How to Replace a Missing Wheel Stud

Driving with a broken, stripped or missing wheel stud can be a serious issue to both your and your car's life. If any wheel studs are damaged or missing from your car, they should be replaced as quickly as possible before putting pressure on the others, causing them to be stripped or to broken as well. While a mechanic might charge $200 or more for such a repair, you can do it yourself equally as well for much cheaper.

• 1

  Purchase a pack of wheel studs, making sure the measurements match the studs already on your car.

• 2

  Loosen all of the lug nuts on the wheel with the missing stud, using a lug wrench. Raise your car with a jack near the same wheel. Lower the car so it is supported by a jack stand. Remove the tire by fully loosening and remove all the lug nuts.

• 3

  Remove the brake system if it on the wheel you're repairing. Remove the brake caliper and hang it from the bungee cord, if needed, making sure not to damage the brake line. Slide the brake rotor fully off the hub.

• 4

  Identify the missing or broken wheel stud, and if there are fragments in the bolthole, prepare to hammer them out. Use a small chisel smaller than the bolthole the stud is inside so as to not further damage the wheel bearings. Use a hammer to pound the chisel into the end of the broken stud, pushing it through the bolthole. Use a magnet to remove the wheel stud if it does not fall out easily. Use a steel brush to clean the bolthole before spraying them with a few drops of machine oil or lubricant to make the installation easier.

• 5

  Slide a new stud into the bolthole and use a lug nut to tighten the bolt. Put a couple washers in between the lug nut and stud bolt to protect the bolt from future friction and wear if you wish. Tighten the bolt as much as you can, as the tighter and closer it fits, the more support it will provide. Reassemble the removed parts of the brake system, and you're finished.