Car Talk

[grendel]

my new volvo came with a spacesaver spare, on top of that was a lovely tray to allow shopping to be stowed, the spacesaver was soon replaced with a full size spare, and the spacesaver and tray above it then had to be removed and put in storage, my only issue with spacesavers is that they really unbalance the cars handling - even at the 50mph restricted speed for them, i suppose at least the volvo does come with a spare wheel as so many modern cars do not.

[ScrumpyCheddar]

Makes me laugh a can of gunk and electric pump... ok if you’ve got a nail in the tyre... No good with a blow out cracked-or shattered rim... in the middle of no where..  I’ve bought 2 cars this year.. Guess what they all came with the gunk and air compressors...  First thing I done was order wheel jack and brace on eBay £40 bargin..  2nd car looked around breakers yard but none as it’s an  optional extra from dealer... £380 ... Luckly found a supplier brand new steel wheel with brand new tyre full size with jack and brace £140..  Fitting cars with no spare wheels is a joke.. at least I know if on my cars go flat or bang I can get myself out of trouble..

[LondonRascal]

A little late, but none the less I remember beginning this thread last February.  New to driving and not aware quite how this would change my life, and so much more besides here we are just over a year since I passed my test. Many, many thousands of miles later, and many new places visited (along with those I had not visited for many years) this is my 'conversation' about what I have done, seen, and dare I say a few 'moans' about other drivers...

 

 

[BroadAmbition]

I proper enjoyed that.  Here's a thought, you have never yet taken part in a 'Treasure Hunt' we used to do them ages ago.  Great fun they were too.  The last one I remember taking part in in - I organised.  It was centred around Kolsas / Baerums Verk in Norway.  That was around thirty years ago - Chuffin eck - How did that happen?

Griff

[Regulo]

My mate Dave took part in one of those just after he started driving back in the late 50's. He was with his brother as navigator, and one of the tasks was to return with a bit of chalk from Dover, amongst other objects. While the rest of the competitors scrabbled about on the beaches and cliffs, they just went into the Dover Woolworths, and bought a pack of school chalks! They won, despite much objection from the others, as it wasn't specified that the chalk had to be from the cliffs. Moral: Don't read into any task something that isn't actually required.

[Paul]

I have been known to organise the odd online treasure hunt during the winter months to fend off the winter blues. Could do another if there is any interest?

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

9 hours ago, Regulo said:

My mate Dave took part in one of those just after he started driving back in the late 50's. He was with his brother as navigator, and one of the tasks was to return with a bit of chalk from Dover, amongst other objects. While the rest of the competitors scrabbled about on the beaches and cliffs, they just went into the Dover Woolworths, and bought a pack of school chalks! They won, despite much objection from the others, as it wasn't specified that the chalk had to be from the cliffs. Moral: Don't read into any task something that isn't actually required.

In exactly the same vein, I did one back in the early 80s when one of the things you had to come back with was a wiper. One of the team members pulled out his handkerchief. 

[Paul]

3 hours ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

In exactly the same vein, I did one back in the early 80s when one of the things you had to come back with was a wiper. One of the team members pulled out his handkerchief. 

better that than a sheet of toilet paper .....

[VetChugger]

Online treasure hunt?? Why not indeed! I'd give it a go Paul. 

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

I'l give it a lash too, even though I've never done one, and have no idea how you do it?. 

[CambridgeCabby]

The trouble with nice cars is the cost of sundries , I’ve just had to buy some tyres , rear ones @ £320 front £260 and that’s at discounted mates rates .

That price is for the same as fitted new , Goodyear , Yokohama’s come out at lower at £278 and £240 trouble is they’re soft and don’t wear well for use on a taxi 

[PCL023]

Had the same issue with my Jag XF. loverly car but expensive in many ways, that’s gone now, opting for a Rover 75 tourer, had it for over two years now, cheap as chips to buy and run, sailed through its last MOT in November with no advisories, not bad for what will be an 18 year old car next year.... load in it and park it were you like not having to worry what you will come back to. A lot to be said for that. 

[Simondo]

I was driving from Cheshire to Brundall on Wednesday night and had a full tyre deflation on the A14 about 5 miles from Brampton, this was 8:30pm. I managed to make my way off the A14 to a pub after stopping twice and putting air into the tyre. I then used the inflation stuff that comes with the car instead of a spare. This just oozed out all over the car park. So I rang the asistance line and this is where the fun started. I could go on and on here but to keep it short their solution was to lift the car and take to a secure compound, get me a taxi to Brundall and then with some hope put the fixed car in a dedicated delivery van and deliver it to me at Brundall. How much would that of cost (I'm talking generally as it wouldn't have cost me a penny as its all covered!). Anyway the driver came to take the car at 11pm but there was no sign or telephone call (that I should have received) of anyone coming to collect me. I waited half an hour and the finally got through to the emergencey line, there had been some mix up and nothing yet had been arranged so I couldnt let the driver take it. Instead I spoke to the pub people who were really friendly and made a room up for me. After which I rang the assistance line and said why can't they just get a mobile tyre company to fix my tyre where it was. Eventually at 11 the next morning thats what they did... Can you believe all that for a flat tyre!! I've spared you all the phone calls and angst! but surely their solution is far worse for the client, the planet and costlier than a spare.

[grendel]

this is why i replaced the half width spare on my v70 with the full size one from my older v70, sure i lose some boot space and the liner that goes above the half sized spare, but since i do over 30,000 miles a year, i consider a full size spare as an essential, i cant be having being stuck due to a flat tyre, I also carry 2 air pumps (so i can lend one out to a colleague if needed and still have one to hand for emergencies.)

[ChrisB]

I drive Ford products these days as it convenient having garages at Cromer and Ludham. I buy the bottom of the range Zetec models and then put on the extras I desire. I would like a Titanium or ST line but with Zetecs a full size spare is often  an option. I buy new every 36 to 40 months but the full size spare is getting a rare beast the new Puma has not got one and it has been dropped from the Zetec Ecosport. Madness! I would like to leave these car executives on the moors halfway between Keld and Kirby Stephen with a flat and zero phone signal.

[Paul]

My Merc doesn't have a spare, nor anywhere to fit one. The space beneath the boot floor which would normally accommodate such is stuffed full of electronics, the DAB tuner is in there, as is the amplifier, rear signal module, a sort of computerised fusebox, the emissions tank is in there, the auxilliary battery, various control modules for things like the distronic radar, parktronic sensors etc. The hydraulics for the roof mechanism fills the space behind the side panels where this kind of stuff normally lives. 

I have the Merc compressor and bottle of gunk, but during a recent visit to the one local MB main dealer I have found to have any degree of integrity the gent there suggested the Merc gunk is pretty useless, get a bottle of the Holts stuff which is much better and about a fifth of the price. The key is to use it properly. Spray it in, wait exactly two minutes then drive the car for five miles as near as possible maintaining 50mph. It's the rotation of the wheel that seals the gunk into the puncture, not the pressure applied by the can. The wheel will need repressurising afterwards so a pump is essential. 

Gunk can only seal punctures in the tread of the tyre, side wall damage means a mobile tyre fitter!

[StillCruising]

Like PLC I have a Rover 75 which is my second one, the first being written off by a white van man. Mine has a full size spare which was an optional extra when new, the standard being a compressor and bottle of gunk. The previous car had a ‘space saver’ spare wheel but it had to be fitted to the back so a front tyre puncture meant that you had to fit the spare to a rear and then replace the flat front tyre with the one taken off the back. This was a right faff about, not so bad if you were doing it on the drive at home but on a country lane in the wet and dark is an entirely different matter.

[Paul]

If anyone reading this decides they don't have a spare but want one then you could i) ring your local main dealer and pay about 150 for a space saver or alternatively ring your local scrap yard and they will usually be able to find you a matching alloy wheel for half the cost, usually with a decent tyre ready fitted (unless of course you have twenty one inch rims, or AMG wheels or something similar)

[Matt]

If anyone reading this decides they don't have a spare but want one then you could i) ring your local main dealer and pay about 150 for a space saver or alternatively ring your local scrap yard and they will usually be able to find you a matching alloy wheel for half the cost, usually with a decent tyre ready fitted (unless of course you have twenty one inch rims, or AMG wheels or something similar)

Did just that with my i20 but then the Tucson came with a full size alloy spare!


Sent from my iPhone using Norfolk Broads Network

[Mouldy]

On 29/11/2019 at 20:35, Simondo said:

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Can you believe all that for a flat tyre!! I've spared you all the phone calls and angst! but surely their solution is far worse for the client, the planet and costlier than a spare.

Precisely why I’ve changed the space saver spare on two of my last three cars and the can of sealant and compressor on the third, to full size alloy spares.  They fit in the boot perfectly and once changed, will allow the continuation of my journey without additional delay or cause me to have to drive at 50mph on a tyre narrower than on a moped.  The wheels have been purchased from eBay and refurbished if necessary and a new tyre fitted.  Not cheap, but the peace of mind is worth every penny.

I believe substituting the spare wheel for a tin of goo was to save weight and improve fuel consumption and to make you pay extra for something that has always been supplied as standard if you wanted a spare of some description.  The sealant is probably okay for a puncture, but as much use as a chocolate teapot if you have a blowout or split the sidewall of the tyre.  Not only that, but once the sealant is used, the tyre has to be replaced anyway, regardless of the severity of the puncture.

Motor manufacturers marketing ploy to make you get your wallet out IMHO!

[ranworthbreeze]

On my last two Saab soft tops  I bought extra alloys, on the last one I bought three one as a spare and the other two were fitted with winter tyres. which worked out very well.

Regards

Alan

[oldgregg]

7 hours ago, Mouldy said:

I believe substituting the spare wheel for a tin of goo was to save weight and improve fuel consumption and to make you pay extra for something that has always been supplied as standard if you wanted a spare of some description.

I think dealers may tell you it's for economy reasons, and blame legislation etc.

In reality, they can get away with it so they do. It makes packaging easier, and shaves a few quid off the production cost. In manufacturing, every penny counts.

[Paul]

On 30/11/2019 at 13:29, StillCruising said:

Like PLC I have a Rover 75

A hugely underrated car, just my opinion of course. A drinking friend of mine bought one new in 2002, the 2.5 V6 with the factory approved LPG system. He still has it today. For the first 7 years of it's life it commuted every day to North London running up in excess of 450k miles. He bought it because I was running an LPG Mondeo at the time and constantly bragging about how much money I was saving against buying petrol. He reckons those first 7 years alone the savings on fuel cost paid for the car twice over. I did try claiming a commission but all I got was a pint of Guinness and a Woodbine. 

He still drives around town in it, still running on LPG. Still a lovely looking car inside and out and as it was, if I dare say so without offending anyone, somewhat retro in it's styling it hasn't aged. I guess the theory that if it's old fashioned to start with it never gets any older.

[BroadAmbition]

That's got the down force issue sorted out on Trevor at long last.  At great expense I will add

Griff

 

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

On 01/12/2019 at 07:11, Mouldy said:

  Not only that, but once the sealant is used, the tyre has to be replaced anyway, regardless of the severity of the puncture.

Absolutely spot on. 

Some good friends of mine worked in a well known local tyre centre when i lived in Gravesend. They told me that if anybody used one of those tins of sealent, it meant a new tyre immediately as they`re not allowed to do puncture repairs on that tyre due to the incompatability between the gunk and the puncture repair adhesive, along with the patch adhesive. Originally, when a puncture was repaired with a bottle of gunk, and later properly repaired, the patches would peel off inside the tyre. It`s also worth remembering that these bottles of gunk can cause a molecular degredation of the tyres raw materials resulting in the risk of a complete delamination or blow out, which is why you should NOT use them for any length of time. Imagine that happening at motorway speeds?.