Replacement air valve caps

[Dbj77]

Hi- I just bought these to replace the plastic covers, and a comment in the reviews sparks my interest/concern:

Amazon.com: US85 Tesla Black Chrome Auto Car Wheel Tire Air Valve Caps Stem Cover: Automotive

The review:
"The guys at the service center said not to use these as they're made of metal and will corrode into the valve stem and screw up the TPMS sensor. They look nice and wish I could use them though."

Thoughts? Should we not replace the air valve caps with anything but plastic?

 

[CLLACAB]

I put these on my car. I'm not concerned.

 

[dmb7463]

I can confirm this is true, I used to have an Infiniti Q50S and bought the metal ones for it with the logo and overtime in New York they ended up corroding and I could not get them off the tires, had to bring it to the dealership to get off and it broke 2 of the sensors, luckily they gave me a pass on the charge, but told me not to do it again.

 

[davinci2017]

Maybe we should change them periodically, I have these as well and they are really quite well made, had quite a bit or rain so far and havent seen any issues. I do check tire pressure every month as well .

How long did you go without checking tire pressure that you found them to be corroded and attached to the stems? That seems like a maintenance issue more than anything else.

 

[dmb7463]

Maybe we should change them periodically, I have these as well and they are really quite well made, had quite a bit or rain so far and havent seen any issues. I do check tire pressure every month as well .

How long did you go without checking tire pressure that you found them to be corroded and attached to the stems? That seems like a maintenance issue more than anything else.

It was about a year, the 1st one started sticking but was able to get it off and cleaned it up, but by year 2 I had 2 of them stuck to the wheel. If you take them off a few times a year and clean them you might not run into the problem I did, but from what happened to me I didn't want to do it again.

 

[Stillers67]

I had the same problem on an Infiniti FX35 several years ago. One of them stuck on and I broke the valve stem off trying to remove the cap. After paying for a new valve stem/TPMS, I've only used plastic caps since.

 

[Mankirk]

I'm sad to say I found out the hard way about these decorative metal valve stem caps. I put them on about 8 moths ago. Last week I had a flat tire and - while standing on the side of the road - couldn't get the valve stem off to use the Tesla inflator - the metal caps had fused to the valve stem threads. Long story, short - after a flatbed tow to the local Goodyear store for a replacement tire and a subsequent trip to the Rockville Service Center, I learned if they are really fused tightly the only way to get them off is to cut the valve stem and destroy the TPMS unit. That makes these a really expensive aftermarket item.

 

[DanZiz]

Yeah - I had them and they started corroding for me too. They do seem well made and look nice, but did corrode. I first “noticed” it when I went to put air in my tires. They were difficult to get off, but I hadn’t had them long so I was able to get them loose and just chalked it up to dried salt and gunk (it was winter). Not too long after that I had my 1 year service appointment and when I went to pick up the car they handed me a ziplock bag with all four in there, clearly mangled where they fought to get them off and strongly suggested I don’t use metal caps because if they were on there much longer it would have destroyed the stem. Back to plastic for me. — Dan

 

[JohnnyG]

I have seen (a long time ago, in a place far, far away) aftermarket valve stem caps that were high-grade stainless steel. I've also seen them that were aluminum, but with a plastic insert for the threads. Either one of these constructions would be a viable solution. As you can imagine, they cost more though.

 

[SKRGO]

To keep threads from seizing from dissimilar metals and saltwater on the sailboat, I have always used:

MRO solutions 2400 marine-grade anti-seize - Bolt Depot

most marine supply places carry a form of this. I have used it on my metal caps installed since delivery, without problems.

 

[Evoyager]

Yeah - I had them and they started corroding for me too. They do seem well made and look nice, but did corrode. I first “noticed” it when I went to put air in my tires. They were difficult to get off, but I hadn’t had them long so I was able to get them loose and just chalked it up to dried salt and gunk (it was winter). Not too long after that I had my 1 year service appointment and when I went to pick up the car they handed me a ziplock bag with all four in there, clearly mangled where they fought to get them off and strongly suggested I don’t use metal caps because if they were on there much longer it would have destroyed the stem. Back to plastic for me. — Dan

+1 - They will corrode, especially if you live in an state with cold/snow/freezing rain - winters coming!! Spend $10 on Amazon or switch out those solid OEM caps from other car before trade-in!

 

[SKRGO]

Just put a magnet to my valve stems from Amazon and they did not attract, then read the Description "molded COPPER"

https://www.amazon.com/TK-KLZ-Chrom...6953389&sr=8-4&keywords=tesla+valve+stem+caps

 

[Pinot.Noir]

Just curious, but what exactly is wrong with the plastic ones?

 

[SKRGO]

Just curious, but what exactly is wrong with the plastic ones?

Just nice to have a "T" on the end and something different

 

[Pinot.Noir]

There are already so many Tesla logos on the car....every window....they are everywhere! I dont see the need for 4 more. Particularly if they end up causing problems.

 

[Pinot.Noir]

For those that need more "T" on their ride, does nobody make a plastic version?

 

[JohnnyG]

You can thank me later...

 

[bhzmark]

Hi- I just bought these to replace the plastic covers, and a comment in the reviews sparks my interest/concern:

Amazon.com: US85 Tesla Black Chrome Auto Car Wheel Tire Air Valve Caps Stem Cover: Automotive

The review:
"The guys at the service center said not to use these as they're made of metal and will corrode into the valve stem and screw up the TPMS sensor. They look nice and wish I could use them though."

Thoughts? Should we not replace the air valve caps with anything but plastic?

I put these on my car. I'm not concerned.

I wasn't concerned either. And then I had a concern:

 

[hoang51]

I wonder for those who had their metallic air caps seized onto the valve stems... Do you not remove them monthly to check with tire pressure and pump air if necessary? I don't have the metallic caps yet on my Model 3, but I have something similar on another car of mine and they haven't seized up, gone through more than 4 different seasons a year (yes to rain and snow) and all 4 twisted off just fine.

 

[drklain]

The issue isn't corrosion due to rain/water/salt, but rather bimetallic corrosion due to dissimilar metals in contact with each other... I personally think this is a potentially expensive bill to pay (new TPMS sensor/valve assembly just for a cosmetic thing because you can hardly see them anyway. Plain grey plastic tire valve stem caps for me!