Bleached wheel nut covers

[AudiMan9000]

I took my brand new Audi Q3 for a valet at my local hand car wash. The guys must have used come kind of corrosive substance to clean the alloys as the plastic caps that cover the wheel nuts have become bleached/discoloured.

I took some of them off by hand to see if I could clean them (I can’t). I’ve put them back on by hand, forcing them on with full strength. Despite this, they seem very flimsily attached compared to the other ones, and liable to eventually drop off while driving.

I know there’s a removal tool (which I have and didn’t need), but is there any kind of tool to firmly attach them, or is it fine that they feel a bit loose and can be pulled off with minimal force?

[Matt Cup]

They are friction fit so no tool is required to secure them on to the bolts. They shouldn’t feel loose though, mine are snug but easy to take off/put on with the little tweezer tool they come with.

[eltawater]

The VAG wheel nut covers have a reputation for making for a break for freedom at any given opportunity. I lost so many of my Seat ones that I bought a cheap set from ebay to replace the ones which get knackered like yours by the local car wash or those which decide to liberate themselves over the roads of Great Britain.

Gave up eventually and have just left them off.

[aka_kerrly]

'the joys of budget hand wash places that use brick acid/patio cleaner.

I've seen the guys in the local Tesco with bottles of Tesco value washing up liquid and Screw Fix no nonsense concrete cleaner in their little cabinet of cleaning shame...

[andy43]

I belive brick acid is used at some car washes - cheap and effective.
Anything suitable for a car wouldn't do that to the nut covers.

[Pica-Pica]

I guess they are the same as on my wife’s Škoda Fabia. Go to
https://www.theskodashop.co.uk/
check them for the same size and order them.
My BMW F30 335d has no such covers - and I can’t see the need. (Nor would I trust any car wash eejits to use a correct wheel or car cleaning liquid).

How many times do I have to say this?, - they are wheel bolts not nuts! Grrrrrh.

[Sheepshanks]

Daughter has a SEAT and I woudn't have said they felt loose but they do seem to travel off the bolt heads - I walk around it if I remember when she's here and press them back on. We also have a VW and its covers are a very tight fit on their outer surface (so against the bolt recess, rather than the the bolt head). They use a hook through a hole in the centre and take a bit of pulling. Oddly we got the same tool with the SEAT Ateca so I bought the tweezers (dealer is a bit of a trek away).

I did see a suggestion on a SEAT forum that a touch of blu-tack on the bolt head held the covers in place.

[AudiMan9000]

Would it be wise just to pull them all off and throw in the bin? Are they actually needed?

[Matt Cup]

They stop the bolts going crusty.

[AudiMan9000]

Better leave them on then. I don’t understand how the manufacture got them on so tight. Maybe taking them off weakens them a bit.

[anonymous-user]

I would leave them on as it protects the locking wheel bolt which is the one that will cause most trouble.

And find a better car wash.

[catso]

Don't know if they've changed the 'recipe' of the plastic on these? but my Wife's Q2 nut covers went white after just a couple of visits to the eastern euro car wash, yet the covers on my S4 which has been 'euro washed' many more times are still as original - they look to be the same otherwise?

I did manage to polish a lot of the white out of them using t-cut etc. so they don't look too bad and I've stopped taking any car to the 'wash & scratch' after they broke the rear wiper blade off my S4 and then refused to accept the 'buy 5 get one free' offer as the last time I'd been there they didn't have the stamp and so signed it and they accused me of forging the signature.

I prefer doing it myself anyway and a few quid saved.

[A1VDY]

Place I used to use upped the 3 phase pumps located inside the building with the washing macjines and dryers to over 6k psi. The guys had to brace themselves before pulling the trigger on the lance!
Great for cleaning under the arches ect but any loose paint or new paint it would strip straight off.
With heavily baked on brake dust they would use neat sulphuric acid which would smoke when it hit the wheels. Very very effective to clean filthy wheels but suitable for cheap trade cars only.
We use somewhere else now with less aggressive cleaning equipment..

[Drive Blind]

My SEAT Leon wheel nut covers came back like this when getting discs and pads replaced.

The white residue did clean off. I dont know what they did to them.
My wheels were relatively clean and sealed so there was no need to clean the wheels or use any acidic product.