Odd VW Jetta observation:

[cookie96civic]

I've noticed a lot lately a lot of Mk4 Jettas driving around with no wheel covers. West Mi, Detroit, and even Chicago, so it's not a regional thing. Anyone else?

[Frank Lee]

Haven't seen it en masse but who knows, maybe the stupid kids think it's a cool trend, like intentionally making the hood all rusty.

[skyl4rk]

Also in Germany.

It is a trend, it may have started with taking wheel covers off for the winter, or putting steel wheels on with snow tires for the winter instead of alloys.

I like it, it is practical. If I lose a Moon hubcap, I will go back to no wheel covers, black steel wheels.

[ChrstphrR]

Yeah, but those of us with MkIV Jettas and Golfs and stock steelies have pretty secure wheel covers. Oh, and Passats too.

I lost one only when I got a flat at speed (And my friend found it on the way to work later the next day).

They ARE plastic, but they have this tensioned steel wire ring that keeps the numerous plastic fingers on the back hugging the wheel. If you lose one of these hubcaps, you didn't kick it into place evenly all around, or your wheel/tire it's on is <bleeped> anyway (see above).


The cool kids with their alloy wheels wouldn't've had these, if their car rolled off the lot with OEM alloys, or if they were fitted aftermarket alloy wheels.



And they're NOT cheap to get either:


VW Volkswagen 99-06 Jetta 15" hubcap 1J0-601-147-N-GJW
Mine for my 2000: $70 *each*

Another style, another site - looks more like a Passat style cover: $40 *each*

[Bill in Houston]

Originally Posted by cookie96civic

West Mi, Detroit, and even Chicago, so it's not a regional thing.

Wow, all the way from West MI to Chicago? DEFINITELY not regional at all. Ha haaaa.

Guessing it's just kids being kids.

[tumnasgt]

If they are so expensive, I wouldn't be surprised if they are getting stolen. $150-300 for a 2 minute job is probably well worth it for thieves, and it's the kind of thing that's unlikely to be reported to the cops. And because it's hard to lose one, it's probably the victims that end up buying the stolen covers.

[Christ]

I priced the oe stainless wheel covers for my golf at $25 each from parts place... Dealer said "nogots".

The pair I got freeain't pretty, but they're a matching set of 4 now.