Removing wheel... or not!

[Wals1983]

HI all,

A bit of background for you; I recently purchased a 2010 A4 AVANT S-Line. Its an amazing car and i'm very happy with it!

But the only thing bugging me is the rusty calipers!!!! So i thought id paint them.... got all the kit (wire brushes/wool, hammerite smooth, paint brushes etc). Went to take one of the rear wheels off after jaking it up/removing all the wheel nuts and the thing would not budge..... (didnt want to give it to much welly with it being up on the jack mind.

Now i'll be honest im not the most mechanical when it comes to cars.... but i have taken a wheel off before and it came straight off! Cant see the electronic handbrake having anything to do with it.... is there a bolt under the centre cap of the 18" s-line alloys? or could it just be seized and i need to give it more ompf!?

[Guest 2]

Probably just become stiff from not being removed for a while.

I carry (in the boot) a small pole which fits over the wheel brace to give more leverage, even after the nuts have been torqued with a gun they're easy peasy to remove.

Have one in both cars so if I ever get a flat I don't need to struggle :rolleyes:

http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz90/57_audi/ForumContent/A3HeadlightChange/IMG_4185_zpsc55fb09a.jpg


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[Wals1983]

I thought so but wasnt sure, my lack of mechanical experince making me question myself! I was well chuffed when all the bolts were out and it was up on the jack too :o

[Sam]

Chris, if I ever see you using that widowmaker again, I'll hit you with that pole.

[Guest 2]

Chris, if I ever see you using that widowmaker again, I'll hit you with that pole.

I just realised I read the OP wrong :( give the wheel a good thump at the top and it should come off.

It's the only thing I have Sam, as you know I don't get my hands too dirty so it's never out too often! ;)


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[Sam]

Look at the lean on it man, does that not make your balls shrivel and go home?

You should, at the very least, have the spare wheel under the sills for that moment when the jack does pop.

A basic Clarke trolley jack from Machine Mart or similar will save your life/paint/arms.

</Dad>


It's the only thing I have Sam, as you know I don't get my hands too dirty so it's never out too often! ;)

That thread still makes me laugh :D

[Hex69]

I just realised I read the OP wrong :( give the wheel a good thump at the top and it should come off.

The only thing I have available Sam, as you know I don't get my hands too dirty so it's never out too often! ;)

You should, crack the nuts/bolts (delete as applicable) while the tyre is still on the floor, before raising the car with the jack. That way you shouldn't have to apply excessive force to to remove them while the car is up in the air.

Flat tyres | AA (http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/breakdown_advice/got-a-flat.html)

[zollaf]

the wheel being stuck on the hub is nothing new. a soft mallet or lump of wood can be used to thump the wheel off, turning it as you go. in extreme cases, replace the bolts but only do them up a few threads and go for a short drive. before replacing the wheel, give the hub and alloy a good clean with a wire brush and/or sandpaper until it will go back on with no fuss, then apply some copper slip to help prevent corrosion.

[vwcabriolet1971]

HI all,

A bit of background for you; I recently purchased a 2010 A4 AVANT S-Line. Its an amazing car and i'm very happy with it!

But the only thing bugging me is the rusty calipers!!!! So i thought id paint them.... got all the kit (wire brushes/wool, hammerite smooth, paint brushes etc). Went to take one of the rear wheels off after jaking it up/removing all the wheel nuts and the thing would not budge..... (didnt want to give it to much welly with it being up on the jack mind.

Now i'll be honest im not the most mechanical when it comes to cars.... but i have taken a wheel off before and it came straight off! Cant see the electronic handbrake having anything to do with it.... is there a bolt under the centre cap of the 18" s-line alloys? or could it just be seized and i need to give it more ompf!?
It's more important to be able to remove road wheels than to paint the calipers ! You'll need to remove all corrosion from the hubs and the wheels and then to apply copper anti-seize paste.

[Kar Krazy]

in extreme cases, replace the bolts but only do them up a few threads and go for a short drive

I'd do the bolts up almost all the way, not just a few threads or you risk chewing the threads or shearing the bolts and having the wheel part company from the car if it comes unstuck from the hub during the short drive. I think Zollaf means do them up finger tight then slacken them off a few threads.

Slacken off the bolts half a turn, jack it up, get the car up on an axle stand, loosen the bolts a few turns, then use a soft mallet to gently tap the back of the wheel at several points around its edge.

[zollaf]

something like that yes, just enough to allow the wheel to be a bit wobbly. i had a corsa in a while back but that had steels on. one back wheel was proper stuck. i drove up the road with the bolts loose , braked, steered sharply. it was only when i did a handbrake turn the blooming thing went with a proper 'CRACK'.

[Guest 2]

Look at the lean on it man, does that not make your balls shrivel and go home?

You should, at the very least, have the spare wheel under the sills for that moment when the jack does pop.

A basic Clarke trolley jack from Machine Mart or similar will save your life/paint/arms.

</Dad>

Life: living on the edge. ;)

[JimC64]

ALL really good sound solid advice.

Especially, putting the spare wheel or similar under the sill area when you have the car jacked up using the scissor jack.

A mallet or similar hitting the tyre in 3 + 9 & 6 + 12 o clock position will help or.....sit back facing the wheel and kick the same positions from the front and it should come, The slightly loosened wheel nuts and a very short drive will also work.

+1 on a good clean up before you put them back on to try and avoid similar issues next time.

Looking forward to the pics of hubs / calipers painted although it is nearly winter?

I need to do mine again, but will wait until early spring now I guess.

Good luck & be safe

[Wals1983]

Thanks for all the replies.

I had the spare wheel next to the jack just in case. and a block under the rear tyres to stop it rolling.

Re the other parts that i am going to uncover (only had time to to one wheel) the central nut once the wheel was off was very rusty. Will need to clean it up - whats best to use on it? Also the hub its a bit rusty but not to bad.

Where should copper grease be applied? Get nervous with grease around brakes!!

[sportq]

i drove up the road with the bolts loose , braked, steered sharply. it was only when i did a handbrake turn the blooming thing went with a proper 'CRACK'.

I had to do this on my first Audi after trying all the other things suggested in this thread. Fortunately it was a nice summer day but I dread to thing what a miserable experience it would have been on a cold, wet winter night. So now the first thing I do with any car remove the wheels and get a small amount of copper grease onto the faces of the hub.

A few years ago, some Kwik-Fit monkey did try to tell me my CV joint had leaked grease onto the hub! #fail

Pete

[Kar Krazy]

I've owned Minis, Fiats, Fords and a Vauxhall and once the wheel nuts or bolts were loosened, I've never had trouble getting a wheel off. Why do these much-vaunted (and not cheap!!!) German cars of ours suffer from such basic flaws as this?

[Wals1983]

Had another go today, gave it a whack with a mallet and it came off! ;)

A before and after;

http://s9.postimg.org/f7d8ugqvf/IMG_0785.jpg (http://postimg.org/image/f7d8ugqvf/)

http://s9.postimg.org/4n8d8zsp7/IMG_0786.jpg (http://postimg.org/image/4n8d8zsp7/)

[sportq]

I've owned Minis, Fiats, Fords and a Vauxhall and once the wheel nuts or bolts were loosened, I've never had trouble getting a wheel off. Why do these much-vaunted (and not cheap!!!) German cars of ours suffer from such basic flaws as this?

It could be that your previous cars had steel wheels. The problem is the reaction of disimilar metals causing galvanic corrosion, aluminium wheel and steel hub. It will happen on any car, it just so happens premium cars, like audi, merc, bmw, got alloy wheels first.

Pete

[Kar Krazy]

It could be that your previous cars had steel wheels. The problem is the reaction of disimilar metals causing galvanic corrosion, aluminium wheel and steel hub. It will happen on any car, it just so happens premium cars, like audi, merc, bmw, got alloy wheels first.

Pete

Thanks Pete, that sounds like the the reason. And thinking about it, I haven't taken a wheel off my last 3 Fords, all with alloys.

[Kar Krazy]

Had another go today, gave it a whack with a mallet and it came off! ;)

Hi Wals1983

Don't forget to click the "Thank for this post" button for all of us who helped out here! :beerchug:

[Wals1983]

Will do, i do have another question... myabe one for another thread but; The voice control, Audi think i don't have it but when i press it is asks me to speak..... but i dont know the commands?

[Guest 2]

Say "Help" when your phone is connected via bluetooth.