Need a Source for a Hubcap - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

JimSmith · #1 07-02-2003, 10:32 AM

My father-in-law's 1980 240D (white) reportedly had a hubcap stolen while it was parked in a fast food parking lot. He is beside himself driving with one odd wheel and cannot find a replacement. I tried the local recyclers and they located a red and a blue one for $45, which seems a little steep. Not only that I would have to paint it white once I got it. Anyone know of a source of hub caps (14" stock steel wheels) for these old cars that is reasonable? At $45 I would be inclined to buy him a set of used alloys. But he actually likes the hubcaps. Thanks, Jim

wheelguru · #2 07-02-2003, 10:48 AM

I got some spares, no white but you can have one for $10 and shipping. otherwise I found that they pop up on ebay pretty regular, and somewhat cheaper then $45 per. -Andy

diesel don · #3 07-02-2003, 11:03 AM

Jim:

Send me your address and I'll send you a blue one if you want to paint it.
You've saved me about $1000 so far with your advice so I figure I'm still ahead by about $990

Don

cscmc1 · #4 07-02-2003, 11:34 AM

I too have a spare; it's ugly (paint's fading and chipping), but complete. If no one else comes through, I'll send it along for the cost of shipping. I was just going to punch a hole in the middle of it and make a shop clock out of it with a cheap clock works!

Chris
cscmc1@eiu.edu

JimSmith · #5 07-02-2003, 01:35 PM

Thanks guys, I will send my father in law's address to diesel don to take him up on the offer. Thanks a million. Jim

P.E.Haiges · #6 07-03-2003, 12:33 AM

A 14 inch hubcap? I don't know where you can get one of them. All the ones I've seen are about 2 inches. You must have some set of wheel bearings to need a hubcap that big.

Gee, just a thought: Maybe you are talking about a wheel cover??

Hubcap: a cap for a hub. Wheel cover: something that covers a wheel. Makes sense to me.

If we call things by their correct names, we will all know what we are talking about.

P E H

JimSmith · #7 07-03-2003, 08:52 PM

PEH,

I will strive to be more precise with my diction in the future. Please excuse my transgression in this case, I was lazy and broke down and used slang instead of the correct words. I hope those responding, especially Diesel Don, were not mislead. Thanks for the help getting back on the straight and narrow. Jim

JimSmith · #8 07-09-2003, 09:53 PM

diesel don,

Thanks a million, my father-in-law called Tuesday and let me know the wheel cover arrived and he was ecstatic. By the way, the mystery of how the original one became missing was solved while I was at Lake Champlain doing some maintenance and it was not stolen as originally reported. I was changing the brake pads on all four wheels, and then adjusting the valves for him over the holiday weekend. After finishing the front pads on Thursday I got fed up with the heat and decided to drive it up to Plattsburgh (about 40 miles) to wash the engine before getting into the valve adjustment. I do this in order to minimize the crud on my hands and in the vicinity of the head when the valve cover is off so I reduce the chances for dropping grit into the engine.

Anyway, on the ride up I pulled onto the Northway (87) and accelerated to 70 mph and the car nearly became uncontrollable. Once in Plattsburgh we had the tires balanced and found the right rear one, the one without a wheel cover, was out of balance enough to require 3.5 ounces of wieghts total and was also out of round significantly. Rebalancing made it a lot better, but the tire is a cheesy brand only my father-in-law would own - "EuroTech" is the brand name and all of them were pretty seriously out of balance (the best needed 1.75 ounces of weights).

The severe bouncing is pretty obviously what convinced the wheel cover to leave the wheel. With that corrected the new wheel cover should feel more at home and willing to stay a while. My next chore is to convince the car's owner to get the car some new tires of a decent quality.

While the car was on the lift I gave it a good once over and found the very beginnings of rust on one door bottom corner, and one inner fender lip (front drivers side). Other than that, and a few nicks and scratches that are also showing a little rust, the car is rust free. Until this winter it has always been garaged from November until April or May so I would expect it to be in good shape, but this thing is really essentially rust free. Not bad for a 1980 240D with a manual transmission and about 196,000 miles. The engine is nearly leak free too, and the valves, since converting to Dino Delvac from God knows what recently, were still in perfect adjustment after a full year (maybe 20,000 miles) of driving.

Well, this is a long one again and I really only wanted to pass on my thanks and the glee my father-in-law is feeling about getting a new wheel cover. Thanks again diesel don! Jim

P.E.Haiges · #9 07-10-2003, 11:15 AM

Jim,

Another reason wheel covers get lost is that the springs that hold the wheel cover on get weak. New springs are available. You don't have to remove the old springs, just add the new ones (4 per wheel cover). Leaving the old springs in place will give extra holding power.

P E H

ScooterABC · #10 01-22-2016, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P.E.Haiges

A 14 inch hubcap? I don't know where you can get one of them. All the ones I've seen are about 2 inches. You must have some set of wheel bearings to need a hubcap that big.

Gee, just a thought: Maybe you are talking about a wheel cover??

Hubcap: a cap for a hub. Wheel cover: something that covers a wheel. Makes sense to me.

If we call things by their correct names, we will all know what we are talking about.

Oh but that is just sooooo wrong. The Mercedes community has long since distinguished between the early style hubcaps and trim rings (dogdish hubcaps) and the "full wheel covers". The smaller hubcaps that cover the lug bolts (or nuts) have seldom been called "wheel covers" because the do not cover most of the wheel. I have always called the 3" caps that cover the center hub of a wheel (or cover the grease cap) as "wheel centers" and they are only relevant for alloy wheels. Alloy wheels don't have "hubcaps", they have wheel centers.

Outside of the Mercedes community I think that historically everything that you pop off from a wheel when you change the tire has been called a hubcap, and when they cover the entire wheel they are called either a hubcap or a wheel cover. I would never call a dog dish hubcap a "wheel cover", nor would I call the center wheel cover on an alloy wheel a hubcap.

Scott

DieselPaul · #11 01-25-2016, 01:09 PM

Holy thread revival batman.

ScooterABC · #12 01-25-2016, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DieselPaul

Holy thread revival batman.

Yeah, I know. But when I happen across something that is both a) wrong and b) condescending to the original poster I sometimes take the opportunity to jump in for a moment of reflection.... It seems that P E H hasn't posted for years so I assume he's off being superior somewhere else.

Air&Road · #13 01-25-2016, 01:31 PM

I have a set and would like to help you out, but they are tan.

Volvo Diesel · #14 01-25-2016, 02:46 PM

I hope P.E.Haiges (Paul, maybe?-can't recall his name anymore) is okay and still enjoying his MBs. I found a lot of the 617-related information he posted to be very helpful when I first began using this form around 2003 or so.

gatorblue92 · #15 01-25-2016, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScooterABC

Yeah, I know. But when I happen across something that is both a) wrong and b) condescending to the original poster I sometimes take the opportunity to jump in for a moment of reflection.... It seems that P E H hasn't posted for years so I assume he's off being superior somewhere else.

I'm fairly certain he passed away a few years ago. This is a 13 year old thread...