What Do You Think?

[TWR]

Just replaced the stupid "Get you home cheap c r a p of a spare that came with my Car" do you think that the makers should fit the original spare with new cars?

[tonyav]

If you use that tyre goop stuff and then take your tyre in for puncture repair some tyre shops will tell you your tyre is scap because they don't want to have to clean the goop out of the tyre to find the puncture.

[tamborine]

AA said my split tyre was 'only' flat at the bottom...v.funny :-(

He changed it for the spare on Friday night & told me not to drive faster than 50mph. I drove 30m on the spare today as I havent time to get new tyre till Monday. What can happen if I drive another 30m tomoro?

[Hopkirk]

Nothing, Tambo.

[tonyav]

You'll be fine, tambo.

[Old_Geezer]

The very idea that the manufacturers can fob folk off with a "Noddy" spare wheel makes me very annoyed. If never occurred to me that was what I had until I had to use the damned thing. About 155 miles in the dark on a wheel that didn't want me to go at motorway speeds ! Shooting is too good for them.

[shoota]

You're not a member of the 'check your spare tyre weekly' club then OG?

(Just so you don't think everyone is ignoring your post...;-) )

[Old_Geezer]

No, that's what the annual service is for. The dealer does that. I just fill it up and drive. Anyway too much junk in the trunk to go digging under it all to look.

[EDDIE51]

Yes, if I do need a spare I buy one from a scrap yard for about £20.

[bhg481]

Eddie - that's fine if the hole in the boot will take a full-size wheel. The dipsticks at Volvo designed my V70 such that you can only fit a space-saver in the boot. They clearly gave no thought to what you do with the full-size wheel when you have to fit the spare.
The other problem is that the car will fail an MoT if the space-saver is fitted, as it's not the same size as the other wheels. That says to me that the car is not safe, but it's allowed in normal use.

[TWR]

The wheel I purchased fitted in the boot well, my view on these stupid wheels, if buying a new car, check the spare & if seen that these things are in instead of a proper wheel, refuse to buy until a proper wheel get's put in place, the Manufacturer would soon stop using them.

[mikey4444]

I don'y have a problem with the spacesaver spare. Its perfectly OK for the task that you need it to do. But I have a real problem with cars that come with no spare at all. I bought a new Fiesta last May and and I insisted on putting the pare from my old Fiesta into the boot of the my new one. The Dealer didn't seem bothered as my old car was going straight auction anyway.

I would go as far to say that its should be the law that all new cars come with a spare, full-sized or spacesaver. Anything else just doesn't make sense.

[Baldric]

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/safety/non-standard-spare-wheels.html

[retrocop]

You can blame the Greens. They gave the greedy car manufacturers the excuse to squeeze out an extra buck.Skoda comes with gunk and a pump yet there is provision in the load area (Estate Fabia) for a full sized spare wheel.A full sized steel spare was not extortionate and worth the price of not worrying about the mem sahib stuck in the middle of some Scottish road with no mobile phone signal (Moffat to Peebles) springs to mind. I agree though.All new cars should come with a spare wheel at no extra cost.It was supposed to save energy by reducing the overall weight but people would be able to use the extra space created to cram more luggage etc in.Crazy,logic.

[Baldric]

My vRS Estate has a Full Size Spare, which is why we always use it for long journeys, bought as ex demo with less than 1000mls on clock, had to haggle for decent price on spare.