Anodised Valve Caps – Corrosion & Discolouration

Many of the valve caps offered for sale on our website have a coloured or anodised finish. Although these items are precision machined, they are fundamentally inanimate objects with no moving or mechanical parts. Therefore, we do not offer a product warranty as such although we do guarantee that they are ‘suitable for purpose’ in terms of their size, fit, aesthetic appeal and their ability to provide an airtight seal for your tyre valve whilst offering limited protection against water and dust ingress.

However, it is important to note that we will not guarantee* or replace any metallic or anodised valve caps that have either been damaged or become discoloured due to the use of, or having been contaminated with, harsh chemicals or cleaning products such as traffic film remover (TFR), iron & fallout remover, brake cleaners, acidic wheel cleaners, hazardous chemicals, petroleum, diesel, isopropyl alcohol, road salt or any similar substance. If you intend to use any of these products, we would recommend that you remove your valve caps prior to application.

Under normal circumstances and everyday driving conditions, the metallic / anodised valve caps will not become discoloured other than over time due to normal wear and tear or UV damage.

Metal Valve Caps – Seizing & Corrosion

When fitted to a conventional tyre valve stem (usually brass or stainless steel), all valve caps with a metal thread, aluminium or otherwise, may have a tendency to corrode if exposed to road salt or caustic wheel cleaning solutions. This is quite normal and is due to a ‘galvanic reaction’ between two dissimilar metals being in contact with each other, commonly known as bi-metallic corrosion, and can cause the valve cap to ‘seize’ onto the valve stem. To combat this we would always recommend the application of a suitable copper grease or silicone based lubricant prior to fitting the valve caps. Simply apply a small amount of grease or lubricant to the valve stem thread before attaching the valve cap.

You can purchase a 5ml sachet of our silicone grease HERE or simply add it to your cart during checkout.

Alternatively, we would recommend either Carlube Copper Multi-Purpose Grease, ACF50 Corrosion Inhibitor or similar for this purpose.

Unlike many cheaper aftermarket valve caps which do not have an internal sealing component fitted, the inclusion of a high quality rubber O-ring gasket as standard in all of our valve caps will help to ensure that the valve caps do not become seized, whilst also ensuring correct seating of the valve cap on the stem and preventing air from escaping from the tyre.

Should you have any queries in respect of the above, please contact us before making a purchase.

Thank you.

*Your consumer rights are not affected.