Rusting wheel nuts is this a warranty issue?

[David Eccles]

The wheels nuts on all 4 wheels of our Cali are showing surface rust and brown stains coming through the silver paint....which surprised me really...it looks unsightly too....
bus is kept outside. Now 2 years old.
Is this what one expects from standard wheel nuts from new, or should I have a word with my dealership about it ....
or is it a case of going out and buying sets of probably expensive nuts that wont show rust so fast? (or just living with it!)

 

[Andy]

Fitted a set of wheel nut covers to mine so can not see them !

 

[Sancho Panza]

How are the wheels cleaned?

 

[Freeley]

Happened to mine while under warranty dealer replaced them.

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[Andy]

How are the wheels cleaned?

If you upgrade your membership to VIP you will then get a discount from SMG. I suggest you call them for a price.

 

[Barefoot62]

The wheels nuts on all 4 wheels of our Cali are showing surface rust and brown stains coming through the silver paint....which surprised me really...it looks unsightly too....
bus is kept outside. Now 2 years old.
Is this what one expects from standard wheel nuts from new, or should I have a word with my dealership about it ....
or is it a case of going out and buying sets of probably expensive nuts that wont show rust so fast? (or just living with it!)

You could try painting them with 'Hamerite Smooth' it's got a rust inhiberter in it and gives a fairly good finish

Alasdair

 

[David Eccles]

think I will ring dealer and see...cant hurt!
plan b wheel nut covers then...

 

[David Eccles]

How are the wheels cleaned?

hmmm..power wash as I cant be doing with hand polishing and stuff...but on refelection could be the culprit..

 

[Speedbird]

I had a rusty nuts problem too. Took to dealer but said they are not covered under warranty. Supposedly they are meant to rust. I got a set of nut covers as a goodwill gesture which have grown on me.


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[cozmo1589]

Mine are a bit patchy. On this subject, my Cali has covered 19k on original tyres and I thought I'd rotate tyres front to back which I did to even out tyre wear but the alloy wheels were literally corroded to the steel hubs and it took me bloomin ages to get each wheel off. Only bonus is that it should be easier now I've done it on the driveway if I got a puncture on the roadside. By Christ they were really hard to get off, I really struggled, be warned.

 

[nemo]

standard wheel nuts are made of steel, so I think you should expect some rust. I'm surprised you managed to get them replaced under warranty Freeley - was the dealer particularly dumb, or are you very persuasive?

 

[Freeley]

Dealer was definitely dumb!

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[beardie]

Mine are a bit patchy. On this subject, my Cali has covered 19k on original tyres and I thought I'd rotate tyres front to back which I did to even out tyre wear but the alloy wheels were literally corroded to the steel hubs and it took me bloomin ages to get each wheel off. Only bonus is that it should be easier now I've done it on the driveway if I got a puncture on the roadside. By Christ they were really hard to get off, I really struggled, be warned.

This illustrates one of the problems with dealers not removing wheels at service time as brakes can be checked with out it. Many front wheel drive vehicles don't need rear tyres changes for 4 to 5 years. I have watched a tyre change guy using a large rubber sledge hammer and all his strength removing a rear alloy wheel from my car. He was at the point of saying the wheel hubs would need to be cut off!!

Either rotate your Tyres every year or insist they take the wheels off at service

 

[Andy]

Mine are a bit patchy. On this subject, my Cali has covered 19k on original tyres and I thought I'd rotate tyres front to back which I did to even out tyre wear but the alloy wheels were literally corroded to the steel hubs and it took me bloomin ages to get each wheel off. Only bonus is that it should be easier now I've done it on the driveway if I got a puncture on the roadside. By Christ they were really hard to get off, I really struggled, be warned.

This illustrates one of the problems with dealers not removing wheels at service time as brakes can be checked with out it. Many front wheel drive vehicles don't need rear tyres changes for 4 to 5 years. I have watched a tyre change guy using a large rubber sledge hammer and all his strength removing a rear alloy wheel from my car. He was at the point of saying the wheel hubs would need to be cut off!!

Either rotate your Tyres every year or insist they take the wheels off at service

This also happens with steel wheels when not removed for a long time.

 

[Martyn]

Really odd that VW don't fit wheel nut covers to the California, especially as they do put them on the Caravelle and high-end Transporters. I just bought a full set of the chrome covers from SMG, expensive but they do look good and should help to keep rust at bay.

I think I read somewhere that the toolkit for the California DOES contain the nut cover removal tool. Must check.

 

[Goldie]

Mine are a bit patchy. On this subject, my Cali has covered 19k on original tyres and I thought I'd rotate tyres front to back which I did to even out tyre wear but the alloy wheels were literally corroded to the steel hubs and it took me bloomin ages to get each wheel off. Only bonus is that it should be easier now I've done it on the driveway if I got a puncture on the roadside. By Christ they were really hard to get off, I really struggled, be warned.

This illustrates one of the problems with dealers not removing wheels at service time as brakes can be checked with out it. Many front wheel drive vehicles don't need rear tyres changes for 4 to 5 years. I have watched a tyre change guy using a large rubber sledge hammer and all his strength removing a rear alloy wheel from my car. He was at the point of saying the wheel hubs would need to be cut off!!

Either rotate your Tyres every year or insist they take the wheels off at service

I suppose that's an advantage of winter tyres. A wheel change twice a year!

I had a puncture on my LandRover Discovery a few years ago and had to borrow a 14lb sledge hammer and a block of wood from a nearby building site and it took quite a bit of 'persuasion' to release the alloy wheel from the hub. I would never have managed it on the motorway or a country road.

Andy

 

[Martyn]

I've always put a bit of copper grease between hub and wheel (on all my cars), that stops 'em from corroding together. Not that this much good if you're stuck by the roadside with a wheel that won't come off!!!

 

[David Eccles]

Rang dealership..Cali is booked in for replacements all round under warranty....

 

[Pollychops]

Rang dealership..Cali is booked in for replacements all round under warranty....

Happy ending :clap

 

[David Eccles]

and I prob would not have bothered without this forum to test water!

 

[cozmo1589]

I've always put a bit of copper grease between hub and wheel (on all my cars), that stops 'em from corroding together. Not that this much good if you're stuck by the roadside with a wheel that won't come off!!!

Good advise, I'm going to do it next time I rotate as I'm not going through all that again !!

 

[CannellWalker]

We have managed to get a set of plastic wheel bolt covers by reporting the corrosion to customer services. They got the dealer where our van was purchased to send a set out. Still have rusty bolts though.

 

[Jenny Smith]

I got mine replaced under warranty and they put covers on too.

 

[Andy]

Really odd that VW don't fit wheel nut covers to the California, especially as they do put them on the Caravelle and high-end Transporters. I just bought a full set of the chrome covers from SMG, expensive but they do look good and should help to keep rust at bay.

I think I read somewhere that the toolkit for the California DOES contain the nut cover removal tool. Must check.

Yes tool kit should have removal tool.

Interestingly I believe the manual says that covers should be fitted to wheel nuts !

 

[deedee]

My caravelle didn't come with nut covers. I bought some as ours went rusty.
They fit fine on the latest style Sportline alloys but are too wide to fit on the mk2 sportline wheel.