Rear Alloys Bonded To Sub Axle 'top Tip'

[NewHouse]

Further to my post on compatibility of Space saver wheels another 'TOP TIP'.

If you have a recent Focus with less than 26K on the clock there is a very good chance the rear wheels have never been taken off the car, as with mine.

When tying out the fit of the above spacesaver wheel I found that the rear wheels wouldn’t come off the stub axles. Electrolytic corrosion between the iron hub and the alloy wheel had bonded them firmly in place. It took a hefty piece of wood, a lump hammer and a lot of elbow grease underneath the car to knock them off.

Not something you could do on the hard shoulder of the motorway.

It is normal to apply a smear of grease around the centre boss and the flat surfaces between the hub and wheel to prevent this happening. Mine were dry, hence the problem.

So, worth taking them off to have a look before you have to do it in anger.

[catch]

It is indeed a Top Tip if that is the case. Indeed tyres on the rear axle can be on there for years and years and years, if a regime of tyre rotation is not done on the vehicle.

[Karlos]

Good advice there. I bought my Focus last April on 23000 miles and it was still on its original tyres all round, so when the fronts were replaced, I swapped them around and put the rears on the front. While the wheels were off, they got a thorough clean and wax inside and out and the hubs and studs were shown the copper grease to prevent any problems you seem to have suffered.