Little Blue Dot - Nissan Murano

rjardine · 07-19-2004, 02:52 PM

On each of my wheels (SL - 5 Spoke) there is a small medium blue dot about 1/4 inch in diameter close to the rim. No idea as to its purpose other than speculating its a quality check dot or similar.
Seems to have nothing to do with location of weights for balancing either, since weights are nowhere near dot on any wheel.

Anyone have any idea how to remove these without damaging the wheel's finish?

**jaak** · 07-19-2004, 03:20 PM

I seem to remember that was the heavy part of the wheel and that the tire would be mounted with it's heavy part opposite, to minimise the amount of weights required to balance it.

But my memory's rusty... Anyone recall?

midnitexpress · 07-19-2004, 03:55 PM

My 'Benz had the dots also except they were black. They were directly opposite the valve stem on those wheels. I kinda liked them. I considered them a point of interest, especially at time of sale, that a 6 year old car was still in such great shape that paint/mounting marks were still applied to the OEM wheels.

malaycobra · 07-19-2004, 06:37 PM

They should line up with the valve stems. Mine do.

CopperKat · 07-20-2004, 12:50 AM

I think the dots are covering up a flaw. I scraped two of the dots off with my fingernail, and under both spots the area was imperfect... there was a tiny piece of the powder coating missing. After that, I decided to leave the other two dots alone. This way, it allows me to tell if the dealer actually rotates my tires. Also, I can rub my finger over the two remaining dots and feel the imperfections beneath.

jaycen29 · 07-20-2004, 01:25 AM

Is there any way to get rid of those round child safety seat symbols they have on the rear leather seats??

**jaak** · 07-20-2004, 06:25 AM

I heard they disappear if you push all four of the blue dots at the same time with one hand.

Jim C · 07-20-2004, 11:20 AM

The tire dots (as previously mentioned) indicate where the tires should line up based on weight. On the Mo tires, they represent the heavy side so should be lined up opposite the valve stem (I'll need to check my Mo to be sure).

The child seat anchor labels are required by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 225 S9.5(a). Those federal regulations expressly require that seat anchorages not ordinarily visible be PERMANENTLY marked with a circle of not less than 13 mm in diameter demonstrating in words or language the presence of lower seat anchorages. The term "permanently" means that they aren't easily removable. Best way to deal with them is to ignore them!

**jaak** · 07-20-2004, 12:29 PM

Thanks Jim!

rjardine · 07-20-2004, 01:08 PM

Still a mystery although I like the suggestion to use them as a guide to make sure dealer rotates them when they should.
As to being across from the valvestem - no go. In fact two of them are within one spoke of the valve stem.

BARCODE · 07-20-2004, 01:23 PM

Aside from being inflated for carrying loads, tires need to be round to work properly. Wheels also need to be round. However, due to manufacturing constraints, neither may be, exactly. So, wheel manufacturers tend to place the valve core hole (or some other mark) painted DOTS at the lowest point of the wheel. Tire manufacturers, on the other hand, tend to place a mark, usually a red dot, on the wheel's highest pint. The hope is if you put the higest point of the tire on the lowest point of the wheel, they will cancel out and you'll end up with a round wheel/tire combo.

Hope this helps..

Paul

sincityswany · 07-20-2004, 03:20 PM

My B.D.'s (Blue Dots) are not opposit the valve stem.
They are located one spoke (on a 5 spoke SL wheel) away from the valve stem.....some centered in the gap between spokes, others at the edge of the spoke.

I can't tell if the flaw I feel when I rub them is from the B.D. themselves or something under them.

I'm glad I'm not the only one seeing Dots!

What a relief.

dklanecky1 · 07-20-2004, 04:13 PM

I believe the blue dots represent the heaviest point on the wheel.

Mine are all located very close to the valve stem (which is also where the TPSU Tire Pressure Sending Unit) is located on the back side of the valve stem (inside the wheel).

I believe the concept is for the tire installer to put the heaviest side or spot of the individual tire opposite of this blue dot in order to reduce the amount of stick on wheel weight required to balance the setup once it's all mounted.

Nizmo · 07-20-2004, 04:50 PM

Yap, its a indicator mark for your tires.
betta not to mess with it.

Nizmo

malaycobra · 07-20-2004, 05:47 PM

I was mistaken before, the blue dots are not adjacent to the stems, they are in line with a red dot on the tyres (Or close)

I remember now seeing the red dots when the car was new, but now, 7 months on only one remains.

07-19-2004, 02:52 PM	#1 (permalink)
rjardine Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: East St. Paul, MB, Canada Posts: 174	Little Blue Dot On each of my wheels (SL - 5 Spoke) there is a small medium blue dot about 1/4 inch in diameter close to the rim. No idea as to its purpose other than speculating its a quality check dot or similar. Seems to have nothing to do with location of weights for balancing either, since weights are nowhere near dot on any wheel. Anyone have any idea how to remove these without damaging the wheel's finish? __________________ 2003 SL AWD Gold/Latte (Canadian Package) Arrived May 2004

07-19-2004, 03:20 PM	#2 (permalink)
jaak Moderator Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Toronto, Eh! Posts: 4,662	I seem to remember that was the heavy part of the wheel and that the tire would be mounted with it's heavy part opposite, to minimise the amount of weights required to balance it. But my memory's rusty... Anyone recall? __________________ The Nissan Murano... Love at first drive! But this is what I drive these days... Does a 12 second 1/4 mile @117 mph.

07-19-2004, 06:37 PM	#4 (permalink)
malaycobra British Cat Juggler Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: New York, NY Posts: 147	They should line up with the valve stems. Mine do. __________________ "I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow is not looking good either." 04 SL AWD, VDC, NAV, HIDS, all options except rear DVD. XM Hidden Antenna. Black on Black

07-20-2004, 12:50 AM	#5 (permalink)
CopperKat Super Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: California Posts: 423	I think the dots are covering up a flaw. I scraped two of the dots off with my fingernail, and under both spots the area was imperfect... there was a tiny piece of the powder coating missing. After that, I decided to leave the other two dots alone. This way, it allows me to tell if the dealer actually rotates my tires. Also, I can rub my finger over the two remaining dots and feel the imperfections beneath. __________________ Copper/Charcoal SL, Muth Signal Mirrors

07-20-2004, 01:25 AM	#6 (permalink)
jaycen29 Super Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Bay Area, Ca Posts: 542	Is there any way to get rid of those round child safety seat symbols they have on the rear leather seats?? __________________ Custom Murano Decals - click here 2004 Murano SL AWD Sunlit Copper/Cabernet Leather SL Touring Package Chrome Wheel Package Sunroof Wind Deflector Splash Guards Carpeted Floor Mats Cargo Area Protector Cargo Cover Aftermarket Mods: Alpine Amp Two 12" Eclipse Subwoofers Clifford RSX 3.5 Two-Way Pager Alarm Remote Ignition Start Front/Back Remote Up/Down Windows Front/Back One-Touch Up/Down Windows Auto Locking Doors (when you start to drive) Two Door Mounted Blue Flashing LEDs for Alarm One Dash Mounted Blue LED Scanner Bar for Alarm Clifford GPS Tracking System Aries Polished Stainless Steel Sidestep Bars Murano Logo Chrome Half License Plate (front) Nissan Chrome License Frame (rear) Nissan Logo Locking Chrome Tire Valve Caps and Stem Covers My Gallery

07-19-2004, 03:55 PM	#3 (permalink)
midnitexpress Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Ft. Laud., FL Posts: 256	My 'Benz had the dots also except they were black. They were directly opposite the valve stem on those wheels. I kinda liked them. I considered them a point of interest, especially at time of sale, that a 6 year old car was still in such great shape that paint/mounting marks were still applied to the OEM wheels.

07-20-2004, 06:25 AM	#7 (permalink)
jaak Moderator Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Toronto, Eh! Posts: 4,662	I heard they disappear if you push all four of the blue dots at the same time with one hand. __________________ The Nissan Murano... Love at first drive! But this is what I drive these days... Does a 12 second 1/4 mile @117 mph.

07-20-2004, 11:20 AM	#8 (permalink)
Jim C Super Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 531	Tire dots and Child Seat anchor labels The tire dots (as previously mentioned) indicate where the tires should line up based on weight. On the Mo tires, they represent the heavy side so should be lined up opposite the valve stem (I'll need to check my Mo to be sure). The child seat anchor labels are required by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 225 S9.5(a). Those federal regulations expressly require that seat anchorages not ordinarily visible be PERMANENTLY marked with a circle of not less than 13 mm in diameter demonstrating in words or language the presence of lower seat anchorages. The term "permanently" means that they aren't easily removable. Best way to deal with them is to ignore them!

07-20-2004, 12:29 PM	#9 (permalink)
jaak Moderator Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Toronto, Eh! Posts: 4,662	Thanks Jim! __________________ The Nissan Murano... Love at first drive! But this is what I drive these days... Does a 12 second 1/4 mile @117 mph.

07-20-2004, 01:08 PM	#10 (permalink)
rjardine Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: East St. Paul, MB, Canada Posts: 174	Still a mystery although I like the suggestion to use them as a guide to make sure dealer rotates them when they should. As to being across from the valvestem - no go. In fact two of them are within one spoke of the valve stem. __________________ 2003 SL AWD Gold/Latte (Canadian Package) Arrived May 2004

07-20-2004, 01:23 PM	#11 (permalink)
BARCODE Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 78	Aside from being inflated for carrying loads, tires need to be round to work properly. Wheels also need to be round. However, due to manufacturing constraints, neither may be, exactly. So, wheel manufacturers tend to place the valve core hole (or some other mark) painted DOTS at the lowest point of the wheel. Tire manufacturers, on the other hand, tend to place a mark, usually a red dot, on the wheel's highest pint. The hope is if you put the higest point of the tire on the lowest point of the wheel, they will cancel out and you'll end up with a round wheel/tire combo. Hope this helps.. Paul

07-20-2004, 03:20 PM	#12 (permalink)
sincityswany Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 29	My B.D.'s (Blue Dots) are not opposit the valve stem. They are located one spoke (on a 5 spoke SL wheel) away from the valve stem.....some centered in the gap between spokes, others at the edge of the spoke. I can't tell if the flaw I feel when I rub them is from the B.D. themselves or something under them. I'm glad I'm not the only one seeing Dots! What a relief. __________________ 2004 Pewter SL 2WD w/ Charcoal Premium Pkg, Sunroof w/ Deflector Splash Guards / Cargo Protector Rear Bumper Protector

07-20-2004, 04:13 PM	#13 (permalink)
dklanecky1 Super Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 719	I believe the blue dots represent the heaviest point on the wheel. Mine are all located very close to the valve stem (which is also where the TPSU Tire Pressure Sending Unit) is located on the back side of the valve stem (inside the wheel). I believe the concept is for the tire installer to put the heaviest side or spot of the individual tire opposite of this blue dot in order to reduce the amount of stick on wheel weight required to balance the setup once it's all mounted.

07-20-2004, 04:50 PM	#14 (permalink)
Nizmo Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Volcano, HI Posts: 285	Yap, its a indicator mark for your tires. betta not to mess with it. Nizmo

07-20-2004, 05:47 PM	#15 (permalink)
malaycobra British Cat Juggler Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: New York, NY Posts: 147	I was mistaken before, the blue dots are not adjacent to the stems, they are in line with a red dot on the tyres (Or close) I remember now seeing the red dots when the car was new, but now, 7 months on only one remains. Attached Thumbnails __________________ "I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow is not looking good either." 04 SL AWD, VDC, NAV, HIDS, all options except rear DVD. XM Hidden Antenna. Black on Black

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