No spare wheel in your new car?

vikingaero

code-a-holic wrote: »

Those cans are awful. I had a flat tyre, got out the can and pump. Filled the wheel then watched the fluid run out of the hole and down the road. It was my first trip out after a c-section, no mobile phone signal and on crutches, then my 6 week old dd started screaming, closely followed by me. If there was a wheel i could have calmly changed it no problem (mechanics daughter - could do it one handed me!). I had to wait until a car came by, a while unfortunatly as on a country lane, and then asked them nicely to phone my husband when they got signal and tell him where to find me. Than sat and wait hoping they did! Then all he could do was drive for signal to phone RAC. Who then drove it wrecking the alloy on to the flat bed (automatic car), as it was a Sunday, took it to my house. Then on Monday it was collected and taken somewhere to get a new tyre.

Remembering this - why the hell havnt i bought a spare?!!!!!

This is why I don't like gunk. Gunk is fine on pinhole punctures. Even then I wouldn't want to drive any distance knowing that the hole is only sealed with gunk. Sods law says that some punctures will involve the tyre being wrecked. So on a Saturday night where do you get a matching replacement? What do you do in Europe on holiday miles from anywhere on a European bank holiday when the whole country has shut down?

thescouselander

bitemebankers wrote: »

Well, quite. Who wants to change a wheel by the side of the road anyway?

Exactly. A few people in my office went out to a meeting in the boss's car - he got a flat and didn't have breakdown cover so they had to change the wheel. It turns out the this was quite difficult as the tool kit wasn't that good and they all ended up getting their work clothes covered in all sorts of rubbish. It would have been much easier and cleaner to call the breakdown van - what they ended up with was a very expensive dry cleaning bill!

2010

bitemebankers wrote: »

Because people are demanding cheaper cars?

Pretty obvious really. You know, you can still buy a spare separately if you really want one?

People are demanding cheaper cars, that`s why Ford alone has put prices up 4 times in less than a year.
Taking the £28 price of a spare wheel off is going to make the car massively cheaper is it?
Anyway how do you know they have taken the cost off in the first place.
Sheer penny pinching and the thin end of the wedge.
Next, windscreen wipers will be an option and why stop there,what about wheel trims,oh and don`t forget headlights.

People posting on here seem to have missed the point that something that has always been standard is now being charged extra for.

No full size spare wheel

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no business from me.

2010

thescouselander wrote: »

Exactly. A few people in my office went out to a meeting in the boss's car - he got a flat and didn't have breakdown cover so they had to change the wheel. It turns out the this was quite difficult as the tool kit wasn't that good and they all ended up getting their work clothes covered in all sorts of rubbish. It would have been much easier and cleaner to call the breakdown van - what they ended up with was a very expensive dry cleaning bill!

So tell us exactly what they would have done without a spare wheel and no breakdown cover?

It would have been much easier and cleaner to call the breakdown van
They still could have done this but it would have cost a lot more than a dry cleaning bill.

mikey72

2010 wrote: »

People are demanding cheaper cars, that`s why Ford alone has put prices up 4 times in less than a year.
Taking the £28 price of a spare wheel off is going to make the car massively cheaper is it?
Anyway how do you know they have taken the cost off in the first place.
Sheer penny pinching and the thin end of the wedge.
Next, windscreen wipers will be an option and why stop there,what about wheel trims,oh and don`t forget headlights.

People posting on here seem to have missed the point that something that has always been standard is now being charged extra for.

No full size spare wheel

---

no business from me.

Spirit of this site isn't it.
Ford have saved themselves £28 x however many million of cars they have sold.
If that's not a money saving idea worth having what is.

Iand1

Agree with No spare = lower emissions, espec if the car maker can get it into the £35 bracket, or zero, even better!!

Got a puncture coming onto the M1 once, didn't notice until the steering went sharply right when I let go of the wheel. (Extremely low profile tyres)

Pulled over, saw it was flat, thought s0d this at the side of the road and drove on to the next junction at 30 mph.

Looked for the spare, low and behold it's a space saver (in bright blue - think noddy) and I've still got 65 miles of motorway ahead....... at 50mph MAX.

But, at least it wasn't a can of tyre weld!

thescouselander

2010 wrote: »

So tell us exactly what they would have done without a spare wheel and no breakdown cover?

It would have been much easier and cleaner to call the breakdown van
They still could have done this but it would have cost a lot more than a dry cleaning bill.

No it wouldn't, one person had cover he could have used as the passenger of a broken down car. Unfortunately this fact didn't come to light until after they got back.

daveyjp

Check breakdown cover carefully. When we had a smart there were a few companies who would only attend to a puncture if the car had a spare.

hethmar

My new VW golf came with a "space saver" spare - a narrow tyre that apparently just gets you home if you have a puncture. (Which I did after just 4 months )

MoneySavingUser

I think I have a spacesaver - no idea how to change it though! (new driver)