Can't get dust caps off the tyre valves (to put air in tyres)
 

Hi

I've just purchased a 97 Boxster 2.5 and wanted to check the air pressure in the tyres (or is that tires??) but can't get the dust caps off the valves on the front wheels. On the back wheels it's just the standard plastic screw caps and they come off fine; the front one's are metal ones with the Porsche badge and they just spin and move backwards and forwards with a springy motion, but don't actually unscrew / come off...

Thinking that these are anti-theft / anti-vandal dust caps, I've seen some on Ebay and seems they have a small hole on the side for an allen key... I took a closer look at mine and there are two small holes - one either side - but they are tiny, circular (not allen keys), and don't seem to 'go anywhere' - i.e. they are only about 1mm deep. There does appear to be a thread on them though...

Any ideas??? :confused:

Ross

I'll bet they aren't for theft resistance at all, sounds more like someone bought aftermarket caps. The caps likely have a spin on metal threaded inner collar which has broken free of the decorative plastic encasement. I'd carefully break off the plastic caps, lubricate and remove the threaded portion and replace. Be careful not to damage the stem, otherwise it's a trip to the tire shop for stem replacement.

Eeek, that sounds fiddly / potentially disasterous... well, it's dark here most of the time at the moment but got tomorrow off so will have another fiddle in the day light! Wish me luck.... :eek:

Look closer, they may be Torx screws.

Using a paper clip, insert the wire into one of the small holes and then rotate the cap to see if the wire pops into an opening. If it does, they are "anti theft" caps that require a small tool to undo them. You can get them off with two paper clips.......

Success!! :cheers:

Got them off... or rather my Dad did :D

Turns out there was only one hole, inserting anything didn't find any holes underneath... looks like a tool was needed to tighten the outer part onto an inner part to then engage the thread to unscrew... I think.

Basically, was impossible to do this without a tool as such, so my Dad 'squashed' the outer part with a mole grip enough to be able to grip the inner part and unscrew the whole lot.

Plastic standard dust caps going on now!!!

good for you, it doesn't need a Porsche crest wherever available space may lie regardless of what ebay sellers think.