Alloy wheel doesn't come off when trying to replace - Team-BHP

satish_appasani · 4th August 2005, 02:24

Is there any known problem when removing an alloy wheel from the hub? The wheel not willing to come off the hub. Read the story ahead...

Last week when I was driving my Palio D to work, i hit a big pothole and the air was instantly lost on the front left wheel.

I immediately pulled the car to halt and checked the wheel. The tyre was cracked. I started replacing the wheel. BTW, I have OEM alloys from Fiat. As mentioned in the manual, I rocked the car few times before putting the car on jack. After removing the bolts, the wheel did not come out. I tried very hard. When i called a near by road side mechanic, he started hitting the inside of the wheel with hammer. As that was chipping the alloy wheel, I immeidately asked hime to stop. I call Fiat break down service. That guy came down after 2 hours. After trying for a while, he took the towing pipe he has in his car and started hitting hard from inside on the tyre. It took him 10 minutes and then the wheel came out. Though he suggested I can use the damaged tyre as fifth wheel, I felt it unsafe and bought a new tyre the same day. Later when i was talking to the Service manager on the phone, he asked me to pay for the breakdown service. I argued with him that my car is still under warranty and the company/service center is responsible for the problem. Anyway he did not come down and i have to pay the money.

As the replaced tyre is unused and brand new, I though i will put the newly bought tyre on the front right to balance it. Actually, I feel the car is slightly pulling to the right. Again i tried to do it myself and again the wheel does not come out. I refixed the bolts and am going to address that in the next service which is due in 1 week. I am going to ask the manager to get the wheel removed before him.

Is this issue always there with alloy wheels? My car has run 13000 KMS and everytime during the service, the service center people say that they did the wheel rotation. But then the fifth wheel should also be used during rotation, and my wheel is unused till my car got punctured last week.

ajmat · 4th August 2005, 08:29

This does happen to alloy wheels - the heat, the muck, the material combine to fuse wheel to hub. Your mechanic should have used a wooden mallet or hit a wooden piece on the wheel.

Buffetfan · 4th August 2005, 09:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by satish_appasani

Is there any known problem when removing an alloy wheel from the hub? The wheel not willing to come off the hub. Read the story ahead...

Satish,
as I have sharedearlier...Anuroop have charged me multiple times without doing the rotation at all in my Uno...Please mark the tyres FL FR RR RL using your ball ben so that you are sure of rotation !!!

fiat continues to have 98 mm PCD (Pitch circle diameter..distance between centre of diagonal bolts on the wheel) while all othe manufacturers have long shifted to 100 PCD...98 PCD alloys are rather hard to come by in the market...

Given the volumes that Palio does.. quite possible that they have fitted an alloy meant to be fitted on a 100 PCD wheel...in such cases the wheel fits with a trained hand...but can get stuck while one is trying to take it out !!!!

Rehaan · 5th August 2005, 18:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buffetfan

Given the volumes that Palio does.. quite possible that they have fitted an alloy meant to be fitted on a 100 PCD wheel...in such cases the wheel fits with a trained hand...but can get stuck while one is trying to take it out !!!!

WOW....thats nasty!! I really wonder if that is true considering he has OEM wheels?!

Satish, the next time you take your alloy off, wash it clean and look on the inside/back of the wheel for any numbers that say either 100 or 98 (might also be on the front of the rim) and let us know.

Another thing that might help (and is the SOP) is to start loosening the bolts while the car is still on the ground, and then jack it up and completely loosen the bolts. See if that helps.

cya
R

satish_appasani · 5th August 2005, 18:38

Rehaaan. I will check the number on the spare wheel. It is also the same alloy.

I did as you mentioned. Loosened the bolts and then jacked it up. The manual said rock the car after loosening the bolts if you are having alloy wheels. I followed that instruction too.

libre sito · 7th August 2005, 13:05

happend in my accent with stock wheels wen getting balancing and alingment and rotation done and the guy said nothing wrong with it.

merve_extreme · 7th August 2005, 22:35

i think ur problem is a unique one because the Oem alloys on my GTX come off quite easily and those are the same alloys on the 1.9D.

4th August 2005, 02:24	#1 (permalink)
satish_appasani BHPian Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 918 View My Garage	Alloy wheel doesn't come off when trying to replace Is there any known problem when removing an alloy wheel from the hub? The wheel not willing to come off the hub. Read the story ahead... Last week when I was driving my Palio D to work, i hit a big pothole and the air was instantly lost on the front left wheel. I immediately pulled the car to halt and checked the wheel. The tyre was cracked. I started replacing the wheel. BTW, I have OEM alloys from Fiat. As mentioned in the manual, I rocked the car few times before putting the car on jack. After removing the bolts, the wheel did not come out. I tried very hard. When i called a near by road side mechanic, he started hitting the inside of the wheel with hammer. As that was chipping the alloy wheel, I immeidately asked hime to stop. I call Fiat break down service. That guy came down after 2 hours. After trying for a while, he took the towing pipe he has in his car and started hitting hard from inside on the tyre. It took him 10 minutes and then the wheel came out. Though he suggested I can use the damaged tyre as fifth wheel, I felt it unsafe and bought a new tyre the same day. Later when i was talking to the Service manager on the phone, he asked me to pay for the breakdown service. I argued with him that my car is still under warranty and the company/service center is responsible for the problem. Anyway he did not come down and i have to pay the money. As the replaced tyre is unused and brand new, I though i will put the newly bought tyre on the front right to balance it. Actually, I feel the car is slightly pulling to the right. Again i tried to do it myself and again the wheel does not come out. I refixed the bolts and am going to address that in the next service which is due in 1 week. I am going to ask the manager to get the wheel removed before him. Is this issue always there with alloy wheels? My car has run 13000 KMS and everytime during the service, the service center people say that they did the wheel rotation. But then the fifth wheel should also be used during rotation, and my wheel is unused till my car got punctured last week.

4th August 2005, 08:29	#2 (permalink)
ajmat Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,471 View My Garage	This does happen to alloy wheels - the heat, the muck, the material combine to fuse wheel to hub. Your mechanic should have used a wooden mallet or hit a wooden piece on the wheel. __________________ I love the whoosh, but i miss the bellowing

7th August 2005, 13:05	#6 (permalink)
libre sito BHPian Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mumbai/Brooklyn/New Jersey Posts: 145	happend in my accent with stock wheels wen getting balancing and alingment and rotation done and the guy said nothing wrong with it. __________________ HAVE IT FLAUNT IT

7th August 2005, 22:35	#7 (permalink)
merve_extreme Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,290 View My Garage	i think ur problem is a unique one because the Oem alloys on my GTX come off quite easily and those are the same alloys on the 1.9D. __________________ No one has done more to improve the automobile than the one who invented it ----- Mercedes Benz

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5th August 2005, 18:38	#5 (permalink)
satish_appasani BHPian Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 918 View My Garage	Rehaaan. I will check the number on the spare wheel. It is also the same alloy. I did as you mentioned. Loosened the bolts and then jacked it up. The manual said rock the car after loosening the bolts if you are having alloy wheels. I followed that instruction too.