How do you get them off?

I want to check my wheel nuts as I've had two tyres changed the other day, and now I have a knocking noise from the front of the car. They seem to have a plastic cover on them. I've looked in my tool kit thing in the spare wheel, and there's nothing obvious to take these things off.

All I've got is the wheel nut wrench thing, a screwdriver with a wheel nut shape thing at the back which doesn't fit the plastic things, and a loop of metal. Oh, and a thin plastic thing a bit like a pen.

I've done a quick search of the forum and found nothing.

Need to check my wheel nuts before the 73 mile drive home. Got a trip to Wembley tomorrow too. If it's not the nuts, I won't be taking the Superb....

there should be a arched piece of plastic that you use to clip onto the caps so you can pull them off. If that is missing, then either the dealer or Halfrauds may be able to get you one.

there should be a arched piece of plastic that you use to clip onto the caps so you can pull them off. If that is missing, then either the dealer or Halfrauds may be able to get you one.

Thanks for that.

That's never been there. I've had the car since 7500 miles, so quite annoying really. I'll try to find a Halfords and see if they've got one.

You should find it in the boot with the jack and looks like an unfeasably large hair grip .................. that's the best description I can come up with

Thanks for that.

That's never been there. I've had the car since 7500 miles, so quite annoying really. I'll try to find a Halfords and see if they've got one.

If you cant find it I'd suggest popping into your nearest VAG dealership and ask to 'borrow' one

Assuming they are the nut type (that look like a plastic wheel nut , rather than round) then a set of long nose pliers is fine.

You should find it in the boot with the jack and looks like an unfeasably large hair grip .................. that's the best description I can come up with

Didn't even know where the jack was! I've just found the jack, but there's nothing else in that compartment.

Can't go to a VAG place because they are all shut.

Why does this sort of thing always happen when everywhere's shut!

I don't think the knocking will be the nuts by the way - that's just too easy. Probably a CV or something.

Assuming they are the nut type (that look like a plastic wheel nut , rather than round) then a set of long nose pliers is fine.

I'll get some of those if Halfords haven't got the hair grip thing

Just use a flat screwdriver, latch it under the lip on the cap and lever it, it'll then look like it's on cocked and you can then pull it off, use a bit of card if you ware worried about scratching a wheel.

How do you get them off?

I want to check my wheel nuts as I've had two tyres changed the other day, and now I have a knocking noise from the front of the car. They seem to have a plastic cover on them. I've looked in my tool kit thing in the spare wheel, and there's nothing obvious to take these things off.

All I've got is the wheel nut wrench thing, a screwdriver with a wheel nut shape thing at the back which doesn't fit the plastic things, and a loop of metal. Oh, and a thin plastic thing a bit like a pen.

I've done a quick search of the forum and found nothing.

Need to check my wheel nuts before the 73 mile drive home. Got a trip to Wembley tomorrow too. If it's not the nuts, I won't be taking the Superb....

You have allready got what you want and a loop of metal.

Radiotwo

You have allready got what you want and a loop of metal.

Radiotwo

That seems to be what I have too, with like a little hooked end on it. It doesn't work very well, it tends to cut through the soft plastic nut covers. I use a set of long nosed pliers, works a lot better.

This is the tool you need, they cost just over £1, FWIW Audi and VW also use the same tool.

By the sounds of it you have the VW 'bit of bent wire' which is designed for the round covers with a hole in the center.

This is the tool you need, they cost just over £1, FWIW Audi and VW also use the same tool.

By the sounds of it you have the VW 'bit of bent wire' which is designed for the round covers with a hole in the center.

I always wondered whay I had problems with my Nuts !

but joking apart, I have never had the first type of puller, but that makes sense but with the wire bit, I just hook it on one side and give a bit of a pull, and then on the other side and it pops off ok.

I know the caps are a good thing, but a dirty filthy rainy night, it all takes time to get them off, so I just leave mine off one job less !

Radiotwo

After getting stuck at the roadside only to discover that my toolkit also had the VW tool rather than the Skoda one...

... I solved the problem by getting a set of the VW caps off ebay. There's a seller on there VWTrim?? something like that that always has them in and sends quickly.

Prefer the looks of the VW ones, too.

This is the tool you need, they cost just over £1, FWIW Audi and VW also use the same tool.

By the sounds of it you have the VW 'bit of bent wire' which is designed for the round covers with a hole in the center.

I'll have a look on Ebay for the top one. I do have the bottom one - I tried to get one of the caps off with that and ended up scratching the alloy

It was the wheel nuts in the end by the way. Turns out the front left wheel was only finger tight. (Had the tyres changed the other day).

I'll get that tool so I can check the nuts next time.

How on earth can Skoda get this wrong? It never occurred to me that the factory had supplied the wrong tool with the car!

Our brand new Fabia never had one at all......

Cost cutting to the exreme methinks, so I bought one at great expense, and sold the Fabia..........

Both my octy and my friends Fabia came with the wrong tool (the metal loop).... Ironically my passat came with the plastic type when it should have had the metal hoop!

Kprm77 - For what it's worth, the plastic pencil type thing is quite useful if you change a wheel. It screws into one of the bolt holes in the hub and gives you something to locate the wheel on.

How on earth can Skoda get this wrong? It never occurred to me that the factory had supplied the wrong tool with the car!

Ohh Jeez, how on earth anyone can get so uptight about this is beyond me, you can pull them off with your fingers if you have the power, and common sence says lever em if you can't, not a plug at you Fred but this is car maintenance at it's worst, anyone struggling plese don't buy a Rubik's Cube..

Nobody is upset, just a bit surprised, that's all.

Ohh Jeez, how on earth anyone can get so uptight about this is beyond me, you can pull them off with your fingers if you have the power, and common sence says lever em if you can't, not a plug at you Fred but this is car maintenance at it's worst, anyone struggling plese don't buy a Rubik's Cube..

Yes I was thinking the same, as long as you are on a good diet your nails should be nice and thick - tough luck if you chew them though (ha ha).

Seriously though, at the price quoted, I'd just get the local Skoda dealer to get a couple in for you, by the time you have paid even letter postage at ebay rates - you will be paying more than Skoda dealer.

At least it sounds that the tyre place refitted ALL the bolts AND didn't over torque them - but they could start trying a bit harder though!

Its very easy to say, but you really need to check a car over as soon as you buy it new or secondhand, by that I mean owners manual + any security codes + tools, then make sure you know how the wheel changing stuff works and if not happy with what is supplied add to it.

you can pull them off with your fingers if you have the power, and common sence says lever em if you can't, not a plug at you Fred but this is car maintenance at it's worst, anyone struggling plese don't buy a Rubik's Cube..

Profuse apologies for asking such a stupid question. Forgive me for not scratching my alloys to **** to get these things off, just to save you the time to read this thread. I tried again with my fingers, and there's no way I can get my fingers around them to get any sort of grip at all.

I gathered that these things just pull off, but didn't know how to achieve that without scratching the alloys. I tried that loopy metal piece of crap, and that scratched my alloy and didn't move the cap at all.

I was 75 miles from home, and needed to check that my bolts were on properly. I couldn't see any tool in the car that would remove these things, and not having fingers shaped like thin pliers, I came on here for some advice.....

Edited 31 May, 200917 yr by kprm77

Ohh Jeez, how on earth anyone can get so uptight about this is beyond me, you can pull them off with your fingers if you have the power, and common sence says lever em if you can't, not a plug at you Fred but this is car maintenance at it's worst, anyone struggling plese don't buy a Rubik's Cube..

Sorry Superbia, but you're wrong on this one. If the alloys in question are anything like mine, the nuts - and covers - are recessed quite deeply with absolutey no chance of getting even finger nails onto the covers. A tool - or long-nosed pliers - is essential and if it's the bent piece of VW wire, as supplied with my car, then some of the covers will be very difficult to remove. Even in daylight when you've done it before...

Maybe some versions of the alloys are easier than others. I've got the 17 inch Orbit alloys. There is very little gap between the covers and the side of the hole the nuts go into. I'd be wary of trying to remove them with thin pliers for fear of scratching them...

I can't get them off with my fingers either. Fortunately I have the correct tool.