Tire Sensor

I don't have a 'v', so can't verify the wheels vs covers issue. But when I had a 2010, where the too-small-space-for-fingers problem was with the covers, not wheels, I picked up a 10 mm nut driver to much more easily turn the valve caps. Not this particular one from a cheap Harbor Freight set, but similar:



At the moment, my 2012 is wearing cover-less take-off PIP wheels, which give much easier access to the valves, so the nut driver has sunk to the bottom of the glovebox.

 

I have a 2017 Prius V that has wheel covers. I think they look stupid,

I also have a 2013 Prius V that only came with 2 wheel covers. IMHO, the bare wheels that were on the right side of the car looked better than the stupid plastic covers on the left side of the car. I Decided to remove the plastic wheel covers, but I needed to buy hub covers to cover the wheel bearing / hub holes. They cost about $20 for a set of four. Search for the ones that fit the Toyota Sienna on ebay or amazon. Not having wheel covers makes getting to the valve stems dust covers off a lot easier.

The black smudges are brake dust that got sealed onto the wheels by my local car wash. Cleaning the wheels prior to getting a car wash that includes wax would look a lot better. Note that these are the stock wheels that you will find if you remove the plastic covers.



Here is what my 2017 wheels look like for comparison. Note how small the area around the tire stem is, making it hard to remove the dust cap.

 

I am genuinely glad that works for you. (No snarkiness intended).

For me, I find the wheel covers annoying. I prefer the convenience of not having them on the car, compared to the minor aesthetic improvement of having them on the car.

I refer to them as "stupid plastic wheel covers.", because they must be removed to access the lug nuts. They could have been designed with large enough holes to to permit access to the lug nuts with the covers on. Also, they could use the lug nuts to hold the wheel covers onto the wheel. I like to remove the right front wheel during an oil change, so I find having to remove the wheel covers with a screwdriver-like tool annoying. Also, since "stupid plastic wheel covers." are only held in by friction, they can pop off if you hit a pothole just right. If they get damaged, they are not cheap to replace. To top it off, there are nice looking alloy wheels under the wheel covers.

 

Our '18 Honda Clarity has the wheel covers helped in place by the lug nuts on what are supposedly MSRP $9xx Enkei wheels. When I have the windows open and moving slowly I can hear the darn plastic creaking. So annoying plus we've/I've curbed them badly. Hope to get lightest wheels I can find within reason to my wife instead of having them repaired or OEM replaced.

REVVL V+ 5G ?

 

Both of the Chryslurs (a 98 Dodge Neon and a 01 Voyager) I have owned had the plastic covers held on by the lug nuts.

Pro: the covers stay on, and the wheels are easy to get off.
Con: Hit a few curbs, and yes, they creak / squeak a bit.​

I liked what the several 1981 to 1989 Honda accords I have owned did: Paint the ugly steel rims silver, and leave it at that!

Once I damage one of the "Stupid Plastic Wheel Covers" on the 2017 Prius v, I will buy 4 hub covers for $20, and let the reasonable looking alloy wheels see daylight.

 

No kidding: silver finish steel rims with centre caps (formerly known as hub caps) were simple, presentable, what's not to like. Then they started putting on chromed accent "trim rings", and then it was paint 'em black and cover with silver painted plastic wheel covers. At least (as you say) Honda used the style of wheel cover that was secured by the lug nuts. It was very solid, you could access the bolts, and you didn't gouge up the edge of the rim with locking jaws..

 

You may want to start looking for a more observant place to service your car.

 

1) Go to a place that will document What the TPMS IDs are on the car, and give you a copy. Typical TPMS IDs look like:

10 DF C1 45 A2​

(five pairs of Hexadecimal numbers)

2) Next have them verify that the TPMS IDs on your wheels are correctly entered into the TPMS Computer (requires Techstream or similar pro scan tool).

3) Check that the TPMS Computer has reasonable values for triggering the light. If it is set to turn on the light on whenever the pressure falls below 33 PSI, you are going to see the light a lot.

4) Have them read any error codes out of the TPMS computer (It is a separate computer, an error stored there can't be read with consumer grade scan tools). If the TPMS computer is looking for a TPMS Id that is no longer on the car, the TPMS light will never go out, and an error will be posted.

 

FYI: Replacement "Stupid Plastic Wheel Covers" for a Prius v only cost $21 on Amazon. Search for Item ID: "B07N4LGR6B" if the link does not show up in your web browser.

 

Since you mentioned you already knew about the TPMS issue they understood it as leave it alone/no solution needed?

REVVL V+ 5G ?

 

"Just left alone" a slow tire/valve/rim leak? Didn't even write it up as "customer aware of..." ? Yikes.

 

I had an old Mazda from which the factory wheel covers were stolen (apparently in the parking lot, at the office, in the "nice" suburb where I worked, where my co-workers gave me unending grief about living in "crime-ridden" Detroit). Those just clipped on.

I replaced them with some lug-nut-held aftermarket ones I found for cheap at a Murray's Auto.

The next time I had my tires replaced, I happened to see what the tech was doing and managed to stop him before he busted them off with a crowbar.

 

Honda wheel covers "were" always the held-on-by-the-lug-nuts style. I suspect they've caved, gone to the style with friction clips of late, just eyeballing parked cars. The lug nut style was gentle on rims, whereas the friction clips can gouge the rims. Still, the whole concept of wheel covers bugs me, comparable to clip-on ties?

 

Clip-on ties! LMAO! Love that analogy.

 

I have a couple of questions regarding the TPMS reset, and hope people are still following this 4 months old thread:
1. User manual (p.439) states: Turn the “POWER” switch to ON mode. Does this mean to start the car? Or does it mean to press the power button twice without stepping on the brake paddle?
2. Is the TPMS sensor in sleep mode if the car has been parked for a while? If so, how does the ECU communicate with the sensor during reset? Or is the car needed to be driven right before the reset procedure?