Rusty wheel bolts

[mef]

The wheel bolts on my Cayman were starting to look a bit shabby, starting to get a bit rusty on the heads. I've heard that this is a common problem. I removed them, pushed off the floating alloy washer and took them to a local metal finishers. They cleaned them in some kind of acid bath that removes the rust and original poor plating, then they re-plated them in bright zinc and clear passivated finish and all for £10. Result...looks like new! Perfect.

Martin

 

[Dylan1]

well done martin rusty nuts can be a real pain[]

 

[telford_mike]

Good tip. I assume your car was propped-up on piles of bricks while all this was going on?

 

[mef]

ORIGINAL: telford_mike Good tip. I assume your car was propped-up on piles of bricks while all this was going on?

No. I removed all the standard ones and had them done first, leaving the wheels attached by just the locking bolts, then I had the locking bolts done. It meant 2 trips to the platers but it's only 1 mile away so no big deal and it saved all the effort of jacks & axle stands etc..... I realise that most Cayman owners on here wouldn't approve of me having them re-plated, they'd rather spend loads of money having them replaced at a Porche dealership but I'm afraid that I'm not one of those owners! Martin

 

[John H]

or you could buy a set of these off ebay [link=http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BLACK-METAL-WHEEL-NUT-BOLT-COVERS-CAPS-FOR-PORSCHE_W0QQitemZ120447762181QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Cars_Parts_Vehicles_Wheels_tyres_Trim_Nuts_ET?hash=item1c0b3eff05]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BLACK-METAL-WHEEL-NUT-BOLT-COVERS-CAPS-FOR-PORSCHE_W0QQitemZ120447762181QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Cars_Parts_Vehicles_Wheels_tyres_Trim_Nuts_ET?hash=item1c0b3eff05[/link]

 

[berty987]

Hmm, not convinced covering up the issue is the solution. Could imagine it being a headache to get those covers off when the bolt had rusted some more , more likely you would damage the wheel as a result. There are DIY replating and zinc coating kits available from Frosts automotive. Replacement wheel bolts in Stainless or Titanium can also be an issue , especially as the different materials (titanium / stainless) are not as good in tension as the original steel. It's a good idea and reccommended practice by Porsche to give the floating collars a wipe of alu paste behind the collar to prevent them binding , but do not grease the cone side.

 

[John H]

Oops, just realised those bolt covers are metal ... grub about on ebay and there are better plastic ones available. I gave my bolt heads a good coat of black hammerite when they were new, before the rust got to them, and have used a set of the plastic covers ever since. Looks good, works well, no rust, no problems. []