[net.auto] loss of hub caps

wa2sff@hounx.UUCP (J.WILKES) (01/29/86)

My wife has lost two hubs caps in the last two months
on her 1982 Plym. Reliant Wagon.
first time I thought maybe some stole one.
But second time was on the same wheel.
Does any one know what to look for.
When I put the replacement hubcap on it was hard to get on.
Thus I don't think it was loose.
Any help would be appreciated.
Joe Wilkes

smh@mhuxl.UUCP (henning) (01/30/86)

> My wife has lost two hubs caps in the last two months
> on her 1982 Plym. Reliant Wagon.
> When I put the replacement hubcap on it was hard to get on.
> Thus I don't think it was loose.
> Any help would be appreciated.

****                                                                 ****
From the keys of Steve Henning, AT&T Bell Labs, Reading, PA mhuxl!smh

I lost a volvo hubcap which is a fancy piece of tin can and costs something
like $35 to replace.  Hence, from then on I take my hubcaps off, put them
in my garage and replace my lug nuts with chrome acorn nuts which cost
less than $5 a set versus the $140 worth of hubcaps which sits safely in
my garage until I am ready to sell the car.  By the way, all 4 of the volvo's
which I drove 120,000 miles and sold looked like brand-new and sold for
a premium price.

robert@hpfcla.UUCP (02/05/86)

	I had lost a hub cap twice off the same rim.  I had to run back down the
road to fetch it both times.  Then I very carefully watched as I put it
back on.  I lined up the hole with the valve stem, that fixed the
orientation of the hub cap.  There were three small toothed "grippers"
on the back of the hub cap that clipped on the rim.  I was surprised
to discover that the clip though it appeared tight had been hammered
into place over one of the lead balance weights prying the teeth appart
and actually giving it a poor hold.  Aligning the valve stem made sure
that the cap never seated properly.  I went back to the people I bought
the tires from and had them rearrange the weights and watched them put
the hub cap back on.
	It's a long shot but it provides repeatability.

		-animal