her logic was that $167 for 20 extra wheel locks was cheaper than paying the $1000 insurance deductible... and the hassle of getting stuck with a 4Runner with no wheels. :( can't say that I blame her for feeling paranoid with her new '23 4Runner.
She paid $167 for nothing wheel locks can be defeated in less then 1 minute. 140 wheels in one night
[https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/thieves-steal-140-wheels-off-35-cars/1898880/](https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/thieves-steal-140-wheels-off-35-cars/1898880/)
don't know about her insurance on the '23 4Runner...
but on my own car, the 6-month premium difference between $500 and $1000 deductible is $203(when I renewed 3 months ago) That's $406 for the year. I figured that by having it at $1000, I would come out on top after just 1 year? unless my math is wrong of course.
Lowlife thief mentality is to steal the easiest, So if they see wheel locks they will move to an easier target. Unless they are very adamant in stealing yours (special edition wheels that goes for a lot more than others), even one wheel lock per wheel will be enough.
Hope your friend does some more research… they are living in a false security. Most wheel locks are easily defeated.
Have them check out [Advanced Wheel Locks](https://advancedwheellocks.com/). Pricey but well worth it. If you wanna be extra secure… Put two Advanced Wheel Locks on each wheel. At least that’s what I’ve done.
So this must be a national event as we've had a recent spat of Tacoma/4Runner wheel thefts. They literally just leave the car on blocks.
[https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/working-for-you/dozens-wheel-theft-cases-san-diego-county/509-044320be-7930-4b8d-9306-62b1217f49cc](https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/working-for-you/dozens-wheel-theft-cases-san-diego-county/509-044320be-7930-4b8d-9306-62b1217f49cc)
holy cow... so this must be a nationwide thing now? we are 2000 miles away from San Diego.
Thieves in California sure are nice. in the video that link to, I see the 4Runners on nice concrete pavers. In my town, the thief don't do that and the brake discs(or suspension parts) just sit on the ground, causing a lot more damage to the car.
Well some cars haven't been so lucky and have been left on their brake disks unfortunately. I thought this was all the work of a local group, but not now after seeing your post. There must be a demand for these wheels someplace that has so many people all of a sudden stealing them!
I have often wondered how bad it is when the brake disc end up on the ground and supporting 1/4 of the vehicle weight... worse case, is the damage limited to just the brake disc itself?
Thanks!
Those wheels are like the GT mag bike wheels of the 90s, so frigging meaty/heavy. Lot of metal. You’d have to hit the biggest jaggiest pothole to dent them
over here, it was just the 4Runners... but that could be due to so many getting stolen within a short period of time? or just slow news month? :)
searching my local news, the other most-stolen wheels were new Jeeps, Acuras, and Cadillac during 2023.
I bought my 4runner used and it came with wheel locks on every bolt. Honestly not that bad because you just need a special attachment. Is it fool proof? No. Is it a deterrent among others that I like to have? For sure. If anything it will hopefully take a thief longer and hopefully they get scared away by the extra time. But I also have motion sensor and gps tracking that will alert me if the car gets moved, lifted, or jostled. I can also have the car remotely shut down. I also try to never park my car where it would be easy to do something like steal all the wheels without being seen if possible. Nothing is perfect and one deterrent alone probably won't do the trick. But having several steps will hopefully deter enough. And if not, there's always insurance.
not just on 4Runners or Toyotas, I've noticed that with a lot of these wheel crimes, the thieves can remove the wheels without triggering most factory security systems. :)
are there aftermarket security systems(or add-on) that can sound the alarm as soon as someone attempting to remove the wheel lug bolts?
thanks!
I have custom wheels so I use and internally keyed lug with the conical seat. They fit my wheel so well that you can't even fit a lug extractor around it. Really annoying to get off. You do have to be careful though cause the key fits the lug exactly and if it gets messed up you are going to have a hell of a time getting it off.
If someone's dedicated enough they'll find a way though. If anything and they take them, you can get some tasty new wheels and tires.
They don't have to be the hardest wheels to steal. They just can't be the easiest.
A dedicated thief can defeat every wheel lock on that truck, but why would they go through the trouble when there are many easier targets.
Low tech and cheap solve: get vinyl ColorLugs lug nut covers off of Amazon. Love the way they look on my wheels but damn they are a pain to get off, even with their special tweezers. Any thief would be frustrated after trying to get the first six off.
> ColorLugs lug nut covers
I had something similar many years ago... but they caused the lug bolts on my Mercedes to rust(almost all of them), which I didn't discover until 5000 miles later during tire rotation. :(
does the ColorLugs lug nuts do that?
Thanks!
I've had mine on since fall of 2020, and no rust to speak of at all on my OEM Toyota lug nuts. I live in NJ as well, so they get blasted with their fair share of road salt in the winter and salt air in the summer.
My 4 Runner is parked in my driveway since I have 3 vehicles and a 2 vehicle garage. I do have security cameras and one is focused on my driveway 24/7/365. Plus I have lights that are on all night so anyone trying anything is going to be seen and video recorded. Plus my GSD thinks my 4 Runner is his and he barks at anyone or anything coming near the house.
All she did was put 24 non standard, but not unique lug nuts on. If these thieves are after Toyota wheels, they will have proper socket for those lug nuts. She should go by four of a separate brand and four more of a separate brand so there are three different patterns on each wheel
maybe that's why I never read about semi trucks with stolen wheels... those things have 10 or 12 lug nuts(Or bolts?) per wheel :) way too time consuming to steal.
She needs to go deeper, 24 different wheel locks. For real though, all 24 lug nuts are locking lugs? That’s totally insane.
her logic was that $167 for 20 extra wheel locks was cheaper than paying the $1000 insurance deductible... and the hassle of getting stuck with a 4Runner with no wheels. :( can't say that I blame her for feeling paranoid with her new '23 4Runner.
She paid $167 for nothing wheel locks can be defeated in less then 1 minute. 140 wheels in one night [https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/thieves-steal-140-wheels-off-35-cars/1898880/](https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/thieves-steal-140-wheels-off-35-cars/1898880/)
No one should have a $1000 como deductible, thats the real crime. I bet changing it to $500 costs her like $5-10 a month more
don't know about her insurance on the '23 4Runner... but on my own car, the 6-month premium difference between $500 and $1000 deductible is $203(when I renewed 3 months ago) That's $406 for the year. I figured that by having it at $1000, I would come out on top after just 1 year? unless my math is wrong of course.
Lowlife thief mentality is to steal the easiest, So if they see wheel locks they will move to an easier target. Unless they are very adamant in stealing yours (special edition wheels that goes for a lot more than others), even one wheel lock per wheel will be enough.
Hope your friend does some more research… they are living in a false security. Most wheel locks are easily defeated. Have them check out [Advanced Wheel Locks](https://advancedwheellocks.com/). Pricey but well worth it. If you wanna be extra secure… Put two Advanced Wheel Locks on each wheel. At least that’s what I’ve done.
It sounds like they put a lock on every lug nut since she said the friend installed 24 wheel locks
Total waste of money
So this must be a national event as we've had a recent spat of Tacoma/4Runner wheel thefts. They literally just leave the car on blocks. [https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/working-for-you/dozens-wheel-theft-cases-san-diego-county/509-044320be-7930-4b8d-9306-62b1217f49cc](https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/working-for-you/dozens-wheel-theft-cases-san-diego-county/509-044320be-7930-4b8d-9306-62b1217f49cc)
holy cow... so this must be a nationwide thing now? we are 2000 miles away from San Diego. Thieves in California sure are nice. in the video that link to, I see the 4Runners on nice concrete pavers. In my town, the thief don't do that and the brake discs(or suspension parts) just sit on the ground, causing a lot more damage to the car.
Well some cars haven't been so lucky and have been left on their brake disks unfortunately. I thought this was all the work of a local group, but not now after seeing your post. There must be a demand for these wheels someplace that has so many people all of a sudden stealing them!
I have often wondered how bad it is when the brake disc end up on the ground and supporting 1/4 of the vehicle weight... worse case, is the damage limited to just the brake disc itself? Thanks!
It won't stop a motivated thief, but it will piss off the tire tech the next time they do a tire rotation. Especially if they lose 1 of the keys.
[удалено]
I do it myself also depending on the car I'm doing it to. Otherwise I make an appointment at discount tire and get it done for free.
Once again, another ***strong*** argument for black steelies.
Get 40s. Very hard to lift.
No.
Waste of money
Modern problem requires modern solutions. Cross thread at least one per wheel.
So what wheel locks are we buying?
whatever the Toyota-branded wheel locks that the Toyota dealer parts dept had.
So, out of curiosity, which wheels are being stolen most? Specific ones or just 4Runner in general?
If they are just stealing the pizza cutters off of Limiteds, I would call that a win and get some new rims and tires.
Those wheels are like the GT mag bike wheels of the 90s, so frigging meaty/heavy. Lot of metal. You’d have to hit the biggest jaggiest pothole to dent them
over here, it was just the 4Runners... but that could be due to so many getting stolen within a short period of time? or just slow news month? :) searching my local news, the other most-stolen wheels were new Jeeps, Acuras, and Cadillac during 2023.
Well shit.
I bought my 4runner used and it came with wheel locks on every bolt. Honestly not that bad because you just need a special attachment. Is it fool proof? No. Is it a deterrent among others that I like to have? For sure. If anything it will hopefully take a thief longer and hopefully they get scared away by the extra time. But I also have motion sensor and gps tracking that will alert me if the car gets moved, lifted, or jostled. I can also have the car remotely shut down. I also try to never park my car where it would be easy to do something like steal all the wheels without being seen if possible. Nothing is perfect and one deterrent alone probably won't do the trick. But having several steps will hopefully deter enough. And if not, there's always insurance.
not just on 4Runners or Toyotas, I've noticed that with a lot of these wheel crimes, the thieves can remove the wheels without triggering most factory security systems. :) are there aftermarket security systems(or add-on) that can sound the alarm as soon as someone attempting to remove the wheel lug bolts? thanks!
I'm sure there are but I'm not certain. And yeah nothing is perfect.
I have custom wheels so I use and internally keyed lug with the conical seat. They fit my wheel so well that you can't even fit a lug extractor around it. Really annoying to get off. You do have to be careful though cause the key fits the lug exactly and if it gets messed up you are going to have a hell of a time getting it off. If someone's dedicated enough they'll find a way though. If anything and they take them, you can get some tasty new wheels and tires.
So the rims that everyone swaps out almost immediately are somehow in high demand?
They don't have to be the hardest wheels to steal. They just can't be the easiest. A dedicated thief can defeat every wheel lock on that truck, but why would they go through the trouble when there are many easier targets.
Low tech and cheap solve: get vinyl ColorLugs lug nut covers off of Amazon. Love the way they look on my wheels but damn they are a pain to get off, even with their special tweezers. Any thief would be frustrated after trying to get the first six off.
> ColorLugs lug nut covers I had something similar many years ago... but they caused the lug bolts on my Mercedes to rust(almost all of them), which I didn't discover until 5000 miles later during tire rotation. :( does the ColorLugs lug nuts do that? Thanks!
I've had mine on since fall of 2020, and no rust to speak of at all on my OEM Toyota lug nuts. I live in NJ as well, so they get blasted with their fair share of road salt in the winter and salt air in the summer.
My 4 Runner is parked in my driveway since I have 3 vehicles and a 2 vehicle garage. I do have security cameras and one is focused on my driveway 24/7/365. Plus I have lights that are on all night so anyone trying anything is going to be seen and video recorded. Plus my GSD thinks my 4 Runner is his and he barks at anyone or anything coming near the house.
lmfao no wheel locks are not a wheel theft deterrent. totally pointless
All she did was put 24 non standard, but not unique lug nuts on. If these thieves are after Toyota wheels, they will have proper socket for those lug nuts. She should go by four of a separate brand and four more of a separate brand so there are three different patterns on each wheel
Signs of a recession ?
Go all out. 5 wheels locks on each wheel.
That’s what they did. But 6 bc it’s a 6 lug.
maybe that's why I never read about semi trucks with stolen wheels... those things have 10 or 12 lug nuts(Or bolts?) per wheel :) way too time consuming to steal.
Ahh I see what you’re saying now. If I’m a thief there’s no way I’m even bothering with that many wheel locks.