As most of you know my 85 911 and 86 El Camino are my daily drivers.
My wife has "her" car, a 2017 Macan she order to her specifications. My name is on the title, but it is her car. I have done two oil changes, and that is all. For the more complex scheduled services she takes it to the dealer. It has only been worked by the dealer and myself. The vehicle has been faultless.
Yesterday when she was at lunch with one of her girlfriends she texted me, and said her tire pressure monitor showed the right rear was 15 pounds low. She got home and I used a gauge to check, and it was at 22 PSI and supposed to be 39 PSI. Crap, a slow leak. Leaving the car with the average tire shop, even good ones is not optimal. The car is pristine, super clean, not one scratch or door ding, with 22,000 miles on it. I have had tires put on the El Camino and get in to tire monkey nasty steering wheel. With a plastic steering wheel on the Elky, it was easy cleanup, but I did not want that for her leather steering wheel.
OK, I have a lift, and I can get the tire off and take it in to a local tire chain, Hibdons. They will dismount the tire, patch the hole, and mount it again no charge. So I get the Macan in the air, and wait, what, there are tire locks, one lug per wheel is a special lock splined lug and needs a special adapter. OK, whip out the manual, and it is supposed to have a key next to the spare tire. No adapter key, just an empty hole where it should be. Crap. So I drive to the dealer and they say they have to have the car there to match up the key with their master set. Double crap.
So back home, put back on the two lugs I had take off, and put the car on the ground, and off to the dealer. They whip out the master set, and low and behold, not a full set, one lock is missing. Guess what the one I needed! Yep, and that lock is on backorder! They went to the mechanics, and found me a lock adapter that fits our lugs.
So I had to pay 44 bucks for a new one, and they gave me one that had been used. So damn what, it is not a 100 point show car. So back home, put the Macan on the lift again, take the wheel off, and take it to the tire shop. I got all done and back in the house about 4:40.
I can only guess that when they rotated the tires at the dealership some new mechanic kept our lock. I had better things to do that throw a fit, but I did express my great displeasure with the situation. They all know me from the Porsche club, and we bought the Macan from them, and I have been around forever.
The really great wonderful news is the car in in my garage, and we are not in rural Arkansas on the side of the road, in the rain, trying to change a flat and stuck without an adapter to get the wheel off.
I went to pick up the wheel and tire today, and all is perfect, and free. Again I have been a Hibdons customer for many decades, and they had me as a long time customer. It was very handy to have my El Camino to go get the tire. I mounted the tire back on the car, and lowerd it off of the lift. I had to look up the torque requirement, and it is 118 pound feet! Wow.
I had to dig out my biggest torque wrench and crank it down. It only goes to 140 pound feet. I had to put on a glove and push down HARD to get them torqued.
The flat repair was free, and my labor was free, so just the multiple trips to the dealership, and the tire store. Both are about 2.75 miles away, so no major journey. Oh and a 44 dollar adapter that was stolen from the car. The real kick is I can buy a "master set" from Porsche for just 85$ but just one adapter is 44 with the taxes. Such a bargain.
We are very lucky it was a slow leak, and just here in town. With my impact wrench getting the old lugs off was super easy once I had the adapter. I am not sure the average strength human can get the lugs off with the little lug wrench Porsche provides. It would sure be a real challenge. With a lift, and pneumatic impact wrench, gloves and a nice heated garage is was still an effort. I can't imagine trying that on the side of a road.
So my point of posting this is, if you have a modern vehicle with wheel locks, go be 100% certain you have the adapter to get the lugs off. In the future, I will remove the adapter before she goes back for some service I don't want to do. I am also going to order a long pull handle 3/4 drive and a 19 mm deep socket to put in the car. It has a decent looking jack, and even chocks to prevent the car from rolling.
I had no idea the Macan had locking lug bolts. Go see if your vehicle does and if you have the adapter. The VIN is not enough to order an adapter. They have to match it up to the lug. And, as I said, I am going to get a better longer wrench to get those lugs off.
The space saver spare and the compressor are in like new shape. I did not test the compressor, I may do that in the near future.