with his damn air wrench once again! Aarrgg! I'll never return there. Rant over...

 

That sucks! I had a similar experience and decided that was the end of my McGard wheel locks. Special sockets don't prevent any theft and simply make it harder for us to work on the car. If you watched the tire shop remove your broken lock, you may have noticed that they probably used a slightly smaller socket that they hammer on top of the McGard lock and then used a long breaker bar to loosen it.

Also, I've learned to accept that most shops over tighten the lug nuts due to lack of time(flat rate) and liability concerns. As a result, I simply retorque the lug nuts after the work is done.

 

Removing the wheel locks was one of the first items I did when I bought my car, needed brakes so, off the locks went and I bought a new set of Amazon black lugs for my car. I always end up loosing the damn key lock key. I doubt anyone is interested in stealing stock Lexus rims.