Is there a Mechanic in the house?

[PiLFy 0]

Unreal... I've a minor hassle, please. Either a hubcap flew off my car on the way to work this morning. Or, some mutant loser stole a single hubcap(?). I'm pretty sure I'd have heard it if it went flying, no? My car was in the stealership for an alignment about five days ago. If they had broken some tabs, & stuck it back on. Could it have held on for five days before letting go? I worked in a town today known for halfway houses, group homes, & mutants. So, it is possible some bottomfeeder stole one.

1) Odds that it held on @highway speeds for five days before letting go?

2) Any harm done if I just leave one off? I don't see a grease seal for the hub.

3) Anyone have an extra hubcap for a 2010 Camry???

Thank you.

Kenny

[quade 3]

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Could it have held on for five days before letting go?

Absolutely. And you would not necessarily have heard a thing.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[PiLFy 0]

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Could it have held on for five days before letting go?

Absolutely. And you would not necessarily have heard a thing.

This has happened to you, Paul? I feel kinda stupid asking about such a minor thing, but I've never dealt w/this before. I'm already not happy w/that dealership for a couple of reasons. I just checked the 'Net. A replacement wheel cover costs $45(?!).

[Squeak 17]

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Could it have held on for five days before letting go?

Absolutely. And you would not necessarily have heard a thing.

This has happened to you, Paul? I feel kinda stupid asking about such a minor thing, but I've never dealt w/this before. I'm already not happy w/that dealership for a couple of reasons. I just checked the 'Net. A replacement wheel cover costs $45(?!).

you can buy a set from an auto store for $20ish

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[JohnRich 4]

$45 is dirt cheap. Heck, I've paid that much just for a little center piece. Dealers charge a LOT more than what you can find on the internet.

I've had a whole bunch of cars in my life with notoriously fragile hub cap retaining systems. When they get old, plastic tabs break, hub caps goes flying. Such is life.

[PiLFy 0]

Yeah, but they usually look like they cost $20 a set...

[PiLFy 0]

Not_fer_nuttin, but the OEM covers look kinda cheap. I got them because I didn't feel like springing for rims. The car is only two years old. It was just in the shop for a front-end alignment. A warranty repair which they refused. Never buy a Toyota. They've turned into a bad company.

[Xander 0]

You mean the plastic trim that cars commonly have over steel wheels right? Or the actual centre cap in an alloy wheel covering the wheel bolts/hub nut?

If it's the plastic trim ones try cable tying them onto the wheel in future, someone would have to cut the tie's to steal them and they won't just go falling off in future.

[Rookie120 0]

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It was just in the shop for a front-end alignment. A warranty repair which they refused.

Yeah, the fine print is a bitch. Things like alignment, brake pads or shoes, clutch disk (If you have a stick) and a list of other things will not be covered. They are considered "Wear and tear items". As for the hubcap I have seen them fall off for no reason. I would just buy a new cap and forget about it. They probably wont give you one.

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[PiLFy 0]

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It was just in the shop for a front-end alignment. A warranty repair which they refused.

Yeah, the fine print is a bitch. Things like alignment, brake pads or shoes, clutch disk (If you have a stick) and a list of other things will not be covered. They are considered "Wear and tear items". As for the hubcap I have seen them fall off for no reason. I would just buy a new cap and forget about it. They probably wont give you one.

No fine print needed. The front end hasn't been right from day one (OK, about day 30). Toyota has lied, wasted my time, & generally yanked me around for two years on this. There are two TSBs on this issue that I know of. A complaint has already been sent to the State AG for a Lemon Law case. This dealer (new one for me) twice resisted documenting the ongoing issue w/the front-end. They didn't document it until I insisted. I think they gave it a half-assed alignment, anyway. They tried to tell me my front tires are shot while they passed them for inspection a few days prior... Had they built the car right? It wouldn't have needed another alignment. Even w/an alignment. It still doesn't drive right. Oh, & they put conventional oil in it, but tagged it as if it were synthetic. It's the wrong weight, type, & has a much shorter change interval. It also directly contradicts the owner's manual. F**king lying thieves.

[JerseyShawn 0]

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?LH_BIN=1&_trkparms=65%253A12%257C66%253A2%257C39%253A1%257C72%253A5647&rt=nc&_nkw=2010+camry+hubcap&_dmpt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&_sticky=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_sop=15&_sc=1

[PiLFy 0]

Thanks, Shawn. I might have to do that.

[skydiver30960 0]

One word: craigslist. It's PERFECT for stuff like this.

Elvisio "great deals on a lot more than just creepy personal ads" Rodriguez

[PiLFy 0]

Thanks guys. I just bought one off Ebay for $28...

I think the AG for my state needs to hear about their using conventional oil, but tagging the cars as if they had used synthetic. That's fraud. The BBB is looking into it, as well.

[swisschris62 0]

out of curiousity ...how do u know its regular oil and not synthetic?
secondly during winter months dpending upon where you live they may have changed the oil to one of a different viscosity to be more compatible to cold weather.
glad you found a new hub cap...i woul have suggested calling a couple junk yards. parts for those cars are readily available

[PiLFy 0]

I know because it lists the brand name of the oil they used right on the work order. That brand name doesn't come in synthetic. The owner's manual specifically says to use synthetic @the proper weight. It says you can use the oil they did in a pinch, but to replace it within 3K miles. They tagged the car as if they used synth, w/a 10K mile interval. I wonder how many owners are wearing their engines out prematurely by trusting that stealership to do what they're supposed to do. The conventional oil they used doesn't come in the correct weight, only heavier. I still haven't heard back from Toyota about this complaint. I wonder if I ever will. Thieves...

[sundevil777 94]

I think it has become common to have a very low viscosity oil specified such as 5-30 or even 0-30 for some. I'm not so sure that specification changes for winter conditions. In decades past, it was common to use 20-50 in the summer, but not anymore.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[kittikat 0]

You want a mechanic????? Seriously?

Wheel alignment = you hit a curb or similar. NOT Toyotas fault.

Hub caps can fly off and are cheap.

Neither is warranty.

Edit to add - cars with hubcaps don't need synthetic oil.

[oldwomanc6 38]

Edit to add - cars with hubcaps don't need synthetic oil.

Is that from the manual?

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[Elite_Marksman 0]

I'm not exactly sure as to how what type of wheels the car uses is related to what kind of lubrication the engine requires.

[kittikat 0]

Yeah - that was a generalization. But a new car, with hubcaps? Pretty much doesn't need synthetic oil.

[Elite_Marksman 0]

Apparently the engineers that designed the engine decided otherwise. I think I'll go with them over some guy on the internet.

[oldwomanc6 38]

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I'm not exactly sure as to how what type of wheels the car uses is related to what kind of lubrication the engine requires.

Exactly! Wheel choices are an option, as are engine sizes. They are NOT related. Nowadays, a small car (read economy) may (and probably does) have the need to use synthetic oil. My daughter's Ford Focus (read econobox) has warnings under the hood and on the oil cap that only synthetic oil should be used. This car came with super cheap wheels and even super-cheaper hubcaps. My Ram has no such warning and chrome rims--there is no relation between these two items.

Oh, and while we're at it, since this was mentioned up-thread; never take delivery of a car (new or used) without making the dealer give said car an alignment, and insist on seeing the paperwork showing the numbers. You never know what forces the wheels on the car were subject to on the ride up and down the car carrier. Or what the heck someone who test drove it before you did, because it wasn't their car and what do they care.

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[kittikat 0]

New Ford technology would require synthetic. Toyota engines wouldn't, designed in different decades. Sorry, I guess I didn't specify that Toyota + hubcaps = non synthetic.

What the OPs dealer recommends and the manufacturer recommend are likely different things. Very often the price point of wheels would correlate with price point of the engine.

[Elite_Marksman 0]

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New Ford technology would require synthetic. Toyota engines wouldn't, designed in different decades. Sorry, I guess I didn't specify that Toyota + hubcaps = non synthetic.

What the OPs dealer recommends and the manufacturer recommend are likely different things. Very often the price point of wheels would correlate with price point of the engine.

http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM12D65U/pdf/sec_06-01.pdf

Go to page 473, this is the PDF of the 2011 Corolla ($15k) owner's manual.

It specifies 0W-20 as the recommended viscosity. 0W-20 is available only in synthetic.

Care to try again?