Is it just me, or is it easy to scratch the part of the rim that surrounds the lug nuts? You know what part that is, right? I'm referring to the holes...where the lugs reside. This morning I took one, regular, lug off each wheel and replaced each w/the special locking lugs. While screwing them on, I noticed that there was a decent amount of "play" in how the wrench fit over the special tool, and how it fit over the locking lugs. Sure enough, after removing the wrench, I noticed that I scratched two of the wheels(inside the hole where the lugs reside)!<p>Anybody w/similar experiences? Anybody have scratches in this area of the rim that doesn't have the special locking lugs? Just curious. Thanks. =)<p>JT 99' 1.8Tqms

I haven't had any problem with this, but I use my own socket wrench with a 17mm hex socket (as opposed to the 12 point ones) for both the regular bolts and locking bolt key. It sounds like Audi's wrench may have a larger diameter or may not be tight enough. You really need some separate tools anyway since you should be torqueing the locking bolt to the proper torque. (80 ft-lbs. per owners manual, 89 ft-lbs per factory shop manual).

This will be far less likely to scratch anything than the wrench supplied with the car or an impact socket.

I'll tell you what I did to prevent scratches. Use the metal wrench to untighten the bolts ONLY. Once they are loose, there should be a plastic wrench adaptor included in the kit. Use that to remove the bolt. That should take care of the problem. Remember, don't use the plastic adaptor to loosen or tighten the bolts, just to remove them or put them on.<p>-henri