Anyone else having a rash of lost hub caps? I've lost 2 in the last 2 months. I've had the car since Aug '09. I can't imagine them just falling off as they snap on pretty well. Seems like there are some hub cap theifs out there... I had my dealer replace the 1st one as a warranty claim, but they said they would do it just the one time as they are supposed to have the defective part when they replace things. Hard to have a defective part if it falls off.... I'm not a huge fan of the alloy wheels, but I guess I'm going to by the center caps for $20 on eBay and just not deal with the hub caps any more. Frustrating...
I have only had one issue with the Prius hubcaps coming off and it wasn't off my car. Don't have hubcaps but a Gen. II on the freeway felt I should have theirs. Came flying across the freeway across 4 lanes. I couldn't do anything but hit the brakes and try and avoid it as much as possible. Hit the driver side of my front bumper and shattered into pieces scratching the crap out of the front of my car.
Do some searches on modifications as someone discovered that electrical knockout covers (either 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 inch) work great for the center holes. I did it and painted them silver with a clear top coat to match the wheels. You could probably do all 4 with paint for under $15.
Also it seems the actual Toyota Center cap from Gen. II's fit as well and have seen those on eBay for about $24 for all 4. At least they have the "T" emblem in the middle. Alot of people have done those here too.
I found a Gen 3 hub cap on the side of the road yesterday and went back today and got it as a spare in case I lost one or it flew off and I needed proof. I've never found a hubcap for my exact car before so I was pretty excited, haha. I haven't had problems personally. No advice aside from what phoenixgreg mentioned sounds like the best bet if you don't want to just take them all off..
I will happily sell you mine. They're $19 each shipped. I'm sure that's cheaper than the ripoff price from a dealer. PM me if interested.
You have to make sure you are snapping them on correctly. It's easy to have them look like they are installed & secure when they really aren't. First slap the thing on. Chances are one of the snaps hasn't engaged. If you then push on that snap, it pushes another one out. Sometimes one of the snaps is only half in. When you push on that, another one pops out. So what you do is kneel down and use your hand to hold down one portion, use your knee to push against another portion. Make a fist with your hand and punch the side that isn't snapped in with the side of your fist (not your knuckles). You won't break it. Then once it looks like everything is snapped in, just use the side of your fist and tap all around (360 degrees). If nothing snaps out of place, you are good to go. You can use a rubber mallet, or the palm of your hand instead. I learned this from the dealer. You have to really punch them in or they fall off. It uses more force than a person is normally willing to use on a plastic piece. But they are hard to break. Punch away.
As added insurance, here in New York City, the cab drivers are zip-tying their hubcaps onto the rims (regarding 3rd Gen hubcaps)... Apparently one will suffice for each wheel.
We have lost three on a 2010 Prius since July 2009. They cost $80.00. There seriously must be some sort of problem with them.
My neighbor lost one of hers within a week of getting her new Prius. The wheel covers do come off too easily; Zip Tie cable ties can help hold them on too.
Zip ties? Seriously? On a NEW car? I yanked mine off (no, they weren't remotely loose) of my new 2011. The rims look way better.
