How to Replace HubCaps?

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Are you also the one driver who never gives much thought to your vehicle’s hubcaps? Even so, these wheel covers may seem more decorative than functional. Well, this is not the actual truth though. The hubcap is the first barrier between your wheel’s surface and dust, dirt, and precipitation, so your hubcaps must remain clean and well-maintained. Your car, truck, or SUV hubcaps may have become worn and need to be replaced. If this is the case, you’ll find instructions in this blog on how to replace the hubcaps.

You may also like to learn; How to Clean a Mass Air Flow Sensor?

Do Hubcaps Serve a Purpose

A hub assembly connects your vehicle’s tires to its rim. Even though tires, wheels, and the other components of your vehicle are built to withstand considerable punishment, you do not want to let dust or moisture penetrate sensitive areas, as this can weaken the wheel’s integrity.

Hubcaps serve to deflect particles from your vehicle’s wheels. In addition to covering unattractive components, they also give your vehicle an attractive appearance. They come in a variety of sizes and designs, all hubcaps are disc. It is because hubcaps stick out a bit from the edge of the tire, and curb scrapes can damage them. Also, if you drive on a very rough road you may have the chance of them falling off. So, whether your hubcap has been damaged or a missing one, you should replace your wheel cover as a priority.

Types of HubCaps

Typically, Vehicle hubcaps come in three different designs. So, always make sure before removing or replacing an existing wheel cover that you better know the type you are dealing with. Some common types of hubcaps:

  1. Pop-on Hubcaps

These attach to the wheel with clips and are easily installed.

  1. Screw-on Hubcaps

These hubcaps are held on with a plastic screw that is slid onto your vehicle’s lug nuts.

  1. Bolt-on Hubcaps

They attach to the wheels using the same lug nuts that hold the wheels to the axle.

It might take some work to figure out which type of hubcap your car has since hubcaps are not standard. It’s a good idea to examine the owner’s manual of your vehicle. Check the tire and wheel section of the manual for more detail. You might also want to check the hubcaps if that doesn’t work. It is possible to tell if you have bolt-on or pop-on wheel covers when gently pulling on the side of the hubcap.

How To Replace Each Type of Hubcap

There is no doubt that everyone wants to make their car looks good. But, not everyone could afford the top-quality products to help aid and maintain the look of the vehicle. So, as a result, alternatives have been made to help with the external appearance of the car, while not investing owners a lot of money.

In that case, hubcaps seem to completely fall in this category. They are cheap and if you use them correctly you can easily make your car look good. However, hubcaps are quite easily damaged and easily broken off. It is time when they need to be replaced. Although replacing them is not difficult, the challenge is that not many people are aware of how to identify their car’s hubcaps and therefore are unsure how to go about replacing them.

1.     Replacement For Pop-On Caps

If your vehicle has pop-on hubcaps, then replacing and removing your wheel coverings is easy. Before you start replacing, make sure that your vehicle is parked on the safe flat road surface and the car is not running. Additionally, engage the parking brake and secure the wheels.

Next, use two broad-ended flat screwdrivers on opposite sides of the hubcap. Once you have worked your way around the hubcap, the cover should come off easily. After installing the new cap, place it over the wheel and press firmly on both sides. It may be necessary to gently tap each hubcap into place after installing.

2.     Replacement For Screw-On Caps

A screw-on cap is attached to your car’s lug via a plastic nut. Hubcaps of this type are also easy to replace as you only need to unscrew each plastic nut before removing the hubcap. Once again, keep your car protected by parking it on a flat surface, engaging the parking brake, and choking the wheels.

After the removal of all plastic components, simply put the new hubcap in its right place. Then, tighten every plastic nut. Make sure to not use power tools for this process. If you do so, it will over-tighten the nuts, causing the hubcaps to crack or fail.

The plastic nuts on screw-on caps on your vehicle may become loose over time if they have been used for a long time. To avoid losing your hubcaps, you should periodically check that the plastic nuts holding them in place are tight. To keep your hubcaps secured, hand tighten the nuts if they seem loose.

3.     Replacement For Bolt-On Caps

Bolt-on hubcap replacement is more complicated than other hubcap types. However, still, if you have old or damaged wheel coverings, then it’s compulsory you should know about replacing the hubcaps on your car.

Your vehicle is now ready for operation after you have prepared it to prevent rolling (flat surface, parking brake, wheel chocks). Although, you should only loosen the lug nut, rather than remove it completely.

After loosening the first lug nut, move to the nut opposite of it and loosen that one as well. As you loosen opposite lug nuts on each wheel, remove each one by one. Be sure not to remove the tire.

Once you have removed the lug nuts and washers from the wheel, your hubcap should come off. There is a possibility that the hubcap will be stuck if there is built-up gunk on your wheel. In that case, you may have to remove the hubcap using a flat screwdriver. Taking off the old hubcap allows you to slide the new one onto the exposed lug nuts.

After you have mounted the new hubcap, you can attach the lug nuts again. Simply turn them back into place and tighten them down. Make sure that you do not cross-thread the nuts while doing so. In other words, you have not lined up the threads perfectly on each nut.

Pick up your lug wrench after you’ve hand tightened each lug nut. Make sure that each nut is tightened according to its opposite pattern. Lastly, make sure that all lug nuts on the wheel are firmly tightened in a circular pattern. In case you need to replace more than one hubcap, repeat the procedure for each wheel.

Conclusion

After reading this article, you are ready to remove your car hubcap covering and know how to install the new ones. You must choose the right caps for your car. Your new wheel covers will look as great as they perform if you choose components of the highest quality from a trusted manufacturer.

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