Hello Christopher,
CW> A while back, I allowed some nitwit to remove my tires to check the CW> brakes on my 2001 Accent. In the process, he damaged the chrome CW> plating on several lug nuts, and now they are badly corroded. I'd CW> like to replace them, but a lot of literature I read seem to say CW> that an expensive torque wrench is needed to safely install lug CW> nuts. Can't I just use the wrench in my trunk?
I am confused. You seem to have more than one issue here ... damage to chrome lug nuts, safely installing lug nuts and and expensive torque wrench -- all are mutually exclusive.
Get the lug nuts on eBay.
Use a torque wrench to apply the correct torque to the nuts.
Yes you can use the wrench in your trunk to install the nuts safely, but it is best to have a torque wrench.
Regards, Wayne Moses Houston, Texas