Bad Experience with Nismo Valve Stem Caps

[Sith LL_Coupe]

Figured I'd share a little story with you guys... but it's gonna be long most likely as I'm long-winded with stories...

LBC gave me a set of these Valve Stem Caps a year back when I met him at one of the first Brooklyn Meets. Well I was testing on my next Car Charger that has a air compressor and was going to make sure my tire pressure was perfect.

I go to remove these suckers, and I can't with my fingers, they're on there real good. Next thing I do is try the little keychain wrench it comes with to take them off as they are like a hex nut design. First one was on there so good that I actually bent one of the sides of the hex nut. So I go to get my socket wrench and get it off. I barely do, and actually cracked the cap itself (it looks like metal but it's actually a hard plastic). After I get it off, I'm examining my valve stems themselves. Their covered in a white dust like there was some sort of adhesive put on them, or maybe they were on so hard that the actual threading of the inside of the cap was shredding so bad it turned to dust. Well, now I'm like, I don't want these things on my car anymore, I'm going back to the cheapo black stem caps you get with any car. I remove the 2nd read stem, it as well cracks and has the white power around the stem's threading.

I go to my passenger front tire, and this one was even harder to get off that I actually broke off my valve stem!!!

Air starts screaming out of the tire, and quickly goes flat. I go s***, should I risk getting the last one off, or just not mess with it. I decided to do it and SNAP, valve stem breaks as well. So now I got 2 flat tires. Thankfully I go next door to my office, which is a repair shop (it specializes in BMWs and Mercedes) and ask them to help me as now I can't get home. They came by, jacked my car up, took off my wheels and took them back to their shop to put new stems in. Waiting to see how much they'll charge me, hopefully not too much since I'm pretty friendly with them.

Now I'm wondering how the hell did this happen that they were put on so hard. I typically don't drive enough that I need to check my tire pressures myself and usually just have my mechanic do it when I get a oil change, but I'm wondering if he used a impact wrench to put those things on or something like they were made out of metal or if some vandalism happened and some punks came and put super glue on the insides of my stem caps so I couldn't get em off. All I know is a little thing like that just got me all pissed!!

[Rmuth25]

probably was those kids smoking that dutch

[Sith LL_Coupe]

lol, I have no idea. I had like 4 schools (from Elementary to HS) right around my apartment, and park on the street, so you get a lotta pranksters around here. I'm wondering how the hell those stem caps could have been on there so hard that I'd need a wrench to try and take them off.

[Bmore-coupe]

Brian gave me those too at Carlisle. Never got around to putting them on. Guess I won't now.

Anybody want some Nismo Valve Stem Caps..... $5

Thanks anyway Brian, it's the thought that counted.

[Jose3.5]

I want some Nismo valve stem caps. I might have to try putting some glue on somebodies caps :lol

[Sith LL_Coupe]

Brian gave me those too at Carlisle. Never got around to putting them on. Guess I won't now.

Anybody want some Nismo Valve Stem Caps..... $5

Thanks anyway Brian, it's the thought that counted.

LOL, it's a shame, cuz I kinda liked them. They would have been nice with my Nismo Rims when I put em on, but oh well... I'm sticking with basic caps now.

If anyone was curious of the damage to my stems, here's a pic. The threading broke right off the stems and is inside the cap itself. Because the valve stems connect right into the TPMS inside the tire, I had to take the front 2 out. (If anyone was curious what the TPMS looked like, there they are).

[LongBeachCoupe]

Def not the caps, kids steal em off my car (i currently only have them on the back now lol) and ive gone thru probably 20 of them total... over 2 yrs... no issues...

lbc suspects foulplay

[Sith LL_Coupe]

Yeah, I'm thinking foul play was done. I just wonder how much money now it'll be to put new threading on the TPMS, if that's even possible. Knowing Nissan, they'll make me buy 2 more.... How much do they go for anyways??

[Bmore-coupe]

lbc suspects foulplay

I didnt think that it was the caps. Still, I think that I will keep the Rays ones on that came with the wheels for now....

[Bmore-coupe]

Yeah, I'm thinking foul play was done. I just wonder how much money now it'll be to put new threading on the TPMS, if that's even possible. Knowing Nissan, they'll make me buy 2 more.... How much do they go for anyways??

Don't buy them from nissan if you have to buy new ones. They are less than half price on Ebay. Too lazy to look for listing right now.

[headhunt3r]

I have one TPMS Sensor left... if you can find another one on your own I can sell you my last one for cheap.

The only issue, of course, is I'm not sure how much shipping would be to you from Canada.

[SHIFT_COUPE]

Could have been someone with superglue. If so thats messed up. Any residue on where the caps were? Not rusted either?

[Sith LL_Coupe]

YES, there was a white powder residue from the other 2 stem caps from my rear tires I was able to get off. If you look at the pic you can see the threading for the valve stem inside the cap, it looks like it's almost welded in there with the white residue that I saw on the other ones I actually got off....

[dangeris]

Shawn, sounds like some local kids took them off and placed some superglue in the threads. white powder is a sure sign of dried superglue Like Brian said, it wasn't the caps. Sorry to hear about it tho..

[dangeris]

I have one TPMS Sensor left... if you can find another one on your own I can sell you my last one for cheap.

The only issue, of course, is I'm not sure how much shipping would be to you from Canada.

You can't mix and match the tpms sensors. They are sold in a set i believe and they have thier own frequency which needs to be programed into the car. if you don't you'll throw the tpms light Call t he dealer Shawn and see what they say..I could be wrong.

[headhunt3r]

You can't mix and match the tpms sensors. They are sold in a set i believe and they have thier own frequency which needs to be programed into the car. if you don't you'll throw the tpms light Call t he dealer Shawn and see what they say..I could be wrong.

Pretty sure you're wrong on that one. I drew 4 out of a lot of 17 sensors, and my friend at Nissan programmed them no problem. These sensors are NOT sold in sets.

[Sith LL_Coupe]

Yeah, that's what I was worried about. I can't believe someone would do that to your car. I do have the ability to keep my car in a fenced off vacant lot (for 5 cars), but it's like 10 blocks from my house. I thankfully now drive to work, so it's not sitting on the street during the day anymore, it's parked right in my companies garage. As some of you know, I had my car keyed back in like November too when I used to park my car near the HS (it's always got parking, now I know why). Anyways, even after my car got keyed, I got lazy cuz it's 2 blocks from my house and there's always a spot there for me, so instead of driving around other areas to find something, I just kept parking there, even after the keying. I have not been parking there last 2 weeks, and will not ever again. I now park on the other side of my apartment away from that HS, so we'll see...

[mikegtr06]

I want them

Brian gave me those too at Carlisle. Never got around to putting them on. Guess I won't now.

Anybody want some Nismo Valve Stem Caps..... $5

Thanks anyway Brian, it's the thought that counted.

you can ship them my way...... Shoot me an email....

[alticoupe3.5]

for some reason little kids love stealing these...like wtf are they gonna use them for?? mine have been stolen a few times and its just redic. lol

[losenone]

I have them on my car and no issues here. Thanks Brian

[Bmore-coupe]

I want them

you can ship them my way...... Shoot me an email....

I was just joking . To be honest, I havnt seen them since Carlisle. They have to still be in the trash bag that Brian frantically threw all of the stuff in my trunk into.

[dangeris]

hah..i remember that moment..

[nurseryboy]

I have them on my car and no issues here.

Yeah, I have them on my car too and haven't had any issues. I actually just went outside to double-check them after reading this thread, haha. They came off just fine. Sorry to the OP. Sucks someone would do something like that to you.

[kyle@stillen]

OK so I'm sorry to hear about this cuz it sounds like a giant PITA to deal with.

But, for the record...Superglue in the valve stem caps is hilarious!!! I've never heard of that one before but that is a good prank.

[Sith LL_Coupe]

It's not funny when you break 2 Tire Pressure sensors and have 2 flats

I was actually just telling my girlfriend this weekend that the next time someone pisses me off and I know they have a car, I'm doing this instead of slashing their tires, because they won't find out for at least a month!

I once had a co-worker snitch on my to the Senior VP about me bad-mouthing the company at a party and I almost slashed her tires, but I knew she'd know it was me acting out my revenge... but if I had done this, she'd of never known due to timinig!

[kyle@stillen]

See!!! That's why it's funny!

But, since you've just posted up your intent to damage a co-worker's car and we're all witnesses/accomplice's I have to ask that you compensate us all to keep our mouths shut.

What is a fair price guys? My silence can be bought!!!

[Sith LL_Coupe]

See!!! That's why it's funny!

But, since you've just posted up your intent to damage a co-worker's car and we're all witnesses/accomplice's I have to ask that you compensate us all to keep our mouths shut.

What is a fair price guys? My silence can be bought!!!

Sorry Kyle, you need to read my post a little more carefully... I said I "once" had a co-worker, as in past tense. This was over 4 years ago. I'm just speaking in general, the next person who ever pisses me off and I know they have a car, this is the same thing I'm going to do to them!

[kyle@stillen]

Don't bring technicalities into this discussion LOL.

Fine, you won this round, but I'm going to watch your future posts to see who upsets you next!!!

OK back on topic, what was the damage to your wallet to repair the damage to your valve stems?

[Sith LL_Coupe]

LOL! Sith = 1 , Stillen = 0!!

I haven't gotten a chance to go to the stealership yet to see how much they'll cost. This all just happened Friday, and this weekend I was busy enjoying the weather (we've gotten very few weekends this Summer without rain). I'm going to see about swinging by this week to see how much they'll change me to fix them (if they can), or how much they'll try and rip me off for a new set. I'm tempted to see if they can't fix the valve stems on my current TPMS, to try and buy new ones online to save money.

[kyle@stillen]

I don't see how they can fix them. If it broke the valve stem isn't that one solid piece? (well, obviously not solid, I know it's hollow for the air) but I mean it's not something you can just diassemble is it?