• Just coincidence, or...?

    From Percival P. Cassidy@21:1/5 to All on Thu Apr 20 21:05:14 2017
    I came across the wheel-lock key from our '96 Stratus that had gone to
    the wreckers years ago and thought to compare it with the one for our
    '02 300M. Imagine my surprise when I found that it fit perfectly.

    Are there really only a very few different "patterns" of locking wheel nut?

    Perce

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  • From James Rau@21:1/5 to Nobody@NotMyISP.net on Fri Apr 21 07:24:36 2017
    On Thu, 20 Apr 2017 21:05:14 -0400, "Percival P. Cassidy"
    <Nobody@NotMyISP.net> wrote:

    I came across the wheel-lock key from our '96 Stratus that had gone to
    the wreckers years ago and thought to compare it with the one for our
    '02 300M. Imagine my surprise when I found that it fit perfectly.

    Are there really only a very few different "patterns" of locking wheel nut?

    Perce

    It would not surprise me (nor would it be mere coincidence) if your
    wheel-lock key fit the wheel nut of a completely different make and
    model of car. All manufacturers (whether they produce doohickeys or thingamabobs) usually abide by certain specifications and standards.

    Manufacturers do this mainly for two reasons: 1) Standardization
    allows for lower production costs, and 2) it provides the greatest
    amount of cross-compatibility for the customers. It is very possible
    that if you had lost your wheel lock key, that you could go to your
    next door neighboor and ask to borrow his/her key (regardless of
    make/model of car) and still be able to unlock the wheel nut.

    James Rau

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