Wheel Bolts - To Grease or Not to grease, that is the question

[The Mechanic]

What is the wisdom on greasing wheel bolts, particularly locking variety.  The local tyre shop has just snapped one of my locking wheel nuts off.  Fortunately they managed to remove the broken bit.  Last year when I changed my winters over, the garage destroyed the lock key.  I guess there is either a torque issue or they need grease.  Your advice would be mist welcome.

[X5Sport]

The advice I have always received is never to grease car wheel nuts/studs as you can inadvertently over-torque them.

I also always insist on a proper torque setting being used with a torque wrench, not a 'whizzy-gun', and I double check the wheel bolt torque at home.

So far I haven't had a bolt/nut shear, round off, snap or seize in place since I started driving in 1978.  I did once have a garage over-tighten the bolts on a Vauxhell, but I went back and got them to remove and replace them with new ones.

My BMW Dealer uses a large and calibrated torque wrench, as does my local tyre fitter, to put the final 'pinch' on the bolts.  I am also told that the locking wheel bolt should be done last, so that's the way I do it.

None of them use any kind of grease/lube.