Yaris Hubcaps Fall Off?

[Thirty-Nine]

I don't know if you all have noticed this, but I see an awful lot of Yarii missing a single hubcaps. I'm guessing they're prone to falling off. And when I say "prone," I mean "it's going to happen." Every other Yaris I see seems to have a missing wheel cover. Anyone else notice this?

[m.flores.0928]

Mine are fine. I've never had issues with them. Problem isn't the hubcaps, it's that people don't put them on all the way. They clip on with a metal ring and plastic fingers on the hubcaps. People don't clip them on all the way so they fall off. I saw it all the time with my customer cars when I used to work at the dealership.


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[kimona]

This is very common in Quebec:

[m.flores.0928]

Originally Posted by kimona

This is very common in Quebec:

I've seen that too. Every time I came across that it's because the customer didn't want anyone taking them off.

I hated that, because it was impossible to do wheel work in that condition.


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[kevinj93]

They get lost here in Australia too.

When I bought my Yaris, I found that not only were the hub caps not neatly fitted, it was not possible to fit them properly as the tabs that grip the wheels were worn / broken. One of them disappeared witn the first month of ownership.

For less than the price of one genuine hub cap, you can buy a full set of aftermarket ones.

Actually, if you were to replace all four, the cost is comparable to buy a set of alloy wheels.
It's not just the Yaris. I see plenty of other Toyotas locally with cable ties holding the hubcaps on. The problem then is you need something to cut the ties off if you get a flat tyre.

[m.flores.0928]

Originally Posted by kevinj93

They get lost here in Australia too.



When I bought my Yaris, I found that not only were the hub caps not neatly fitted, it was not possible to fit them properly as the tabs that grip the wheels were worn / broken. One of them disappeared witn the first month of ownership.



For less than the price of one genuine hub cap, you can buy a full set of aftermarket ones.



Actually, if you were to replace all four, the cost is comparable to buy a set of alloy wheels.

Genuine hubcaps are expensive yes but cheap ones are just that: cheap. Genuine Toyota ones are expensive because they are made specifically to fit perfectly. Cheap ones are flimsy and they rattle, etc.

I've never seen a genuine hubcap with a problem. The only time they ever fall off or break is user error. Dropping them, stepping on them, not putting them on correctly, hitting curbs, etc.


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[Type-Y]

Originally Posted by Thirty-Nine

I don't know if you all have noticed this, but I see an awful lot of Yarii missing a single hubcaps. I'm guessing they're prone to falling off. And when I say "prone," I mean "it's going to happen." Every other Yaris I see seems to have a missing wheel cover. Anyone else notice this?

When I saw a local guy with one of the hubcaps missing on his Yaris, it made me realize that it I like the look better without hubcaps, so I took mine off

[Type-Y]

Originally Posted by m.flores.0928

Mine are fine. I've never had issues with them. Problem isn't the hubcaps, it's that people don't put them on all the way. They clip on with a metal ring and plastic fingers on the hubcaps. People don't clip them on all the way so they fall off. I saw it all the time with my customer cars when I used to work at the dealership.


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They are a bitch to get back on.

[m.flores.0928]

Originally Posted by Type-Y

They are a bitch to get back on.

I've never had an issue with them. Well, most of them.


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[Type-Y]

Originally Posted by m.flores.0928

I've never had an issue with them. Well, most of them.


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I felt like I needed a second set of hands to compress the sides of it to get it back in there.

[m.flores.0928]

Originally Posted by Type-Y

I felt like I needed a second set of hands to compress the sides of it to get it back in there.

The trick with me how I do it is I place the cap on the rim, the portion of it that lines up with the valve stem, and I keep my foot on it (or knee, depending on where the valve stem is positioned) right on that corner of it. Gently, don't break it, but firm enough so that it stays in place and doesn't move. Then I take one hand and press another corner of it into place, roughly 120 degrees away from where I placed my foot/knee on it. Once I have it placed in two positions, take another hand and press the last corner in place. It snaps into place pretty well. The metal snap ring inside the hubcap has about an inch or so cut out of it so it allows to be compressed when you install it.

Prius caps are a pain because they have tighter tolerances than the regular steel wheels. Additionally, smaller center caps are a pain too, like the steel wheel tundras and aluminum wheel tacomas. Those are annoying as hell.

Another thing that can potentially be annoying is if you have wheel weights that interfere with the inner tabs of the hubcaps, but that's uncommon in my experience. As long as you have a decent tire and a rim in good condition, you'll hardly need any wheel weights large enough to interfere with hubcap placement, assuming the tire is clocked onto the rim correctly.


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[Deathegg]

Originally Posted by m.flores.0928

.....Problem isn't the hubcaps, it's that people don't put them on all the way. They clip on with a metal ring and plastic fingers on the hubcaps. People don't clip them on all the way so they fall off.
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Actually, the problem IS with the hubcaps. It's a bad design where the clips attach to the rear of the cap itself. R & R once or twice and they will break there and then eventually fall off.

Still have two for sale if anyone needs them! :-)

[dogsridewith]

Remove as soon as the ink is dry on the purchase papers. Replace in mint condition when you advertise for sale to indicate car wasn't owned by a wild kid learning to drive and wrench. Didn't hit curbs. Wasn't sandblasted by road salt and grit. Didn't hit curbs and drive offroad.
I'd be fine w/ a functional wheel cover that wasn't a fake cast or spoked or whatever wheel...full moons!
These things aren't "hubcaps." Hubcaps and center caps are smaller things that can be installed for a finished look when wheelcovers are not present.
(Inertia of corporate culture- Toyota Dept. of Cheesy Plastic Wheel Covers...this department has been going strong since before 1990.)

[m.flores.0928]

Originally Posted by Deathegg

Actually, the problem IS with the hubcaps. It's a bad design where the clips attach to the rear of the cap itself. R & R once or twice and they will break there and then eventually fall off.



Still have two for sale if anyone needs them! :-)

All I know is I've been messing with my hubcaps for a couple years now with no issues whatsoever and hundreds of other cars with similar hubcaps with no problems.


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[ern-diz]

When I sold mine to a local hubcap place, he said they do sell because they appear to fall off easily.

[dogsridewith]

A decade or two or three back there was a 60 minutes story about a fellow who made a living collecting and selling caps/covers that were dislodged by potholes on roads around New York City. He showed his prize, which came off of something like an older Rolls Royce.

[scylla]

Back in the early Seventies hubcaps and beauty rings were mostly metal. Alot of hubcap theft compared to today with plastic covers. I guess those guys moved on to stealing sneakers.

[Deathegg]

From what I understand, Toyota Echo wheel covers are of a much sturdier design, and will not fall of very easily at all. They will fit Yaris wheels.