Lubricating/Greasin wheels? Stealership mumbojumbo

[Stewie]

I went to the stealership to checkout some wheels and I noticed that their maintenance schedule included lubricate/grease wheels!


So I am curious, what da **** do they actually do? Trying to kill me? I know it is not the brakes because that's not after 100k

 

[SZR48207]

They mean to pay a bribe. Grease the wheels so your warranty work is done quicker.

LOL.

 

[itguy08]

Maybe grease the back side/rotor mating surface so it doesn't rust in place?

 

[michaelluscher]

If they aren't [censored]'ing

I'd think they'd clean the corrosion and lightly grease the wheel where it meets the hub so it doesn't weld itself on

Probably useful in a climate of salt and infrequent tire rotations

But hey, if it prevents fighting a corroded wheel on the side of the Belt Pkwy at 2am in a blizzard, I'm all for it

Ask me how I know...

 

[Ducked]

Probably that.

Or re-pack bearings, but that doesn't sound very...er...modern.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: itguy08
Maybe grease the back side/rotor mating surface so it doesn't rust in place?

That's it. I've had wheels rusted in placed so badly that I've had to use extraordinary techniques to get them off (NOT hammering!). The grease prevents that seizure.

I apply a bit of M77 to the mating surface of the wheel. M77 works better than anti-seize greases.

 

[Ducked]

I've used aluminium foil and polythene sheet (carrier bag). The foil seemed to work. Havn't tried to take the sheeted wheel off yet, but at least it doesn't seem to have caught fire so far.

 

[Stewie]

Doesn't grease increase the torque settings on the hubs? Wouldn't it cause the wrench to overtighten it?

 

[HerrStig]

If you read the posts you would learn the grease goes on the hub face, NOT the lugs.

 

[andyd]

I probably use more chassis lube on the hubs and wheels than I do on the Zerks. As for as increasing the torque. I solve that by using the spinner provided by BMW and kept in the trunk. My last tire change was done in less than 10 minutes. An AAA guy was called by MDW. He was impressed by how easily the wheel came off.

 

[Kira]

MDW=My Dear Wife?

 

[eljefino]

They say they want the backside of the wheel to effectively combine with the hub flange and grease interferes. If there's "micro-sliding" going on it works the lug nuts loose.

I hate corrosion like the next guy but an experiment in grease did in fact result in slightly loose lug nuts. I've rolled back to a tiny bit of antisieze on the hub bore itself and that's it.

 

[Stewie]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
They say they want the backside of the wheel to effectively combine with the hub flange and grease interferes. If there's "micro-sliding" going on it works the lug nuts loose.

I hate corrosion like the next guy but an experiment in grease did in fact result in slightly loose lug nuts. I've rolled back to a tiny bit of antisieze on the hub bore itself and that's it.


This is also one of my points.

Even in the hub face it may lose the bolts.

 

[HerrStig]

I use antiseize on hub faces of alloy wheels and have done so for years. The lugnuts stay torqued, and I check them regularly. A coned lugnut won't allow movement if torqued properly. I also use it on the hub/rotor face in the odd chance I might want to change rotors without using a sawsall.

 

[Traction]

I remember the early C5 Corvettes with the magnesium wheels had
O-rings on the rear face, and behind each lug hole to keep the water out of the mating surface. If I ever get chrome wheels again, like on my truck, I think I would try a little silicon sealer to have the same effect.

 

[Ducked]

Originally Posted By: Stewie
Doesn't grease increase the torque settings on the hubs? Wouldn't it cause the wrench to overtighten it?

Oh dear! That'd make polythene or PTFE tape on the studs a REALLY BAD IDEA then.

But wait...I never use a torque wrench on them, so I'm in the clear.

Phew!

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: Stewie
Doesn't grease increase the torque settings on the hubs? Wouldn't it cause the wrench to overtighten it?

Grease on the studs/ lug bolts would cause that. We're talking about the sandwich between wheel and hub and assuming dry studs.

 

[Papa Bear]

Originally Posted By: Stewie
I went to the stealership to checkout some wheels and I noticed that their maintenance schedule included lubricate/grease wheels!


So I am curious, what da **** do they actually do? Trying to kill me? I know it is not the brakes because that's not after 100k

You should have asked them while you were there.

 

[Jetronic]

I greased the valve thread for one customer, because his aluminium valve caps corroded on... and I clean/grease the spigot if the wheels are hard to remove.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I put grease or anti seize compound on the wheel/hub mating surface and lug nuts.

Maybe the dealer was going to perform that cardinal sin!