You go get them Lisa!! I can't see them being that desperate as to steal the chrome ones but maybe they saw the standard black rims and thought that the chrome ones couldn't possibly belong to your car. Who knows how many different hands were doing the tire swap.

As far as the hump goes, I'm guessing you are talking about the spindle bearing caps on the front. Yes, they do stick out different then the back.

An alternative explanation might be that one person removed the wheels and a different person put them back on. It is possible that the person who put the new black steel rims on grabbed black nuts that were actually from another car thinking they were correct because the color matched. I don't mean to apologize for any tire place - I've never had a good experience with one, but there is a reasonable explanation that does not include malfeasance. Still insist that they replace them. Also, show them your alloy 26-spoke wheels, since they are much "nicer" and it is more reasonable to conclude that chrome nuts were used on the fancy alloy rims. Furthermore, it is possible that the black nuts are not quite long enough for the alloy rim hub caps to grab on to. I would check that carefully if you end up stuck with the black lugnuts. Those hubcaps are generally expensive so you don't want them to fall off. If you really want to you can buy new actual Volvo nuts but expect to pay $10 per wheel for them new ($2/piece 5/wheel). Junkyard or nonVolvo is a better bet costwise.

If they were spray painted for some reason (why??) then you could easily find out. Take a rag with some paint thinner and try to wipe off the nuts. If the paint wipes off and the nuts are chrome again, then you answered the question. If not, then it looks like they ripped you off. I used to work at a tire shop when I was younger, and i don't see any reason for stealing the lugnuts, but I guess you never know.

Lisa,

Whether the tech working on your car was corrupt enough to steal the lugnuts or careless enough to misplace them, I’d bet he/she also got sloppy with the air gun. I’d check the torque on all 20 lug nuts by hand – not with an air gun ASAP. Otherwise you’ll be shopping for new brake rotors very soon.

Re. The missing nuts – if you paid for the work with a credit card and they don’t return the chrome lugs or pay for them, I would withhold payment and send a letter to the credit card company explaining the situation (with a cc to the shop). Consumer protection laws in most states give you the right to withhold payment in a dispute with a merchant interest free.

Hope this helps.

Well the long hexagonal chrome turbo lugnuts are top-of-the-line in the lugnuts, but to steal them is pretty low. On the other hand I would not say anything is too petty for a mechanics shenanigans. And yes, they will try to assess you and pull the wool according to what they might get away with. Give them hell.

I don't quite get the Volvo logo part though. You mean on the wheels?

/// Could they have spray painted the nuts and studs to prevent salt corrosion and a difficult removal in the spring? I've never done this but --- is it possible?