Dumb Sumbitchs

How is it GM's fault that the mechanic you take your car too doesn't know how to use a ratchet?

My 99 and 02 Cavaliers both are like that. They strip mine too:) But on mine, the plastic caps are just a decoration, the actual lug nut holds the wheel cover. And, they all make noise. Had to tie the wheel cover on the 99 with tie wraps.

Al

Oh, I fully admit it is possible to damage the plastic nuts. My Bonnie has the same style as your Cavalier, with a metal lug nut, and then a plastic cap covering it, so it looks all shiny. I usually just grab a few whenever I am out at the scrap yard, that way if any break, I have spares.

Damn - I think you're the first one I've heard complain of that. You can't strip them by taking them off and if "numb-nuts kids" are taking an air-wrench to your wheel covers, I'd be finding a more competent shop to take my car to.

You only find these things out AFTER they've screwed it up.

By then, the damage's been done.

My complaint is that GM had a wheel cover that worked, and they changed it for a process that could be easily damaged. That's NOT progress.

I don't mind the ones you're talking about - I think they work fine. The ones I really hated were the ones in the early nineties that used the loose fitting hub that secured under three lug nuts and then the wheel cover screwed to it using a special tool. What a Rube Goldberg that was.

Seems to me, the numb-nuts kid that took the air-wrench to the plastic nuts and striped them ALL, is the problem. HE be should have paid for replacements HE got from the GM dealer.

If he had, I bet HE would not have needed to buy another nut. let alone another set of nuts LOL

mike

The 05' Taurus had the same design on the hubcaps. I've had them come loose just driving down the road. Also, the ford mechanic forgot to tighten them once on it and one of them fell off. Of course there was no charge to get another hubcap. Plastic hubcaps and covers have been falling off of cars since they were invented. I don't think it's going to change now.

Not to worry few cars have hubcaps today, even among cars under 20K ;)

mike

17 years and 310,483 miles and I have 16 of the original wheel covers lug nuts on my Bonneville.............the key is to bring the car in for tire service without the wheel covers on.

The lug nut caps on my Buick are aluminum but the don't hold anything in place, they just cover the lug nut thats holding the alumunum wheel on.

Good luck

harryface

91 Bonneville 310,483 05 Park Avenue 63,343

IMO, impact wrenches should not be allowed near a lugnut. I specify this up front.

There's no problem with someone using an impact wrench WHO KNOWS HOW TO USE IT PROPERLY.

The trick is finding that person...

just be glad you don't have a Porsche, those aluminum (really!) lug nuts aren't cheap to replace.

nate

My LeSabre had those nuts on it. They had a small indented hole and a plastic wrench that was used to remove it. Problem was the wrench would strip out the hole making it long gated and it was a mess to get them off after that. I found nothing that would solve this problem and if they stripped along side the road you had a really problem. My solution was take off the wire wheel cover and replace with something else.