Wheels stolen /locking bolts

[OzzieT]

Hang on, is this an option I missed in the Configurator? I thought I had locking wheel nuts ?

Indeed. It is cynical, penny pinching BS from Porsche. They are a $130 option on a very expensive car.

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[whitex]

SInce my Tesla wheels were stolen last year I’ve been a bit concerned about leaving my car in a semi secure parking garage. I opted for the “locking wheel bolts” for 60$. Are these just a speed bump for thieves or are they legit?

Did you setup sentry mode for parking in such places?

 

[whitex]

Wheel locks/special bolts are easily defeated with a portable impact wrench. The only thing that they do is give you a headache when you need to change a tire. Not worth it. Not worth the risk.

Sadly true. I remember having a locking bolt on one of my cars, then dropping it off at a tire store for new tires. After getting home I realized I forgot to give the shop the tool to unlock. I called them to say I'm on my way, they told me not to worry about it, the tech already has the wheels off.

 

[whitex]

Not worth the risk.. of a headache? Sorry, me confused.

Risk of getting stuck on the side of the road if you misplaced the key-tool perhaps?

 

[Redhot2474]

Did you setup sentry mode for parking in such places?

Believe it or not , they either disabled if somehow or caused interference, or it simply didn’t record , the alarm wasn’t even triggered. To this day, I don’t get it…

 

[whitex]

Brabus has very nice locking bolts, each one has a lock, so each wheel has 5!
Then these are made flush to the holes, and they are all sunk, so there is no opportunity to grab anything around them. On the inside it looks like a big torx type hole and you need the right Brabus adapter to lock into that hole (it’s like an 11 point star, unevenly distributed. )

I don’t think 3rd pty solutions can do a decent job, while being cosmetically acceptible. It’s really up to the car manufacturers to solve this. Brabus already did it.

Something like this might work as a universal tool.

 

[whitex]

I remember a story once….

Two men see a bear running towards them. One man puts on running shows. The other says “you idiot you’ll never out run the bear.” The first says I don’t have to out run the bear….

I know my locks will never be able to stop them from being stolen, but they may deter them enough to steel yours instead…

While true, you have to look at it from the thief point of view - risk vs. reward. If your Taycan is parked next to other Taycans without wheel locks, then sure, the wheel locks help. If you park your Taycan amongst less impressive cars with steel wheels, well.... to your analogy, if your clothing has been drenched in honey (and the other guy is not), then yes, you do have to outrun the bear.

There is a flip side of using locking devices by the way - it might get your car more damaged by determined or even frustrated thief whether or not they manage to get the wheels off. Same principle why it might be worth to just hand over your wallet if being mugged.

 

[whitex]

Believe it or not , they either disabled if somehow or caused interference, or it simply didn’t record , the alarm wasn’t even triggered. To this day, I don’t get it…

If they knew how to disable sentry mode, the wheel locks were probably not going to slow them down.

Of course, it might have been one of the Tesla versions which screwed up recording. That is the main reason I don't rely on the Tesla cameras, but install dedicated dashcams instead. Too many times I've seen on forums where an OTA update screwed up the recording capability. Dashcam/sentry mode is a marketing gimmick to Tesla, not high on their priority list to test with every release - some customer will eventually report it when they go to check their accident footage and it's missing. For someone like Blackvue, dashcam functionality is what they do, so they care about reliability of their recording software.

 

[Redhot2474]

If they knew how to disable sentry mode, the wheel locks were probably not going to slow them down.

Of course, it might have been one of the Tesla versions which screwed up recording. That is the main reason I don't rely on the Tesla cameras, but install dedicated dashcams instead. Too many times I've seen on forums where an OTA update screwed up the recording capability. Dashcam/sentry mode is a marketing gimmick to Tesla, not high on their priority list to test with every release - some customer will eventually report it when they go to check their accident footage and it's missing. For someone like Blackvue, dashcam functionality is what they do, so they care about reliability of their recording software.

Sentry mode caught just about everything , it even caught me checking out my car that day it happened …

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

Sentry mode caught just about everything , it even caught me checking out my car that day it happened …

Wait, sentry mode recorded everything (before and after) except for the "lift and theft"? That sounds like they cloned your key, or otherwise made an authorized entry in the car.

 

[Redhot2474]

Wait, sentry mode recorded everything (before and after) except for the "lift and theft"? That sounds like they cloned your key, or otherwise made an authorized entry in the car.

Doors were locked , as it does this automatically . All the events of the day were caught except for the time it happened which was middle of the night. I was living at a rental at the time, the car was charging overnight.

 

[Deleted member 6348]

The market for stolen Taycan wheels is quite small. It’s less surprising to see them stolen from a Honda, Toyota, or Tesla Model 3.

 

[whitex]

Sentry mode caught just about everything , it even caught me checking out my car that day it happened …

Software glitch, or sophisticated thieves? ?

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

Software glitch, or sophisticated thieves? ?

I stick by 'authorized entry'. Is there a log (aside from the recording) that shows unlock/door open/disable camera events? That's auditing basics.

 

[DerekS]

SInce my Tesla wheels were stolen last year I’ve been a bit concerned about leaving my car in a semi secure parking garage. I opted for the “locking wheel bolts” for 60$. Are these just a speed bump for thieves or are they legit?

Your car was covered in cameras, did you get footage of the perps?

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