Its the 2nd time that somebody stole all four Valve Stem Caps from my R56 wheels! Is there some way i can prevent burglars from steeling them?
There are locking valve stem caps on the market. Usually held in place with a set screw so one needs an allen wrench to remove them. See [ame="http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTITHEFT-LOCK-Wheel-Tire-Valve-Stem-Cap-MINI-CLUBMAN-COUNTRYMAN-COUPE-PACEMAN-/141028511869?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item20d5f4507d&vxp=mtr"]Antitheft Lock Wheel Tire Valve Stem Cap Mini Clubman Countryman Coupe Paceman | eBay[/ame] I'd also check with the M/A sponsors too. OutMotoring may be the place for this item.
Warning, my brother bough some fancy aluminum valve caps for his Vette. They oxidized on to his valve stems, he had to have the valve stems replaced so he could add air.
Good call Norm. Galvanic corrosion from dissimilar metals. The guy at my local tire place warned me of this. I had some chrome metal ones on my wife's MINI. Now it wears plastic ones.
You can get brass ones with a tiny o-ring on the inside...the outside is chromed....that way it is brass on brass...worried...add a tiny dab of lube on the threads to prevent corrosion.
thanks guys, i think ill go for the plastic ones, its just not worth getting angry some one you don't know! probably put on an alarm on too!
I put a little candle wax on the stem and rub a little in the caps and it keeps them from getting oxidized together. But it won't help them from getting stolen.
Just buy the brass/chrome ones with the 3/8" hex heads. Tighten them up and keep the wrench in the glove box. If the little bas***** (er, uhh, punks I mean) get 'em after that, it was meant to be..... :beer
I wonder if some Locktite or fingernail polish on the threads might keep the kiddies from stealing your caps.
Due to my inadequate english i dont really understand what the effect of all that (Locktite, fingernail polish) will do. Plz explain further!
Both act as an adhesive [when dry] that keep screwed in nuts [in this case, tire valve caps] from loosening easily. The Loctite is especially made to do this but the fingernail polish does a credible job, too. When they are dry, it takes a bit more than just fingertip pressure to break the seal to remove the nuts [or, in this case, the caps]. Usually pliers can be used to break the seal and most kids do not run around with pliers in their pockets...lol.
Cute, Chuck, m'boy. Actually, it was a tip in an old Popular Mechanix magazine that I read while growing up. Like a lot of kids back in the day, I had a go kart and the lock nuts that held the engine onto the frame always worked loose [so much for "locking"...lol]. The magazine suggested nail polsih, but later in life, I read somewhere about Loctite doing the job, too. The nail polish tip is a helluva lot cheaper than Loctite, though, and the only downside is having to put up with my fellow M0M curmudgeons. :devil:
That and staring at the nail polish rack for hours to get that perfect shade just for you. :biggrin5:
I like to match the colors of my MINIS...Royal Grey, Pepper White, and Silk Green. So, as you can see, the time spent is not that much and one bottle of each will last the life of each car! :devil: