2008 xB with the 16" alloy wheels option offered that year.

Have had a bad time with the center hubs which cover the lug bolts. They constantly break when reinstalling since they are made out of cheap plastic. Any thoughts on how these are to be installed?

Source for buying would also be appreciated since my warranty is running out.

thx

 

I'm not sure I understand... are you talking about actual alloy wheels? Or steel wheels with hubcaps?

 

I have the alloys and the center caps haven't broken yet....and they've been taken off/put back on a few times now.

 

I thought your hub/wheel bearings were going out! You shouldn't call the center caps "hubs", you'll cause alot of panic!

I don't really know how to remedy that other than to take care when handling them, other than that, you could probably pick up spare center caps? Or if it doesn't look too bad without them, just leave them off?

 

I work at a discount tire and CONSTANTLY have problems with these center caps. Short of it. they're cheap!!! Be careful when putting them on, I'm thinking they might align a certain way when you put them on maybe???

 

Never happened without pics.... sorry, I just had to say it.

Our shop has problems with plastic center caps. They crack then will not hold on. Extra care comming off and going on is the only thing. Some do have to align a special way or they will break going on. Be sure to study it closely. Ask for a special deal on better wheels?

 

Thanks,
This last time they broke was at the dealer. Thjey ordered a replacement and that broke when they tried to put the Cap on.....

I've looked closely at the wheel and do not see any alignment marks.

Still trying to figure out the purpose of the metal ring that fits around the four plastic prongs?

 

I had these rims and there is a particular orientation that the caps need to be in. There is a notch in the cap as well as the rims that have to be matched up. If you don't align them and try to force the cap on I think it can break. You can see this notch in my picture. Do they not make these rims like this anymore?

 

That metal ring (should be on the INSIDE of the plastic clips) pushes the clips outward so the cap will stay put!! a lot of center caps have them, and they become almost necessary after time. The clips start to weaken and the metal ring helps them stay in place.

 

My dealer installed the 16" Alloys on my two week old xB2 yesterday and they broke tabs on 3 of the 4 center caps! The only reason I found out was when I installed the wheel locks.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but of course I was upset. Called the dealer this morning and they told me they would take care of replacing the damaged center caps.

I used a screwdriver to remove the cap but I'm looking for a non-metal tool to remove the cap without scratching the rim.

 

At work I have a screwdriver with masking tape on the blade end as to not scratch when removing.

 

I thought about doing the same as you suggested but found this nylon pry bar set at Harbor Freight for $5: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=95214

The tool that is second from the right works perfect. I keep it in my car and if/when I need to take my car in I plan to take the center caps off first. I checked, each one of the caps are about $9 each.

 

I know this is a very old thread, but I have these same wheels on the xb I just bought and one of the caps is missing. I only found one website that shows them, and they're $50 each. Anyone have a source to find them cheaper? Should I check my local Scion dealership? Thanks!

 

[QUOTE=jnaval;3349437]I thought your hub/wheel bearings were going out! You shouldn't call the center caps "hubs", you'll cause alot of panic!
/QUOTE]

That's I first thought too. Not paying attention to wheel off set can lead to premature bearing and hub failure. So I was thinking that maybe the stock alloys were causing issues not the "Center Cap" actually breaking because of sun baked brittle plastic.