thedman Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 I've been doing some work on my C-Max since I am now comfortable driving and have had it for about 3 months. I put some grill covers on to help keep the Minnesota cold out. They're made with foam pipe insulation, and they do help the car warm up faster. I don't think they help with fuel efficiency that much though. I replaced the cabin air filter, which is a pain but not nearly as bad as everyone made it out to be! Just don't worry about forcing the new filter in, I guess that's the only way to get it in the housing. I checked the engine air filter which is as clean as new, compared to the disgustingly dirty cabin air filter. I went to rotate the tires, and I had a hard time getting the lug nuts to come off and I rounded the corners on one of them. ARGH! I went to the dealership today, to do the works package, because I couldn't rotate the tires, and didn't feel like changing the oil, on top of some warranty work. Anyhow, they said that I really hadn't done any damage to the lugs because there is a chrome plated lug cap on each of the lug nuts that was merely decorative. First off, is that really true that the car has decorative lug nut caps? And secondly, how in the heck do you get them off? I took a pliers and a rag to them after I got home and couldn't get them to come off! I was wondering what I would do in case of a blowout and wanted to take the tire off myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptjones Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 They aren't decorative, there the real deal. I use a air gun to take mine off. They are probably chrome plated though. :) Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedman Posted October 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 What a putz at the dealership. You wouldn't happen to know offhand what size they are 3/4" 19mm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WNY Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 You have to make sure your lug wrench/socket is the proper size, metric or imperial, i can't remember which on these have, but one fits much tighter on the lug nuts. Also, make sure they are not over torqued, 85-100 ft/lbs is plenty. sometimes the dealerships just use the air impact set kinda high and you can't get them back off easily. My rear ones were really tight and the fronts were very easy to get off. ptjones 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hybridbear Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 Here are some threads about this topic where we delved into detail about the lug nuts:http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/9150-lets-discuss-your-lug-nuts/page-1http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/10215-replacing-my-stock-lug-nuts-need-help/page-1 They are very problematic because of the capped design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitinuri Posted January 13, 2018 Report Share Posted January 13, 2018 I have been talked to a couple of times during rotation of my tires that the lug nuts swell on these cars and they recommend changing them. Since there is no spare in this car I declined. However Friday evening I had a blowout about 70 miles from home. It was 6pm ish and about 10 degrees outsite. It took 30 minutes for the garage to get the tire off to put a replacement on because of the lug nuts. Today I had all of the lug nuts replaced and two new tires. Lacienega 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptjones Posted January 13, 2018 Report Share Posted January 13, 2018 (edited) I started a thread: http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/6887-where-to-get-replacement-lug-nuts/where I figure out a solution that is alot cheaper than using FORD's lug nuts. I hope it didn't cost you $120. :sad: Paul Edited January 13, 2018 by ptjones obob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homestead Posted January 13, 2018 Report Share Posted January 13, 2018 (edited) Just checked mine , they look fine but I can see them degrading over time from rotations. How are your new ones holding up Paul? Any rust? Edited January 13, 2018 by homestead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptjones Posted January 13, 2018 Report Share Posted January 13, 2018 They look NEW, only 3 months on them. :) Will rotate in 4k miles. I'm sure I will never have to replace them. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notquitesane Posted January 22, 2018 Report Share Posted January 22, 2018 Ford's evil decorative lug nut caps... I've replaced mine with McGard lug nuts. After getting my tires rotated every 8,000 km by different dealers, and another tire outfit changing my tires, my lug nut caps were pretty beat up. Was the same with my old 2008 Ford Fusion. I couldn't fit a socket on to re-torque the lug nuts. In order to replace them, I used a deep socket and a rubber mallet to smack the socket on enough to allow me to loosen the lug nut one at a time. I then installed the new lug nut and torqued to spec. My arms were sore after replacing them all! But I'll never have to go through that again! Whenever it comes time to replace the CMAX, the first thing I'll do to the new car is to replace the lug nuts with solid ones to save me some grief down the road... ptjones 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacienega Posted November 19, 2018 Report Share Posted November 19, 2018 I feel Ford should replace the lug nuts for free. I had a flat tire as well and had to damage some lug nuts in order to get them off. I called the dealer and they told me that the lug nuts cover swell over time and that I have to buy new ones. I was planning to do my brakes and tire rotation myself in the future....guess I have to buy some 20 lug nuts first...that's really nice...FORD!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowStorm Posted November 19, 2018 Report Share Posted November 19, 2018 I feel Ford should replace the lug nuts for free. I had a flat tire as well and had to damage some lug nuts in order to get them off. I called the dealer and they told me that the lug nuts cover swell over time and that I have to buy new ones. I was planning to do my brakes and tire rotation myself in the future....guess I have to buy some 20 lug nuts first...that's really nice...FORD!!!Just make sure you get the correct type of socket - see this post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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