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Bought a new one and not even the shop guys could fit. Not even discount tire.
Lexus folks lied to me and said the rim can't shrink but am an idiot IF THE ONLY WAY IT FIT is through sanding it with a drill ?
You've been warned. Driving it without a hubcap will shrink the slot over months especially in winter when metal contracts.
For those victim to this problem who googled this problem many months and presumably years from my posting date and randomly ended up on this Googlable/public search engine indexed thread:
1. A lot will tell you sanding that too with a drill and sand drill bit is extreme
2. People will laugh at your efforts and try to punch it in or pressure push it in to be your savior to show off their superior ability only to fail
3. No matter how close you get it eventually it buckles and pops out all again
4. Leaving you with the decision I took in point 1 which is what ultimately worked for me.
For those who decide to follow with my procedure I advise you to sand evenly throughout the inside edge and brake facing opening (on the other side) as well.
Last edited by Pacman1193; Jul 10, 2023 at 01:18 PM.
You mean the 'center cap' with the Lexus logo doesn't fit? I have the same wheels as you, those are the Luxury OEM wheels, however, I've never seen them in that chrome color, they come in the same gunmetal / dark grey color the F sport wheels do. Judging by the rim curb rash, it looks like it was made in that finish which leads me to believe you have a fake rim.
You mean the 'center cap' with the Lexus logo doesn't fit? I have the same wheels as you, those are the Luxury OEM wheels, however, I've never seen them in that chrome color, they come in the same gunmetal / dark grey color the F sport wheels do. Judging by the rim curb rash, it looks like it was made in that finish which leads me to believe you have a fake rim.
Rims are from official dealer. just had the shop chrome plate the stock/factory look..
Rims are from official dealer. just had the shop chrome plate the stock/factory look..
Adding the chrome afterwards is probably what made the bore of the hole too small
daughter has a Camry and lost a center cap and drove car thousands of miles. New factory cap popped in just fine and never came back out.
next time I’d try a heat gun on the cap before pressing it in on a wheel you had chromed at a shop instead of sanding the bore, you don’t want that finish to start chipping or corroding
Adding the chrome afterwards is probably what made the bore of the hole too small
daughter has a Camry and lost a center cap and drove car thousands of miles. New factory cap popped in just fine and never came back out.
next time I’d try a heat gun on the cap before pressing it in on a wheel you had chromed at a shop instead of sanding the bore, you don’t want that finish to start chipping or corroding
I should have probably painted it before popping the cap back in. Thanks!
that finish looks great, mind saying how much it cost?
Indeed.
Now here's the full story:
I didn't like factory F-sport rims.
I like executive class sedans (S-class, 7 series). I wanted nice sophisticated rims. The rims came in gun-metal. Official dealer had a customization shop.
But the chrome plating is done in a certain manner in a specific procedure. So they had to have it done in California when my place of residence in Texas.
Due to cost of shipping, and the custom chrome-plating which nobody else did I think it came to $400-$500 per rim. Really expensive, but considering I love this car too much and don't plan on changing it
or see myself ever trading-it in or selling it I didn't mind plus the compliments I get always puts a smile on my face.
Not everything is roses and unicorns. They've been on for four years and there's is plenty of chipping and flaking on the lugnut socket area. So you really need to ask yourself if you want to be in the situation I am in now. I want to rechrome them and 90% of people say it's not possible as chroming is a once and done process.
How do I share my misery about rechroming ? I can't. Very few go down the road I did and can't. It's just too bespoke and tailor-made of a process.
Last edited by Pacman1193; Jul 10, 2023 at 02:51 PM.
I don’t think anyone lied to you, a rim will not shrink. Even in very, very cold temperatures the metal would only contract a minuscule amount. Certainly not enough to prevent a centre cap from fitting, more like 1000ths of an inch.
I don’t think anyone lied to you, a rim will not shrink. Even in very, very cold temperatures the metal would only contract a minuscule amount. Certainly not enough to prevent a centre cap from fitting, more like 1000ths of an inch.
That is the entire point of why I made a dedicated thread. I am associated with prestigious universities and worked for an A-list Wall street firm.
I am clearly not a nitwit or a dimwit. I literally had Discount Tire guys tell me they can't do anything to fit the centercap on. These people live breathe eat tires/rims.
Would I really spend 40 minutes fine-sanding a rim if there was an easy way in ?
Something is truly fishy here. Common sense and pure logic leaves me to believe:
The rim is bent and it impacted the hole the centercap goes in.
The Chrome plating messed with it.
That is the entire point of why I made a dedicated thread. I am associated with prestigious universities and worked for an A-list Wall street firm.
I am clearly not a nitwit or a dimwit. I literally had Discount Tire guys tell me they can't do anything to fit the centercap on. These people live breathe eat tires/rims.
@Pacman1193 Friendly reminder: if you have any issues with anything other members post, please PM a moderator, such as myself.
For what it's worth, I have never heard of a wheel shrinking either. I think in situations like this, the simplest answer is the first one you should investigate. What is unique about your car/wheels? The chrome plating. I'd start there.
Rim shrank and couldnt fit hubcap
