How to remove mkv rims?

[Maverick]

Yes when people have a question they should read the manual, but people usually have things called lives, so sitting down and reading the manual in full when they buy a car isnt something that most people have time to do (unlike yourself).

It takes a long time to flick through the manual and familiarise yourself with the car doesn't it

Better to not read it at all and jump onto forums every time something occurs that you don't understand and ask what's wrong with your car

[Big Yellow]

Yes when people have a question they should read the manual, but people usually have things called lives, so sitting down and reading the manual in full when they buy a car isnt something that most people have time to do (unlike yourself).

LOL thats a pretty silly thing to say.

You buy a brand new car, hell even a second hand car, and the first thing you should be doing is reading up on the manual to familiarise yourself with all the controls etc.

when i got my car, i sat in the car for a couple hours reading the manual! and i do have a life!

[Johnbu]

The stock jack is flimsy even on level surfaces and if you're planning on replacing your wheels I would take it into a tyre shop and pay them the $20-30 for them to swap them around for you.

why not rotate the tyres yourself?.. would be faster than driving to the workshop & waiting around while you do it.

use 1 jack, replace with spacesaver, rotate tyres that way.

having said that, if you're going to balance your tyres, get them to also rotate it.

[Maverick]

why not rotate the tyres yourself?.. would be faster than driving to the workshop & waiting around while you do it.

use 1 jack, replace with spacesaver, rotate tyres that way.

having said that, if you're going to balance your tyres, get them to also rotate it.

As I said the stock jack is pretty flimsy and if you don't know how to change the wheel and have to ask on a forum despite all the information being in the manual do you really think that it's safe to remove four wheels on the car to do whatever (rotate etC)?

I've used the stock jack to change one wheel on a level solid surface and was concerned about it's stability, for the sake of the $20-30 it would cost to get professionals to do it safely on a hoist in a fraction of a time it's a no brainer.

I doubt that someone could do it faster than driving to a nearby tyre shop, getting them to take them off and put them back on and drive home.

Don't use the stock jack if you're planning on doing anything other than one wheel at a time and don't put any part of your body under the car unless you have some stands in place. The stock jack is flimsy even on level surfaces and if you're planning on replacing your wheels I would take it into a tyre shop and pay them the $20-30 for them to swap them around for you.

Otherwise buy a proper trolley jack and get some stands to sit the car on. It's not worth risking serious injury or death over a few dollars and it sounds like you have no experience in this sort of work. Incorrect use of the jack, a trolley jack or the stands could result in major damage to the Golf as well.

[Dyldo]

hi all - have been on conference hence no reply.

Firstly, thanks to all that replied, its the reason why we post on here i guess.
Secondly, whilst i freely admit i am lazy i have taken a small amount of offence at being told i know nothing of cars. I'm no mechanical genius or Chip Foose by any stretch, but i figure i know my left-handed screwdrivers from the right-handed ones

So, the reason why i seemed dumb was that i haven't lifted the flooring of the boot to check out the spare or the jack or the small toolkit, hence asking about the appearance of allen keyed nuts on the wheels. if these are indeed plastic caps around normal nuts i am home and hosed. i simply have been too busy to do anything on the car after work (i finish at 7pm on average) and don't have the luxury of a lit undercover garage to work on the car either.

oh, and the reason behind me asking was i wanted to take all the rims off (not at once mind you) and clean the inside of the rims of road grime and break dust as I am planning a detail day on my little oil-burner. Again, thanks to all the replies and perhaps this weekend i can get free to jack the car up in a street behind my house.

To hijack my own thread now, I have been using either the Armor All wheel cleaner or mostly i use the meguiar's "hot rim" wheel cleaner (pink bottle). I once used the Armor All Wheel Protectant stuff and it was terrible!! Anyone got some great tips on rim cleaner stuff?

[Blitzen]

If that is the case surely he can open the manual where it explains all of this in detail! Sheeesh VW should make people sit a test on basic things before they're allowed to buy a VW like

Question 56. If you car has a flat tyre what do you do?

A. Ask a stranger on the street what to do?
B. Buy a new car?
C. Drive home on the flat?
D. Consult the owners manual in the glovebox and read the section on "You have a flat tyre, here's what to do"

I have to agree with Mav on this(I'm now going to slink away, and sob in the corner and scrub myself with oven cleaner...).

hi all - have been on conference hence no reply.

Firstly, thanks to all that replied, its the reason why we post on here i guess.
Secondly, whilst i freely admit i am lazy i have taken a small amount of offence at being told i know nothing of cars. I'm no mechanical genius or Chip Foose by any stretch, but i figure i know my left-handed screwdrivers from the right-handed ones

So, the reason why i seemed dumb was that i haven't lifted the flooring of the boot to check out the spare or the jack or the small toolkit, hence asking about the appearance of allen keyed nuts on the wheels. if these are indeed plastic caps around normal nuts i am home and hosed. i simply have been too busy to do anything on the car after work (i finish at 7pm on average) and don't have the luxury of a lit undercover garage to work on the car either.

I don't want to sound rude here, but I think it pretty poor form of you to buy a car, and not make sure the CES (Tyre changing gear) isn't there for you to use...The last thing I would want to find apon me getting a flat tyre at 10pm with it raining way that I didn't have the jack to change my tyre because I neglected to see if it came with the car when I bought it.

On another note, whether you have a life or not, reading the Owners Manual is a must, especially in a car. There is no point groping around like a virgin in an unfamiliar car to see what something dose...This can lead to you looking like a tool, or in extreme cases, taking out an innocent bystander...

Also, if you are worried about the stock jack, and want to use something safer at home, Supercheap have 1.5 Ton capacity jakes going pretty cheap(I paid $60 for mine about 3 years ago. I find it the way to go. While you are at it, you may as well but some car stands there too(I think they are going for $50 a pair at the moment).

[Dyldo]

Not too worried about the stock jack (haven't heard of any recalls or dangers with them yet) and at my in-laws' place i have a huge 5-door garage with 2 or 3 trolley jacks (one must be about 3ton, they're big buggers and it jacked a Pontiac Catalina no troubles). we have car stands plus a few of those roll-on car stands like you used to see in car yards too.

it is admittedly naivety to "trust" the car yard I got the car from with regards the jack and toolkit, but my personal rule in life is to give everyone trust by default and only that one chance to lose it. so far (30-odd years) i've been treated quite well by that rule, but each to their own.

as for the flats, i carry a can of tyreweld just in case, and have been considering removing the spare for weight savings and pick up that extra 0.2L fuel efficiency. still poor form?

Not reading the owners manual cover to cover? Guilty. Though of course I have read it and in the past when i've bought a new car I've genuinely enjoyed sitting at home or even in a nice park somewhere in the car, playing with the stereo settings or whatever and basking in my new car-ness whilst trawling the manual. I'm sure most people have too. This still doesn't stop me "groping around like a virgin" but thats a whole separate topic

but thanks for not wanting to sound rude.

[gerhard]

Get a trolley jack (1400kg or higher), place under side of car just back from the wheel arch, in line with the marker that marks the jacking point.

Pump handle, and car will lift both wheels off the ground at once (at least on the GTI it does, highly likely all MKVs will be the same)

Remove wheels, clean insides, rotate front to back and replace wheel bolts, tighten, lower car, finish tightening with tension wrench. Repeat on the other side - you only have to jack it up twice, use jack stands before removing wheels of course.

Pay someone $30-40 for doing this and have them wind off the threads with a rattle gun - no thanks. They don't clean the rims either.

[Blitzen]

1)it is admittedly naivety to "trust" the car yard I got the car from with regards the jack and toolkit, but my personal rule in life is to give everyone trust by default and only that one chance to lose it. so far (30-odd years) i've been treated quite well by that rule, but each to their own.

2)as for the flats, i carry a can of tyreweld just in case, and have been considering removing the spare for weight savings and pick up that extra 0.2L fuel efficiency. still poor form?


3)but thanks for not wanting to sound rude.

1)There arn't many people I trust, and car yards are down there with untamed Wolvererines on my trust scale...When I buy a product with the value of my car, I go over it with a fine tooth lice comb to see what should and shouldn't be in the car.

2)As far as flats go, I would trust a complete replacement tyre over a can of tyre weld...This way you have no speed restrictions, unlimited travel(to a point), and no chance of the tyre weld failing...This is good to use as a fail safe(ie, when you are travelling long distances and can't carry more than one spare), but I would never use it as a replacement over a spare for a 0.2L/KM fuel consumption inprovement. Up to you though, as it is your money.

3)No worries. I don't want to sound like I am trying to lead you around by the ear, but in the profession I am in, I have see so much that people have done with vehicles that lead you to go...

[Dyldo]

i'll duck downstairs to my work garage and check now actualy, have to waste 20 mins waiting on the boss-wife. as far as trust, i got my car thru one of those broker guys that apparently buys w'sale from the docks or something - works for inchcape corporate as i have my car novated. the novation is done with a company that has a strong affiliation to my company and also my wife's firm (I was originally referred from them) and so they have bent over backwards for me when i wanted the exact car i wanted and was picky too. i figured if i ever reported something as not being there then he'd work to replace it. they apparently highly value their relationship to VAG too.

[Maverick]

Not too worried about the stock jack (haven't heard of any recalls or dangers with them yet) and at my in-laws' place i have a huge 5-door garage with 2 or 3 trolley jacks (one must be about 3ton, they're big buggers and it jacked a Pontiac Catalina no troubles). we have car stands plus a few of those roll-on car stands like you used to see in car yards too.

Quite a few people have had the stock jack collapse or slip when in use damaging the side of the car (or the side skirt if fitted) both on completely level slabs and on the road. I had to use it once and that was on a flat and level surface and it tilted about 15 degrees and it's slow to operate. I would trust it for an emergency use on a level surface but not for any routine work.

as for the flats, i carry a can of tyreweld just in case, and have been considering removing the spare for weight savings and pick up that extra 0.2L fuel efficiency. still poor form?

I wouldn't trust those products especially if you're not sure what the damage is and some tyre shops charge extra to clean up the mess. If you're driving on something that has pierced the tyre it could damage the tyre to the point of requiring replacement. The spare tyre adds bugger all weight and the car is already economical so why worry about what will offer a few dollars in fuel savings a year but untold misery if you get a flat in the middle of nowhere.

[Dyldo]

the 0.2L thing was a joke. I guess i now know why my comedy career went nowhere. I am conservative by nature so I'll be keeping the spare.

nasty to read how crap the stock jack is though - i'd expect in this day and age of safety and litigency that car manufacturers would make bulletproof jacks - albeit with the warnings that they are for emergency use and nopt regular maintenance use.

[Maverick]

nasty to read how crap the stock jack is though - i'd expect in this day and age of safety and litigency that car manufacturers would make bulletproof jacks - albeit with the warnings that they are for emergency use and nopt regular maintenance use.

If you follow the instructions and take your time on a smooth level surface the stock jack is probably ok but not if it's raining, you're on the side of a road, the one time you left the house in a mankini to use the drive through or you get complacent.

It's not like your traditional jack as it only separates on one side and relies on the level ground and it's alignment on the underside of the car to stay secure.

[Dyldo]

how'd you find out i had a mankini?

FYI i checked and everything is in my boot as it should be. i took one look at the jack though and i won't be using it. i'll take my old-but-sturdy trolleyjack any day of the week. i also remembered that dad gave me a few old school heavy-lift bottle jacks - don't see those around anymore do you?

[Maverick]

how'd you find out i had a mankini?

FYI i checked and everything is in my boot as it should be. i took one look at the jack though and i won't be using it. i'll take my old-but-sturdy trolleyjack any day of the week. i also remembered that dad gave me a few old school heavy-lift bottle jacks - don't see those around anymore do you?

Just watch with the trolley jack that you don't crush the metal fold, someone posted on here about a cap that you could get for the trolley hack that would protect the fold but I can't remember who it was.... if I find it I'll post the link as I want something similar when I get my trolley jack soon.

There are some other points under the car where you can jack it but you need to be careful to get it in the right spot or end up with lots of damage so it might pay to avoid those.