NY wrote
Rod Speed wrote

One other advantage with bolts (the modern way) is
that they are bigger and less likely to loose in the dark
if you've put them carefully in the upturned hub-cap...

Few cars have hub caps anymore.

True, but a lot of them have some form of detachable plastic wheeltrim,

Yes, but not useful for putting the nuts or bolts into.

often with fake hexagonal bolt heads moulded into it.

Cant say I have noticed any like that.

The last time I had a puncture (when an oncoming tractor
forced me to veer onto a verge), the thing that took me the
longest time (far longer than jacking the car up, removing
the old wheel, putting on the spare and lowering the car
to the ground) was refitting the damn wheeltrim!

Never had that with mine.

It has a ring of springy wire which presses outwards
against the rim of the wheel, and you need about
10 hands to compress it all the way round so it will
go past the rim and then expand again on the inside.

Sounds like typical frog design. With the Getz it just has
holes for the studs and you put the wheel on the studs,
put the wheeltrim on the studs and then put the nuts on.

I've now discarded the wheel trim and it works fine without them.

I'd get most of it on except one part, but as soon as
I pressed/hit it there, another part would spring out.
I tried subtlety and skill; I tried brute force; I tried
swearing at it with every bash and kick. Eventually
it went back on again, but it probably took about
15 minutes of persistence.

Was this with the Peugeot or the Honda ?

I think what finally worked was lying on my back
with my feet pressing on the left and right sides
of the trim, and using my legs to apply a lot of force.