OMG! Just got through spending almost all day trying to correct a problem I incurred by putting aluminum valve stem caps on my car.
The scenario unfolded like this. I'm driving along and my tire pressure sensor light came on. I had not checked the pressure for awhile. In fact to think about it, the last time I had the oil changed and tires rotated at 3k miles mark is when the tires were checked & aired.
I pulled into Casey's to get their free air. The problem began as I realized I could not remove the valve stem caps.
Well, that was until I got out the pliers set and managed to get one cap off. The other caps... not on your life!
Then back into the car and up the street I drove to the inquire about a solution at the Ford dealership. To my horror they quoted me $65 labor and whatever the cost of new value stems.
Well this was not exactly what I wanted to hear so I drove across the street to WalMart where I purchased the tires to price check their options.
My wallet let out a sigh of relief when they told me they would just replace the value stems for $3 each. A few hours later and $9 poorer I had my dilemma solved.
Word to the wise... Beware!
The metal (either steel, stainless, or aluminum) will cause a chemical bond with the valve stem over time. Anytime you put dissimilar metals together you can expect a long term reaction, be it chemically "welded" or the opposite, corrosion. These negative effects are magnified by the fact that the valve stems are actually part of an electric sensor.......think electroplating, electrogalvanizing, etc.
My advice go with those basic plastic one. A lot less headache!
Never To Old To Learn Something!
Nana
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