Stolen wheel trims (1 Viewer)

RogeTeri

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Apr 8, 2012
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Quite amazed this morning to find both front wheel trims taken off my motor home. Quiet village with rare crime so I reckon it's kids or someone with only two wheels. Bit sad really. I use cable ties to secure them on my car but would appreciate any ideas to help secure their replacements for the future.
 

pappajohn

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nothing you can do to make them theft proof.

tiewraps are the next best thing to nothing.

expensive option is a set of alloy wheels and then you dont need trims :Doh:
 

Snowbird

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Anyone trying to steel mine would have to bring a set of Allen keys as they are held onto the backing clamp by 4 of them. They would then have to bring a jack and wheel brace to take the wheel off as the trims would be no good without the backing clamp :thumb:

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pappajohn

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Anyone trying to steel mine would have to bring a set of Allen keys as they are held onto the backing clamp by 4 of them. They would then have to bring a jack and wheel brace to take the wheel off as the trims would be no good without the backing clamp :thumb:
Dont tempt fate Dave :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
Aug 30, 2012
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Anyone trying to steel mine would have to bring a set of Allen keys as they are held onto the backing clamp by 4 of them. They would then have to bring a jack and wheel brace to take the wheel off as the trims would be no good without the backing clamp :thumb:

What size alan key and your address
please don't forget postcode for my tw4t n4v
 

Snowbird

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What size alan key and your address
please don't forget postcode for my tw4t n4v

I think its 4 mm. Dont know the postcode but pitch 100 La Torretta camping Benidorm Spain. Turn right after getting off the ferry in Calais. You will know when your almost there as your windows will be open, heater turned off and a big yellow thing in the sky :Cool:

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Aug 30, 2012
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I think its 4 mm. Dont know the postcode but pitch 100 La Torretta camping Benidorm Spain. Turn right after getting off the ferry in Calais. You will know when your almost there as your windows will be open, heater turned off and a big yellow thing in the sky :Cool:

Bugger might not make tonight just got arrested by the jobsworth at Leeds and Bradford airport for going equipped and having fluid in a can I should have left the WD40
will advise you of my rearranged travel plans

big yellow thing? have you have a fun flag
 

John & Joan

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Anyone trying to steel mine would have to bring a set of Allen keys as they are held onto the backing clamp by 4 of them. They would then have to bring a jack and wheel brace to take the wheel off as the trims would be no good without the backing clamp :thumb:

Hi Snowbird

My rear wheel covers were also held on by allanstuds. We had the van fully serviced and the brakes checked over before heading off to Spain for the winter.

We drove from the North East to Dover and then down through France. Just 5km into Spain we thought we had a puncture but as I stopped on the hard shoulder the van lurched over on the drivers side (LHD).

We had been shedding wheel nut on our trip and didn't notice anything amiss.

Our twin rear wheels had been held in place by the wheel trim bolted to the hub until it gave out. This allowed the outer wheel to move out and rotate in the process it tore the valve out of the inner wheel thus causing the flat tyre.

The Police were there almost instantly and assisted us in putting out the triangles. We called the breakdown (RAC Commercial) The fitter had to take a nut off each wheel to secure the wheels in place and he had a job to jack us up safely even using our jacks to supplement his jack.

We had to then drive very slowly into Irun escorted by the breakdown truck.

We need new rear wheels as they had worn the wheel center and nut holes in both wheels oval. We fitted our spare and obtained a secondhand one at the tyre depot. We continued the trip around Spain and Portugal with the other damaged wheel in the spare wheel carrier.

I then removed the other rear trim so that I could keep a check in the tightness of the wheel nuts. At Calnegre we hit a pothole and found later that one of the front wheel trims had come off without us knowing. I had had both off to check the nuts a few times. I removed the brackets from both rear hubs.

I have decided now to not fit wheel trims in future and this summer I will be having the tyres removed from all the wheels and getting the rims cleaned and painted before refitting. I will then fit the fluorescent nut covers with the arrows, (that waggons use,) so that I can see if the nuts have moved easily. I will also be getting a new wheel for the damaged spare. I now have a fluted skirt at that wheel where the vehicle settled down onto the wheel. The skirt did retain the wheel so a potentially dangerous situation of a wheel hitting another vehicle was avoided.

The garage that did the service I trust. It is the one we have used for all our servicing and MOT for the past 4/5 years. They used to run vehicles on the same chassis as ours as mini busses so they are familiar with them. The fitter told me that they use a bar extender when refitting the wheels after service to ensure the nuts are tight.

Wheel trims may look good but I now feel that they can hide potential problems.

John
 
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teddybard

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Bugger might not make tonight just got arrested by the jobsworth at Leeds and Bradford airport for going equipped and having fluid in a can I should have left the [HI]WD40 [/HI]
will advise you of my rearranged travel plans

big yellow thing? have you have a fun flag

You should realise (As a funster) that a can of coke or WD40
is an arrestable offence, try taking guns or bringing in illegal immigrants it's easier and pays well. And at Leeds Bradford theres a good market for both.
Think the big yellow thing is a Clegg Backbone.Certainly no sight of it in UK.
:winky:

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Aug 30, 2012
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You should realise (As a funster) that a can of coke or WD40
is an arrestable offence, try taking guns or bringing in illegal immigrants it's easier and pays well. And at Leeds Bradford theres a good market for both.
Think the big yellow thing is a Clegg Backbone.Certainly no sight of it in UK.
:winky:

Why would I be arrested taking illegals out the nice man doing my charge sheet thinks this is funny and comments if was taking illegals out I would not been arrested :winky:
Don't like guns nor want them :Angry:
Clegg and backbone in same sentence never heard that before :ROFLMAO:
 

Snowbird

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Hi John and Joan, I agree trims do hide all sorts of potential problems not just wheel nuts loose, but leaking oil and brake seals as well as dragging shoes. As an ex old school truck driver I do check my wheel nuts before long journeys myself, never trusting anyone else to do it. The biggest problem today is the mechanic with an air gun. Those things are the worst thing for stretching wheel nuts and under/over tightening of wheel nuts.
 
Aug 30, 2012
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I speak from many years as a fitter on large equipment cranes trucks and so on
When checking wheel nuts don't try to move the nuts every time you check them some people want to see the nut turn a little just to make sure it's tight
Just give the bar a good tug if It does not move its ok
The biggest cause of broken wheel nuts is over tightening every time you jump on the bar you tighten it a bit more and eventually it will break or strip threads
My way check around nuts look for signs of movement or shiny marks
And use a torque wrench set to correct settings
When ever anybody has removed your wheels check the nuts yourself and after first 100 miles

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Vlad The Impaler

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My steel wheels were starting to go rusty ,so when I needed new tyres I decided to get some wheel trims as well.There are lots out there at differing amounts of money but you get what you pay for,I decided to get a set that are held on by your wheel nuts,They won't fall off and not easy to pinch,unless you use a jack and take the wheel off!
The garage put them on at the same time as changing the tyres.
Fiat ducato 2004 4 genuine bolt on trims £75 ish.
Vlad
 
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Geo

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Hi Snowbird

My rear wheel covers were also held on by allanstuds. We had the van fully serviced and the brakes checked over before heading off to Spain for the winter.

We drove from the North East to Dover and then down through France. Just 5km into Spain we thought we had a puncture but as I stopped on the hard shoulder the van lurched over on the drivers side (LHD).

We had been shedding wheel nut on our trip and didn't notice anything amiss.

Our twin rear wheels had been held in place by the wheel trim bolted to the hub until it gave out. This allowed the outer wheel to move out and rotate in the process it tore the valve out of the inner wheel thus causing the flat tyre.

The Police were there almost instantly and assisted us in putting out the triangles. We called the breakdown (RAC Commercial) The fitter had to take a nut off each wheel to secure the wheels in place and he had a job to jack us up safely even using our jacks to supplement his jack.

We had to then drive very slowly into Irun escorted by the breakdown truck.

We need new rear wheels as they had worn the wheel center and nut holes in both wheels oval. We fitted our spare and obtained a secondhand one at the tyre depot. We continued the trip around Spain and Portugal with the other damaged wheel in the spare wheel carrier.

I then removed the other rear trim so that I could keep a check in the tightness of the wheel nuts. At Calnegre we hit a pothole and found later that one of the front wheel trims had come off without us knowing. I had had both off to check the nuts a few times. I removed the brackets from both rear hubs.

I have decided now to not fit wheel trims in future and this summer I will be having the tyres removed from all the wheels and getting the rims cleaned and painted before refitting. I will then fit the fluorescent nut covers with the arrows, (that waggons use,) so that I can see if the nuts have moved easily. I will also be getting a new wheel for the damaged spare. I now have a fluted skirt at that wheel where the vehicle settled down onto the wheel. The skirt did retain the wheel so a potentially dangerous situation of a wheel hitting another vehicle was avoided.

The garage that did the service I trust. It is the one we have used for all our servicing and MOT for the past 4/5 years. They used to run vehicles on the same chassis as ours as mini busses so they are familiar with them. The fitter told me that they use a bar extender when refitting the wheels after service to ensure the nuts are tight.

Wheel trims may look good but I now feel that they can hide potential problems.

John
I would sincerely like to shake John by the hand. for posting the first ever reasoned account of a wheel off incident, and in particular the comment highlighted and enlarged. I had to enlarge it to make sure I was reading it right:thumb:

At last a man who reasoned that a garage or tyre fitter was or perhaps, maybe was not to blame for wheels coming off and the proposed steps to prevent it happening again

Yes It is so easy to suspect the last man involved, but in reality even a very conscientious Garage or fitter gets caught out

In reality there are many factors inc even the type of journey you take immediately after having wheel off ie hilly or trips involving lots of braking have an effect

On the bottom of every one of our invoices is the recommendation to re check and re torque your wheels, this is not our advice this is the British standards advice.

Even those of you who have seen and adhered to such advice by nipping up your wheel nuts are probably more to blame for any failure than the fitter who originally gave you that advice, Because ???
You will have over tightened the nuts during your re check, unless you used a proper tool for the job, anyone out there about to reply I always use a torque wrench, well good on you, relax your never going to have a wheel of incident are you? WRONG!!!!

Far too many factors are involved in wheel off and stud failures to go into here.

But what I do ask is if you do have an incident try to understand the fitters point of view, we do not have a vested interest in killing customers, it effects our wages, and I dont know anyone who does things to reduce his income

Interesting read here, But only if your interested, other wise its boring.

Just call solicitor instead,

But be warned I have a 100 and one reasons why your wheel might have come off backed up by science and powerful authorities, not just a blame and claim culture
Once again my thanks to John(John and Joan) for the opportunity to make this post
On behalf of all tyre fitters and garages
Geo

ps if after reading the web site you say ahh!! my stud didnt break just the nut came loose, you didnt understand any of it call your brief
 
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Snowbird

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I can say in all honesty that in travelling hundreds of thousands of miles or even may I dare say millions of miles I have never lost a wheel. I have had many loose wheels, mainly on overloaded trailers but have never lost one yet. I have also never allowed anyone near any of my wheels with an air hammer gun. Air hammer guns are the instrument of the devil who makes work for lazy fitters.

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RogeTeri

RogeTeri

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February 2013.
I was hesitant starting this thread as I was a). annoyed that they had been taken and b). embarrassed that they had been taken. However, there have been some great responses and brilliant information so thanks for the contributions to one and all. If nothing else I have learnt one thing, I will always check my nuts before a long journey!
 

icantremember

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A point I would like to add is to only use wheel trims (not the bolt-on ones) if you have metal tyre valve stems as the trims can move around on the rim cutting into rubber valve stems with disasterous consequences.:Doh:
 

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