Replacement centre wheel caps

alistair64

New member
Hi again,
a small thing that is bugging me on my new car is slight corrosion on the outside of the small wheel centre caps.
I see they are available on Ebay, either genuine ones or copies.
Ideally I'd like blue ones to match the colour of the car, as I know the standard ones are black.
Would you guys definitely go for genuine Jag ones as oppose to the much cheaper copies?
I haven't seen genuine blue ones, only red.
Does anyone have a link to ones that fit correctly and are actually fit for the job?
If not blue, any other colour would be ok.

Thanks
 
No good link I'm afraid and it's been a few years since I last bought some caps but then the only good option was genuine red ones because they were the only ones with the right design. That said, pay attention to the design of the growler if you go for some copies or some other colour than red.

The design changed in 2014 or so, so only very early F-Types had black ones with the old more rounded growler (and an old style black growler in the grille) which you usually see on the knock-offs in different colours.
 
Quite a few online such as this.
https://m.aliexpress.com/item/1005003610409844.html?UTABTest=aliabtest249397_324597&_randl_currency=GBP&_randl_shipto=GB&src=google&memo1=freelisting&src=google&albch=shopping&acnt=494-037-6276&slnk=&plac=&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_shopping&albagn=888888&isSmbAutoCall=false&needSmbHouyi=false&albcp=17237861710&albag=138325130364&trgt=950752914221&crea=en1005003610409844&netw=u&device=m&albpg=950752914221&albpd=en1005003610409844&gclid=CjwKCAjw7IeUBhBbEiwADhiEMdR6vkL27dJAcCaFLNf9g4BhgS8TGfSwrNcOI5Okh3_M18FzH1jkNBoCnEQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&aff_fcid=0e5fc5bebfd14207abd010df08c70249-1652738322320-04586-UneMJZVf&aff_fsk=UneMJZVf&aff_platform=aaf&sk=UneMJZVf&aff_trace_key=0e5fc5bebfd14207abd010df08c70249-1652738322320-04586-UneMJZVf&terminal_id=c6e5c8e5aa774d61ba8a74b8fc04101e&OLP=1082000608_f_group0&o_s_id=1082000608&afSmartRedirect=y

Jaguar official ones are red, union jack (silver/black) and carbon fibre.
 
I got my F Type a year ago, around my birthday , the salesman gave me the blue Union jag pack as a gift
Centre and dust caps and side step plate as the car is blue D315738E-C681-41F9-91D0-6CF4AA8E7C8D.jpeg
 
alistair64 said:
Hi again,
a small thing that is bugging me on my new car is slight corrosion on the outside of the small wheel centre caps.
I see they are available on Ebay, either genuine ones or copies.
Ideally I'd like blue ones to match the colour of the car, as I know the standard ones are black.
Would you guys definitely go for genuine Jag ones as oppose to the much cheaper copies?
I haven't seen genuine blue ones, only red.
Does anyone have a link to ones that fit correctly and are actually fit for the job?
If not blue, any other colour would be ok.

Thanks

I tried some aftermarket eBay ones. They looked alright but the fitting was so bad they span round the alloy. In the end I just bought some genuine ones off eBay.
 
simpleR said:
Quite a few online such as this.
https://m.aliexpress.com/item/1005003610409844.html?UTABTest=aliabtest249397_324597&_randl_currency=GBP&_randl_shipto=GB&src=google&memo1=freelisting&src=google&albch=shopping&acnt=494-037-6276&slnk=&plac=&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_shopping&albagn=888888&isSmbAutoCall=false&needSmbHouyi=false&albcp=17237861710&albag=138325130364&trgt=950752914221&crea=en1005003610409844&netw=u&device=m&albpg=950752914221&albpd=en1005003610409844&gclid=CjwKCAjw7IeUBhBbEiwADhiEMdR6vkL27dJAcCaFLNf9g4BhgS8TGfSwrNcOI5Okh3_M18FzH1jkNBoCnEQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&aff_fcid=0e5fc5bebfd14207abd010df08c70249-1652738322320-04586-UneMJZVf&aff_fsk=UneMJZVf&aff_platform=aaf&sk=UneMJZVf&aff_trace_key=0e5fc5bebfd14207abd010df08c70249-1652738322320-04586-UneMJZVf&terminal_id=c6e5c8e5aa774d61ba8a74b8fc04101e&OLP=1082000608_f_group0&o_s_id=1082000608&afSmartRedirect=y

Jaguar official ones are red, union jack (silver/black) and carbon fibre.

All those, except the union jack ones, have the old pre 2014 growler and font, which would be a no go for someone with OCD like me. ;) A bit odd really that aftermarket ones with the current design seem so rare.
 
Ok, thanks for the replies.
It sounds like I need to go for genuine ones which match the growler on the caps already fitted.
One other thing... I've just tried to prise one off with my nails but to no avail.
Please don't tell me you have to remove the damn wheels just to get the centre caps off (without damaging the wheel of course)? :cry:
 
I believe some folks have managed to remove them with a credit card, or similar. I've never got that lucky and always had to bang them out from the back. You don't want them to come out too easily, of course!
 
I recently removed my caps from the outside, using a very small flat head screwdriver covered with some tape to avoid damage. The OEM caps sit rather tight and there's no way to get something as thick and soft as a credit card in. A knife would probably work too. You have to find the right angle between the cap and the wheel and then just hit the screwdriver. As soon as it gets just a little bit in between the cap and the wheel the cap easily pops out.
 
alistair64 said:
One other thing... I've just tried to prise one off with my nails but to no avail.
Please don't tell me you have to remove the damn wheels just to get the centre caps off (without damaging the wheel of course)? :cry:


If I need to remove/reposition the wheel centre caps (without removing the wheels) I've used this..... https://www.ftypeforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=4688

I also have a set of plastic/nylon 'Hilka' trim removal tools which will do the job..... https://www.ftypeforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=52400#p52400

They don’t cause any damage to the wheel and centre cap.
 
Since I knew mine were going in the bin I just used a drill with a 3/4mm bit. Just carefully drill a hole and when the bit makes its way through the plastic just stopped drilling and pulled the cap off with the drill. Easy. Obviously this wont be a good idea if you wanted to reuse the caps :lol:
 
Casperrito said:
Since I knew mine were going in the bin I just used a drill with a 3/4mm bit. Just carefully drill a hole and when the bit makes its way through the plastic just stopped drilling and pulled the cap off with the drill. Easy. Obviously this wont be a good idea if you wanted to reuse the caps :lol:

That's actually a simple but very good idea!
Mine will also be going in the bin, so really I should have thought of that too :)

In the end I ordered something similar to RPSN's Hilka trim removal set. Very cheap and useful for a variety of jobs...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233703267840?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
 
alistair64 said:
In the end I ordered something similar to RPSN's Hilka trim removal set. Very cheap and useful for a variety of jobs...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233703267840?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649


Some of the very cheap trim removal tool kits can be brittle and easily snap under pressure. Hopefully the one you've ordered will be good quality.

The 'Hilka Pro-Craft Trim & Upholstery 6 Piece Set' that I bought from Screwfix last year (now £14.99) is a good sturdy kit which I've used on a variety of jobs without any issues.
 
Very simple way to remove the centre caps is using a fairly strong fishing line. With a little backwards and forwards movement it will slip behind the centre cap and then then gentle movement will move the cap out enough to pull it clear without the chance of wheel damage.
 
Ok, this job is also complete, so another one to tick off the list.
In the end I opted to use just a threaded bradel type tool used for starting a thread in wood or plastic.
Sorry, don't know the correct name for it, but I'm sure you know what I mean.
It went straight into the centre of the wheel cap without the need to drill.
Once in, it was easy to pull out the cap with hardly any force, so I'd definitely recommend it as the easiest way if you aren't going to re-use the caps.

In the end I took a chance on a blue set from Ebay for just a tenner delivered, given the price of genuine ones (more than this for just one!)
They actually look really good, the growler being quite close to the original one.
They were too loose as warned previously, but a couple of wraps of insulating tape around the inside turned them into a good, solid fit.
So far, well happy with them and even if they do fade with time, it's only a tenner after all.
You'd have to look really hard at them to realise they're not genuine.
 
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