Can I remove ugly wheel covers?

76 foot pounds.

 

I took ours off, wrapped and stored them. When the alloy wheels start to look old I'll snap on the covers.

If youre thinking of painting the OEM covers black, I'd buy aftermarket and paint them black. That's just me though.

Wheel Cover - Toyota (42602-47180) | Toyota Parts

 

I removed my wheel covers on the day of purchase new. 2016 Prius 3. A cheap alternative is to use "electrical box knock-outs" to cover the center openings. They're not the prettiest option available; but they're the cheapest. ($1each/Home Depot). Good luck.

 

The electical box knockouts are not a perfect fit out of the package, but can be made to fit snuggly fuggly by bending the press fit pins outwards all around. I believe the correct size is 1 1/4 inch, but if going that way I'd recommend asking to take one out to the car to test for the correct size.
Some of us here still love the PC old school hacks.
and let your imagination run wild while decorating your new 4 dolly llamas worth of hub caps.
no offense intended towards the chosen one.

 

um...

See, I'm a salesman who uses my car. My father was also a salesman who used his cars (company cars, mostly) - to the tune of 45,000 miles a year. It was the "I know what I'm doing" mechanics who didn't use torque wrenches who kept creating warped brake rotors.

When i have someone install new tires, I'm there watching them, making sure they are equally working the lug-nut pattern to snug the wheels on, then using a torque wrench for the final tightening. And, due to that, warped rotors are not a problem for this salesman - unlike the others I have worked with.

 

Yeah and real men install their oil filter just by hand, never leaked a drop. Guess it would help if they would put the fundamental torque values in the #*$! 800 page Owner's Manual...

I watched Costco tire shop guys do a final hand-torque of the wheels. Of course they just go 'round in a circle, no star-pattern.

 

My Costco guys have been outstanding (while I watch them). I've really tried to tip the two guys (two separate re-balancing times) with $10 or $20 for taking such good care, and doing everything the right way, but they aren't allowed to take tips.

Now the Walmart tire guy - they gave me the new guy, and I was right there in the garage helping him, and teaching him, since he wasn't figuring out anything on his own. That experience is why I went to Costco for re-balancing tires I bought and had installed at Walmart (not typical tires, but found them online, bought and had them shipped to Walmart for installation), and I'm glad I did.

I've never had to say anything to the Costco guys other than give the torque value for the aftermarket wheels.

 

The original wheel covers come off with a strong tug. Don’t use anything metal to pry them off as you’ll scratch the cover and wheel.

I ordered the aftermarket 15” set from Hubcap Haven(can’t link yet, pics attached) and I think they look great! I somehow got them for about $65. Pretty close to 2016-2017 original minus the Toyota logo. I supposed you could spend the extra $20 on a branded center cap but why?

 

I think the question is 'why hubcaps at all when you've got good looking wheels underneath?'

I come from a generation where hubcaps were really looked down upon.

 

They're not that good looking, lol. But yeah, agree: I was flat-footed stymied, when hearing the 15" 3rd gen Prius had alloy rims with plastic wheel covers. That tipped me to going with the 17" rim model.

I come from a generation where stamped steel rims were painted silver, came with an accurately named "hub cap" (basically a little cap over the the centre hub). They worked.

 

Where did you get those center caps? are they the ones posted above this thread? I just cant justify paying 20 bucks per center cap when ebay has sets of 4 caps for like 20 bucks

 

Ebay is where I got them. Think I paid $12 or $20 for four.

You're going to have to come up with a way to work/cut/machine the plastic tabs to get them to stay on.

 

If the tab teeth aren't quite reaching the groove in the wheel bore, it could be because it's not seating correctly on the face of the wheel. In my experience with aftermarket centre caps (albeit 3rd gen but maybe similar) there's little bevel zones (4) around the circumference of the cap where it sits against the wheel, at the lip of the bore. They should JUST touch.

On mine the bevels were too pronounced, lifted the cap about 1/16" and prevented the tab teeth from reaching and locking into the groove in the bore. About 5 minutes (per cap) careful grinding down of those beveled zones, coupled with a few trial fittings, and I got it to seat flush, and the tab teeth lock into the groove.

I tried to post a comment on that vendor's page, but wasn't able to. Maybe by design??

The translucent white zones are were the bevels protruded too much, and I dremelled them down:

 

Do you might have a link?

 

Look up the part numbers, on somewhere like McGeorge Toyota Parts, then search for:

EBay (part number)

You'll get a mix of OEM and clone offerings, and some alleged OEM offerings at clone prices.

 

Thanks, but ebay just shows the Original caps
42603-52170

Guess Ill keep an eye for knock offs

 

Ahoy there wwillovv and The Dali LLama Mama! I recently got tired of the Home Depot One Dollar electrical box knock-outs for my 2016 Prius 3 wheels to replace the fugly full wheel covers. Amazon has the original Toyota Part #42603-AE020 advertized for $17.00 each (look them up). Pricey indeed! But I bought them, and they fit perfectly! And I sleep so much better with those pesky holes covered up. Pull my finger.

 

Imagine that, only $17 each.
I just bought 4 more 1 1/2 (inch and a half ) electrical box knock out plugs yesterday.
Sure Nuff, they are not an exact fit, but with a couple other PC posts regarding the wheels and caps
I'm looking to make them fit even better than they already do with minimal alterations.
Don't forget, if you like modding your machines, the possibilities are endless with a bare slate electrical box knockout plug. Still .97 cents each.
edit: not a big deal if they get lost during tire rotation, either.

 

It does seem that way back at post #4, the OP decided the wheel covers weren't as ugly as she thought and has decided to just use them.
Solves a lot of problems.

 

Hmmmm. I looked at / read this whole thread, and impo, the factory wheels under the funky plastic hub caps don't look too bad. Think I'm just going to use black plasti dip on mine.
Does anybody know the mm's of the factory center caps ? EBay does in fact, have a few options.... but I need to know the exact size before I order them.