Metal valve stem caps-throw them all away

[Elkins45]

Just in case you haven't experienced the joy of removing a metal valve stem cap that has fused itself to the stem through galvanic corrosion, here's your reminder that you need to replace them with plastic ones. The RAV4 I bought last fall had them on three wheels and all three needed vice grips to remove.

 

[Rand]

dremel is sometimes needed. I've had it where you twist the valve stem in circles and it wont loosen.

 

[The_Jeff]

But we check pressures monthly, right?

 

[Elkins45]

But we check pressures monthly, right?

Only when our TPMS batteries are dead.

 

[Sequoiasoon]

Just warm it up a little first. Daughter-in-laws old Accord had them. Right front hadn't been checked in who knows how long and was visually very low. Yup needed pliers on that one. First time she came over I was like and the rest that did come off, her grandfather put to 51psi since that was "sidewall" pressure.

Replaced them all with plastic and pressure to door placard all around. Her comment "the car rides so much better".

 

[billt460]

We get so little rain that my cars never get driven on a wet street. But this is something I've never thought about. I think I'll give them all a dab of anti seize just to be safe.

 

[George7941]

Just in case you haven't experienced the joy of removing a metal valve stem cap that has fused itself to the stem through galvanic corrosion, here's your reminder that you need to replace them with plastic ones. The RAV4 I bought last fall had them on three wheels and all three needed vice grips to remove.

Wierd. I live in the rust belt with heavy use of salt in the winter and I do not ever experience metal caps seizing on. Never been an issue. I maintain five vehicles. The metal caps I use are the thin knurled ones.

 

[4wd]

But we check pressures monthly, right?

Are you saying the dashboard is to blame LoL

 

[4wd]

Looks like I have one vehicle with metal - and I just checked that one when it gave me a crazy pressure (that did go away) -
Qtip and superlube soon …

 

[StarCaller]

The Porsche company in Stuttgart ALWAYS replaced mine with plastic ones / ALWAYS /
No matter for what reason I went there, when I picked up the car, there were plastic caps on the valves /
For normal they didn't even mention it.... /
At this time galvanic corrosion was the last thing I had in mind /

 

[IveBeenRued]

Only when our TPMS batteries are dead.

Fancy you with your RAV4 that has functional TPMS . My 2020, it only warns if tire when it is significantly low; like 6+ PSI low. For my 2020 they opted to not have a display that shows the actual pressures and instead opted for you having to use the app to see your pressures. Problem is, that unless you opt in to selling your vehicle telemetry data to 655+ “trusted third parties”, you can’t use the app. So I check my pressures every other weekend or so.