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I have a question about beauty rings (trim rings). My car has 5 OEM 4-1/2″ VW wheels (so marked) and I bought five of the ribbed stainless steel trim rings from CIP1 several months ago (i.e., back when I thought the car would be easy and fast to restore). These are: http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=C11-A6224-5
So finally I am around to putting on the trim rings. Well, one trim ring fits perfectly and nice and tight. The other four go on the wheel but don’t fit tight at all. They rattle around and obviously would come off in one trip around the block. Apparently the original builder didn’t use all the same wheels, although it is a mystery how he got the original wire wheel covers to stay on. The only difference between the wheels that I can tell is that the other four have a depressed area right where the tabs would go, and thus the tabs end up in the depressed area and have nothing to grip to. I tried bending the tabs outward, thinking that this might tighten them up but what I got was deep scratches in my new paint.Aside from the fact the money is spent and they can’t be returned any more, I’d really like to use these rings if possible because the one that does fit absolutely looks stunning. Does anyone have any idea how to get the other four to go on and stay on?The only idea I’ve had is simply to put **something** thick into the depressed area where the tabs go in order to give them something to dig into and hold onto the wheels. I was thinking to use some of the lead strips that are used to balance wheels, or maybe thick double-stick tape all around the perimeter. The wheels need to be balanced anyway so that is not an issue.John, this is not to solve your fitting problem, but, I believe that if you have VW wheels they would be 4x130mm lug pattern.
Wish I knew more about VW’s than the tiny bit I’ve learned this year. I looked for pictures of wheels and almost all, except one I found, were not like you describe. And I’m not sure this one is really like yours either, but does seem to have a sharp transition where the others are simply curved.
I wouldn’t have thought that could cause the holding tabs to be loose, since that would mean the tabs need to go right into that thin area where other wheels don’t have a crease like the pictured one. I would expect the outward pointing tabs to grab the shelf between there and outer portion of wheel.Anyway… maybe that’s the reason alright. You’re idea of filling the void might be the only choice if you can’t bend the tabs. Which I can see being a problem, since straighter tabs move them inward into wheel. And you probably couldn’t remove the trim rings again without damaging them either.Stuff to use as a filler… that’s going to need some thought. How permanent and how much change to wheel itself is needed. I’m thinking a strip of thick industrial strength adhesive tape (3M type) might be okay, going around the gap.I had the same problem . I took a small piece of wire wrapped it through the tab hole on each tab giving every tab a little extra length . I have to pry them off now . My rings are stainless steel . Would love to find a way to get a mirror finish .
Problem solved. The tabs on the trim rings wouldn’t grab the wheel, so I bent them outwards and was rewarded with lots of vicious scratches to the paint with no more grip than before. So, I took the opposite tack. After touching up the damaged paint, I bent all the tabs as far as possible the opposite direction and found that the trim rings would then go into the right position, even though they wouldn’t hold at all. In fact, I could tell the rings were “all the way in” and butted right up against the wheel itself and with little “play.” So, on a hunch I went to Home Depot and got a roll of “extreme” outdoor double-stick tape. I washed the wheels and the trim rings and let them dry overnight. Today I applied a piece of the double-stick tape to every third tab and about six strips around the outer perimeter but just out of sight, and pressed each ring into place. Result: The trim rings stick like they are welded in place. To tell the truth, I’m not even sure what parts are adhered to the wheel because I can’t see back there, but it doesn’t really matter because I don’t get that “sticky” sound you get when tape is not really sticking to something and it moves back and forth. I can’t move these trim rings **at all** now. The wheels will still have to be balanced but I don’t see any way these rings will ever come off without a crowbar — which is fine with me!
johnsimion2015-11-05 21:45:00
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