This week I purchased 2 Good Year tyres via Asda Tyres and booked a fitting at a local F1Autocentre in Oxford. They were for the front.

I took the car in and after about 40 minutes one of the mechanics came in to the waiting room and said we have been unable to remove the offside front tyre as the locking wheel nut was too tight. The nearside one had been done.

He also gave me back my locking wheel nut key which was totally mangled and no longer useable.

I had replacement brake disks fitted to the car in January 2013 under warranty due to a fault on them, so the wheels had been off at that point when the work was done by my local Ford garage in Bicester.

Ordering a replacement key takes 3-4 weeks (according to the dealership) and as I rely on the car I didn't want to risk being without the spare for this length of time.

I took the car to the Ford garage in Bicester and had to get the locking wheel nuts removed and replaced with a new set, this cost me £81 for the new locking wheel nuts and labour.

My gripe is with the F1Autocentre, I suspect that rather than using a bar to remove the wheel nuts the mechanic has used the air wrench, not seated the key properly and torn it to shreds. In 26 years of motoring 15 of which with cars with alloy wheels and locking wheel nuts I have never had such a problem. I have contacted their customer service manager but they don't want to know. I will vote with my feet and never use them again, but do I have any claim for the £81 I have had to shell out for the new locking wheel nuts? Yes the wheel nut may have been too tight, it's their word against the Ford garage in Bicester, who insist the wheels were torqued properly when the disks were replaced, and I have had lots of work done there and they are an HonestJohn preferred trader.

Any advice gratefully received.