New wheels - do I need new bolts for the spare?

I have fitted replacement MSW 16" alloys on my Skoda Roomster with 55x16 tyres in place of the original 45x17s to get a better ride over Herefordshire potholes! (This is a Skoda approved alternative size.) The...

Use grease on alloy caps to prevent a chemical reaction.

Smearing the brass valve with Vaseline or grease before replacing the alloy cap should resolve the chemical reaction problem.

Do alloy wheels have a finite life?

Do alloy wheels have a finite life? For some reason I think I read somewhere that they do and can become porous over time. I cannot find anything obvious relating to it on the web though.

Alloy Wheel Repair

A large stone has damaged one of my diamond faced alloy wheels on the diamond facing and I wanted to know if you could suggest any recommended repairers as I understand that this is a specialist job, rather...

New tyres for Ford Focus - which are best?

My 2010 five door Ford Focus Titanium diesel gets through a pair of tyres on average every 12,000 miles. The car was brought from new and came fitted with 235/40 R18 tyres on 18-inch bling alloy rims....

Can I fit winter tyres to alloys?

I am looking to buy winter tyres for my daughters Puegeot Partner Combi(03) which is fitted with alloy wheels 185/65/15. I do not wish to buy steel wheels. Can they be fitted to alloys? What would you...

I want to fit higher-profile tyres to my Ford Fiesta

I've just bought a July 2009 Fiesta 1.4 Titanium. It has low profile Pirelli tyres on it, and has a tyre repair kit in the boot. Ideally I'd like to replace the tyres with 'normal' higher-profile ones,...

Returning a car with wheel corrosion - how can I argue this is not kerb damage?

I bought a Mercedes-Benz E350 CDI Coupe in July 2009 on a Personal Contract Purchase and have to hand it back next month, having covered 34,000 miles. The alloy wheels have deteriorated to such an extent...

BMW 116i - What are the benefits of alloy wheels?

I recently started driving a 2004 BMW 116i, and I really enjoy driving it. It's fitted with steel 16in wheels. What benefits (other than cosmetic) would swapping over to alloy wheels give? The reason...

Are large aftermarket wheels a benefit when buying a used car?

I am considering buying a Citroen C4 eHDi 110 Airdream EGS6. The car is fitted with 18-inch alloy wheels as an extra over the standard 17-inch alloys. Do you consider this an advantage?