MY Uberturbine wheel cover (Yeslak) stuck on wheel, broke coming off

[SantosLHalper]

After doing lots of research (i.e. reading lots of post in this forum and others), I selected Yeslak wheel covers to cover the Gemini wheels on our MYLR. I regret this choice and wanted to share my experience with others and find out if I just received a bad unit or if this is a general pattern.
Pros:
- The covers look great. I like the "Gun Grey" colour.

Cons:
- Once they're on the wheel, they're extremely hard to remove! The first cover I tested was stuck on the wheel so strongly that I eventually had to apply so much force that it broke. More details below.

In case you're wondering, yes I followed the instruction on the Yeslak site closely. They link to a bunch of videos, one of which looks to be filmed by the manufacturer of the covers. I applied the foam tape around the perimeter and on the clips in the same manner that they showed. To remove the cover, their video showed a person simply pulling in targeted areas. This didn't do anything for me. I tried pulling gently, then progressively (and patiently) increased the force. When I felt like I was pulling dangerously hard (both for the cover and for my back), I changed the approach to using a small, this piece of wood to pray the clips off of the wheel. Slowly, they started coming looser. Bu the cover still wouldn't come off. Finally, as I was pulling, the cover came off violently. I was disappointed to find that the plastic had broken in two places.

It's possible that the temperature was a factor in this. It was 5-10 degrees celsius in my garage when I was doing all of this, so it's possible that the plastic is less flexible and more brittle at those temps. But I would expect wheel changes in that type of weather to be common thing. After all, I bought these covers to user over my Geminis as winter wheels.

Anyway, I'm curious to hear if others have had a similar experience and any covers that are more durable and easier to remove.

 

[Taney71]

I got the Kavanic ones off Amazon for my Model 3 a year ago. They look great. I haven't had much reason to take them off so can't comment on that. I have read reviews for other brands and the same complaint about taking them off is made. Even Rimetrix --- probably the most recommended company I've seen --- has people complaining about the covers.

I just picked up some covers from Teslaplus for my new Model Y. I hope they are good cause I haven't hear much about them other than some Youtube reviews that say the efficiency is better than the OPMs.

 

[SantosLHalper]

Thanks, and good point - I have seen a complaint or two about the removal of Rimetrix covers. The vendor I purchased from (Yeslak) provided a photo showing how pliers can be used to squeeze on the plastic tabs from the inside of the wheel...but I don't have a jack/lift so I can't access the inside of the wheel easily.

 

[Jonez]

Dude, check out the ones from Temu,

• Symmetric, they are for the right and left side of the car and are not pushing air on one side of the car.
• Very durable and they look good and help against curb rash
• $68 US
• No logo
• go to temu.com and search: 4pcs Left Right Symmetry Hubcap For Tesla Model Y 19inch Cyclone Wheel Rim Cover

 

[LikesToys]

I have the exact same experience with Yeslak - the tabs that hold the wheel cover are not properly designed IMHO as they don’t flex and so they make it almost impossible to pull the wheel cover off. Makes the chore of changing the seasonal tires almost impossible. I ended up getting help and between two people managed to get one off after about an hours work, and then one of the clips broke so that ended that. $250 bucks - tough lesson to learn but stay away from nockoffs. I will try to get my money back and report on how Yeslak responds.

 

[stopcrazypp]

I have the exact same experience with Yeslak - the tabs that hold the wheel cover are not properly designed IMHO as they don’t flex and so they make it almost impossible to pull the wheel cover off. Makes the chore of changing the seasonal tires almost impossible. I ended up getting help and between two people managed to get one off after about an hours work, and then one of the clips broke so that ended that. $250 bucks - tough lesson to learn but stay away from nockoffs. I will try to get my money back and report on how Yeslak responds.

For the Model 3 ones, you can pull each individual spoke to loosen, before pulling hard to pop the center out. Lubing the plastic on the center portion where it contacts the center hub prior to install helps a lot (both for the install and removal). Might not work with the Model Y covers though as the spokes are different, and looks like you can't reach your fingers as easily between spokes to pull at the tabs.

 

[jddaigle]

What I like about the Rimetrix design is that the removable hub means that the force of removal is distributed between the hub clips and the clips on the main cover that attach to the wheel spokes. I've taken one of my Medusas off a couple of times and used a nylon trim removal tool (the narrow one with a "claw" at the end) with a microfiber cloth between it and the cover to pry off the hub; then I was able to pull the main cover off with my hands (one time I had to use the trim removal tool to help the first clip off).

Before deciding on the Rimetrix I got some generics off Amazon (probably from the same factory as the Temu ones linked above) and the plastic felt like it was twice as thick on the Rimetrix. Supposedly Rimetrix also uses a different plastic blend than the pure ABS that the cheaper covers use, which (again supposedly) makes their covers less likely to crack in extreme temperatures.

 

[Twiglett]

I've had Rimetrix on my Model 3 for the last four years and 76k miles, not had any issue with them. I always take them off before getting the tires replaced/rotated.
Just got to remember to remove the center cap because it locks them on.

 

[voom500]

The wheel covers that the OP posted dont have much space to fit your hands behind. For the ones I have, I can slip my hands behind through the spoke openings and help the clips off, so that they can pop out easier.