Information
The spare tire knobs have a weak point just under the screw head. When turned to tightly or even constantly removing the cover, they tend to tear in half. Here is a tutorial to help "prevent" or "prolong" the life of an unbroken knob or repair a broken one.
Tools Needed
- Needle Nose Pliers
- Dremel or Rotory Tool
- Dremel 430: 1/4" Drum Sander
- Dremel 438: 1/4" 120 Grit Sanding Band
- Option A.) Metal Clay (looking for brand/description)
- Option B.) Round Wood Dowel (size???)
Tutorial
Getting Started
Unbroken Knobs
1. You will need to remove the retaining clip from behind the panel that hold the knobs in place.
be careful not to break the knob in half! Follow the Arrows
2. Now with the Dremel and your small 1/4" drum sander, lightly sand down the inside of the knobs. Be careful not to apply any pressure, you do not want to tear any material out, you just want to get rid of the smooth surface.
Make sure you get as deep as possible with the sanding band.
Broken Knobs
1. Complete Step 2 from above before moving on.
2. These will be a bit more tricky. You will need to "cleanly" glue the two pieces back together. Let the glue completely cure before moving on to the next step.
3. After the glue has cured, pull out your Dremel again and lightly sand the seam from the inside. You will want to get rid of all the residue left behind.
Finishing Up
1. Dowel - Spread a thin amount of glue (I preferred Gorilla Glue) on the inside walls of the knob. mosten the dowel, not soak, but just the surface. Insert the dowel and turn the dowel till it gets to the bottom of the knob.
Notes
Here are some other methods to accomplish the same:
Bolt
Knigh7s 00:40, 22 April 2009 (PST)