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Ditch the alloys

Is it alloy? Who knows.
But I hope it isn't.
When I next get a new(ish) car, I'm not going to have a lot of choice. Let me explain. Around 70% of them are too expensive and around 20% too cheap and nasty.

I then have to eliminate all the cars with those ludicrous fairy light eyebrows as running lights.

Finally, the new car must not have alloy wheels. I just don't see the point of alloys. The slightest encounter with a curb and they go out of shape. And then alloys mean locking wheel nuts. And inevitably you either can't find the key when you need a new tyre, or the key breaks (as it did once when I tried to change a tyre), or you discover, as I did once, that the same car was made by both Ford and VW - I had Ford nuts and an incompatible VW key. The garage had to drill the nuts out.

So, definitely no alloys.

By the time I add in all my requirements I think there are going to be about two cars to chose from. In the whole world. Maybe I should learn to ride a bike.

Really I just want to say to car makers - stop it. Ditch the alloy wheels. They aren't clever, they aren't nice, they are just a pain. Give us wheels that are easy to take off and that are solid and dependable. Okay?
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Comments

  1. pjt4 January 2013 at 11:42

    Hmm, I tried to post a comment yesterday, but it doesn't show up. I wonder what happened to it.

    Anyway: it's not technically necessary to have lock nuts in alloy wheels. I don't have lock nuts in my alloy wheels, for instance. And my alloys haven't gone out of shape, either, although they are clearly scratched by hitting the curb.

    Not that I care so much whether I have regular steel wheels or alloys. I must say the plastic covers of steel wheels are annoying, too, as they break easily and fall off.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brian Clegg4 January 2013 at 12:49

    There's nothing sinister about your comment not appearing - must have been a Google glitch.

    When you buy cars with alloy wheels, they usually come with locking wheelnuts.

    I have known at least two cases of wheels having to be replaced after hitting a curb (not necessarily me driving!)

    ReplyDelete

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