15" basket weaves securing centre caps.

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ShaQ777
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Post Sat Jan 30, 2016 10:12 am

Hello all,

I just bought some 15" basket weaves yesterday and about to install them on the car but I am worried about the center caps getting stolen ?

Does anyone have any ideas of a way to lock/secure them. As anyone can just walk up to the car and with a tiny bit of force and unwind them?

Thank you

ShaQ
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Post Sat Jan 30, 2016 7:41 pm

ShaQ777 wrote:Hello all,

I just bought some 15" basket weaves yesterday and about to install them on the car but I am worried about the center caps getting stolen ?

Does anyone have any ideas of a way to lock/secure them. As anyone can just walk up to the car and with a tiny bit of force and unwind them?

Thank you

ShaQ
Only thing I can think of is drill a small hole with a thread and put an alley ken bolt through, although probably not the best. Otherwise just run without centre caps.
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fixedwheelnut
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Post Sat Jan 30, 2016 7:50 pm

matt86 wrote:
ShaQ777 wrote:Hello all,

I just bought some 15" basket weaves yesterday and about to install them on the car but I am worried about the center caps getting stolen ?

Does anyone have any ideas of a way to lock/secure them. As anyone can just walk up to the car and with a tiny bit of force and unwind them?

Thank you

ShaQ
Only thing I can think of is drill a small hole with a thread and put an alley ken bolt through, although probably not the best. Otherwise just run without centre caps.
That is what I did, I drilled a small hole in the centre cap at the same diameter so it would line up with the boss in the middle of the alloy, then positioned the cap in the closed position and marked a matching hole in the alloy, drilled it and tapped a thread so they can be secured with a screw.
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Post Sat Jan 30, 2016 8:22 pm

Cloggysaint on here has done that - with a posted pic for all to see. I'm sure I have also seen a link to another site posted here providing a detailed guide.

Looks a very neat solution.
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Cloggy Saint
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Post Sat Jan 30, 2016 10:08 pm

Yep, that's mine. It's a neat little trick that makes it almost impossible to twist the centre cap off and even if you did manage it would be broken. The down side is that it would only take a dedicated scum-bag to come back with an allen key to remove it but maybe the fact that it has the hole and grub screw makes it less desireable to try and sell on.
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Post Sat Jan 30, 2016 10:45 pm

As you said, they aren't hard to remove... just remove them when parking up?


Carry a BBS tool, bing bang bosh. Put them in a car that could be stolen by any old sod.
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Post Sun Jan 31, 2016 11:26 am

I have the same arrangement with a threaded hole too.

It won't stop someone determined, but I mostly park in good areas anyway, so it's not really a massive concern.
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ShaQ777
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Post Mon Feb 01, 2016 8:03 am

Thanks for the replies guys. It's a shame we live in a society where you have to think like this.

But I found a pretty good guide it's the same as what you guys are saying with the grub screw idea, so I will try that maybe even stick 2 in !

Here is the link for anyone else wishing to do the same thing.


http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=190489


Thanks.

ShaQ
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BackinBlack
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Post Mon Feb 01, 2016 1:16 pm

I had a similar issue with my center caps, they kept going missing over night.

Someone on here (sorry can't remember who) suggested getting the cheaper plastic ones and sticking them on with clear mastic - they look OK, only cost me a fiver each and haven't gone walkies since (that's tempting fate!!).
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Post Mon Feb 01, 2016 1:31 pm

ShaQ777 wrote:Thanks for the replies guys. It's a shame we live in a society where you have to think like this.

But I found a pretty good guide it's the same as what you guys are saying with the grub screw idea, so I will try that maybe even stick 2 in !

Here is the link for anyone else wishing to do the same thing.


http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=190489


Thanks.

ShaQ
That's the guide I used but I only used one screw per cap as it looks more "factory" and there's no need to drill it from the inside. Looking at the pictures on the write up one of his grub screws goes over the outer edge of the cap which looks a bit messy in my opinion. Drilling from the outside gives much neater results.
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