Punctured and failed to remove wheel

[briwy]

180 Nm I think but pretty sure it in the manual

 

[Custardtart]

180Nm - that's what I thought too.

I don't have a suitable torque wrench so it's about 18kg force on a 1m long wrench but my wrench is only about 0.5m so it's 36kg force - ie a hefty pull (for me anyway)!

 

[Travelling Togs]

MMmm that's interesting re copperslip.
Maybe it was some other lubricant my VW Van Centre recommended and put on.
But put something on they did.

I'm slightly alarmed to hear that it's otherwise a matter of pot luck getting a (say punctured) Cali wheel off or not.
I wonder what I would have done if my puncture had been on a lonely road up the West Coast of Scotland well outside moby reach where we spend a good lot of our time?
To say nothing of trips to remote bits of mainland Europe ...

Having come across this thread a few weeks ago, and also travelling the Scottish West Coast often with no mobile signal, I took our 3 month old Ocean to our dealer for them to take off and on all the wheels so I had peace of mind they wouldn't be 'stuck' if I needed to change a wheel for any reason. The mechanic knew of the issue and gave me a wry grin when he returned from doing the work. All 4 wheels were difficult to remove for them, how I would have managed in the middle of nowhere, on single track roads, heavens knows, so many thanks for the heads up. I am very grateful I had them checked. The service desk guy suggested I owed them £30.00, I suggested it had cost VW a lot less than them having to 'assist' me had I needed to call them out to Sutherland after sunset and he agreed to claim the fee from VW warranty. I hope I never need to swap wheels but I am far happier knowing I will be able to far easier now should the need arise

 

[Sandyvan]

Jack up, remove the bolts and if the wheel wont come off put one bolt back in a touch squirt wd40 between the hub and rim go have a cup of tea. Come back hit top of the tyre carefully once with lump hammer or rubber mallet remove the bolt wheel comes off.
Clean the two mating surfaces apply copper slip sparingly and evenly, torque up to 180NM following the correct tightening pattern. don't toque up the puzzle nut you might not get it off again without damage.

Works for me every time.

 

[Sandyvan]

Jack up, remove the bolts and if the wheel wont come off put one bolt back in a touch squirt wd40 between the hub and rim go have a cup of tea. Come back hit top of the tyre carefully once with lump hammer or rubber mallet remove the bolt wheel comes off.
Clean the two mating surfaces apply copper slip sparingly and evenly, torque up to 180NM following the correct tightening pattern. don't toque up the puzzle nut you might not get it off again without damage.

Works for me every time.

Forgot to add, re-torque after a few hundred miles.

 

[Hotel California]

Having come across this thread a few weeks ago, and also travelling the Scottish West Coast often with no mobile signal, I took our 3 month old Ocean to our dealer for them to take off and on all the wheels so I had peace of mind they wouldn't be 'stuck' if I needed to change a wheel for any reason. The mechanic knew of the issue and gave me a wry grin when he returned from doing the work. All 4 wheels were difficult to remove for them, how I would have managed in the middle of nowhere, on single track roads, heavens knows, so many thanks for the heads up. I am very grateful I had them checked. The service desk guy suggested I owed them £30.00, I suggested it had cost VW a lot less than them having to 'assist' me had I needed to call them out to Sutherland after sunset and he agreed to claim the fee from VW warranty. I hope I never need to swap wheels but I am far happier knowing I will be able to far easier now should the need arise

Loosen the bolts a bit and lower the jack until some weight is on the wheel , if this trick does not work take the jack away and roll the verhicle slightly forward...

 

[sidepod]

A tip i was given, was to slacken off wheel nuts then lower jack down to release wheel from hub i have tried it once on my bilbos T4 before i had the cali and it did work, hope this works for you

Glad someone is paying attention

 

[Borris]

I've always applied a thin smear of cooper grease to the mating surfaces of alloy wheels on any new vehicles I've owned. Providing you make sure none goes near the wheel bolt holes you shouldn't experiencd any problems. I never have!

 

[Legin]

I thought I would add some clarification on why the lubricant shouldnt be put on the mating faces. Its good to understand the bolting theory here. The bolts are designed to be in tension only not in shear as many think so for for this reason the bolts function is clamping the wheel to the mating face and the drive comes from the friction at the mating face.
In view of this lubricating the face is bad not to be confused with the spigot which its is ok to lubricate and where it gets stuck fortunately.

The reason for not lubricating the bolts is to prevent over tightening and not to do with them coming undone.

So lube the spigot with coppaslip or the aluminium paste but leave the rest dry.

 

[flying banana]

Should never apply any sort of oil or grease to any wheel studs as they do not torque up correctly & can come loose more easily. Always keep studs dry.

If it it's meant to move,grease it. If not,copperslip. I've always used it and had nothing come loose,I find the studs stay torque up fine. Each to their own though. It's an anti seize compound not a lubricant

 

[Legin]

If it it's meant to move,grease it. If not,copperslip. I've always used it and had nothing come loose,I find the studs stay torque up fine. Each to their own though. It's an anti seize compound not a lubricant

Anti seize acts like a lubricant just not a very good one and will change the bolt tension for a given torque. Like I said they wont come undone because they end up tighter which up to a point is alright.

 

[GrannyJen]

Call the AA.

Meanwhile, until they arrive, use the Cali as it's designed to be used .... make a nice cup of tea

 

[WelshGas]

I must be lucky, I’ve not had this problem. My California is in daily use and have tyres changed almost annually because of my annual milage. My local garage that change the tyres have never had a problem removing the wheels and nor have they used any copper grease or any other anti-seize agent. Why?, no idea.
I have the standard VW 17” Thunder Alloys.

 

[B J G]

When changing the wheels after only a few weeks from new I found the wheels difficult to remove. Hubs had rust and wheels some corrosion as well. Van built Jan, delivered to dealer Feb for 1st Match on the road.
looking at the rust I'd say that it was from the sea salty air.

I used Copper grease but you need to be very sparing with it's application as it will spin/spray out once the hub heats up making a rather messy inner rim and there is the possibility of some getting onto the brake disc.
I do the wheel bolts as well, not the bolt head contact area.
Like life moderation pays in the long term.

Wheels come off with a hand pull/waggle.

refitting wheels can be easier with an alignment bolt.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ALLOY-WH...h=item33fd657b9e:g:0VYAAOSwsO5cDQ2l:rk:1:pf:0

 

[andyinluton]

I must be lucky, I’ve not had this problem. My California is in daily use and have tyres changed almost annually because of my annual milage. My local garage that change the tyres have never had a problem removing the wheels and nor have they used any copper grease or any other anti-seize agent. Why?, no idea.
I have the standard VW 17” Thunder Alloys.

It would be interesting to do a poll to see if there are particular typeof rim that get stuck.

I have 16" Myatos, 16" steel, and 18" Dakar of these only the Dakar stick & then only the rears - it looks like the projection in the centre of the hub is a very tight fit into the wheel itself, hence causing the problem.

 

[B J G]

Original Davenports were difficult to remove within weeks of delivery. No problem with Timaru or Cascavel but smear of copperease on them.

 

[flying banana]

I agree. Davenports stuck fast on mine too

 

[Bjohnson]

I've just encountered this issue. Had our Cali 7 years from new and never had cause to remove the wheels myself. Apart from service or new tyres the wheels don't come off too often.

I wanted to check I could get the wheels off in the event of a puncture and to do a spring clean and polish, nuts come off fine but wheel stuck fast. I'll try again tomorrow evening with the tips listed here, starting with some wd40, mallet to inside of tyre, lowering on the jack. If all that fails I'll take it in to the local tyre dealer Saturday.

Seems to be a lot of mixed opinion on coppaslip application, graphite grease and/or where to apply it on the mating surfaces. If I ever get the wheels off I can apply something. Slightly worrying I'd have no chance of getting the wheel off in an emergency puncture scenario.

 

[Legin]

One way to free them off is slacken the bolts and drive it slowly steering side to side. I would put coppaslip or the aluminium paste onto the spigot which is where it sticks to the wheel. Dont put it anywhere else. This is what I have done for years.
Lets just say in my profession I have designed many bolted joints so understand the intent. Of course up to you to sort the wheat from the chaf on opinions.

 

[B J G]

As you appear to have time on your side I'd suggest taking wheel centre cap out and spraying either penetrating oil or WD40 into wheel centre, leave for a day, where it may help unstick the wheel.

Legin's after care method is also mine. Be frugal with the copper grease.

Good luck.

 

[Perfectos]

Modern ceramic solution with full explanation

https://textar-professional.com/textar-training-center/the-use-of-copper-grease-on-modern-brakes/

 

[SusiBus]

Modern ceramic solution with full explanation

https://textar-professional.com/textar-training-center/the-use-of-copper-grease-on-modern-brakes/

I've used copper grease to help stop wheels sticking for more years than I'd like to confess to, with no ill effect that I've noticed. Certainly not seen any increased corrosion as the Textar ad suggest. Shall look a lot closer next time I take the wheels off.

 

[Perfectos]

Hi Susi bus,
I don’t doubt that you have used copper based products for eons

The post merely explains some of the potential issue of galvanic reaction, and offer insight Into the science behind the facts and why copper based products are not advised for use where aluminium products are concerned

On the other hand ceramic products were developed to offers a modern alternative with the added benefit of slightly higher melting point & without the potential issue of copper based products! Why ?

Readers can make their own mind up accordingly, but it is interesting VW do not recommend copper based products! And indeed if VW are requested to apply copper based products, VW will add a note regarding the use of copper products on their invoice paperwork to highlight the use ! Perhaps in case they need to rebuff future claim !
I have no preference for either I merely add the information some sought, albeit the information appears in and advert for a Ceramic product, the information is available elsewhere, but this is a succinct version.

What people choose to use is up to them, this thread was started to assist others in identifying the potential issue, hopefully via discussion people can take the available information and make their own informed decision. Particularly as there is another very similar thread going on at the same time as this one regarding the exact same issues.

Just because someone has always done something in a particular way does not necessarily mean it’s the only way !
.

 

[Sp0_0k]

I have to rotate wheels like each 4months due to crazy uneven wear. Some garages overtighten the nuts, which is bad.
Make sure to get a decent X wrench. Stock one is a piece of S that should be thrown right away.

 

[B J G]

Use of Copper based grease argument is slightly missing the point in that using it on the brake parts can be potentially lethal due to the grease melting and running onto the brake surface, especially if excess grease is applied.

What both myself and others are saying is that using it on the wheel to hub contact points is a way to preventing corrosion bonding the wheel to the hub. Used with moderation of course.

A good layer of wax polish to both the hub and wheel centre would be much better than nothing.