Tip of the week: tyre valve dust caps made of metal... | |
Never fit them in the first place and if you've already got them, pray that you can still remove them and bin them now!!
I've used the, very natty, Richbrook spinning (theftproof) metal dust caps for a few years. Now that my current D4 has TPMS, I've had no reason to remove them to check the pressures since the car went in for service in May (when they were last adjusted). I've just gone to get the tyres changed and every single one is fused absolutely solid to the valve stem
We've tried every method to remove them, but the metal of the dust cap literally crumbled under the pressed before the thread will let go.
I've contacted Richbrook and while they are aware of the problem, they say that if the valve stem wasn't kept greased "there is no method to remove them". Not a problem, for those that have a regular maintenance schedule that includes greasing the threads on their valve dust caps
Fortunately, I wasn't stranded with a flat tyre, but I am facing a large bill for a full set of TPMS sensors
Lesson learned and shared!
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