Auto tech warns over missing item in new cars and shares four basic tools to always have on hand in case of flat tire
An auto mechanic has alerted prospective purchasers to a component that is no longer present in a large number of cars available for purchase.
One of those victims was Courtney McKeown, a college student, who called the American Automobile Association (AAA) after her Jeep caught a flat one day.
McKeown thought the expert would show up, take the spare tire off her truck, and swap out the flat tire.
But the college student quickly discovered that her Jeep’s trunk was empty of a spare tire.
“We assumed it would be within. We discovered there was no spare tire when we opened that up,” McKeown told Scripps News.
There was not even a temporary “donut” tire on her car.
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Rather, there was only a tiny air pump in her trunk.
Adding, “This is what you get as an alternative to a spare tire,” said father Chris McKeown.
SPARE TIRES GOING ‘MISSING’
“You receive this Fix-a-Flat container and a pump for tire inflation.
“In our case, it wouldn’t have worked because the hole was in the sidewall.”
However, according to Consumer Reports, spare tires have abruptly disappeared from new cars since 2020.
Only 10% of vehicles have a full-sized spare tire.
Warning — bad hub cap installation can cause flat tyres
Conversely, fewer than half of brand-new vehicles have a donut or space-saving tire.
“I think there’s a lot of people out there that don’t realize this,” McKeown stated.
According to auto expert Michael Crossen, automakers are reducing the weight of their vehicles and cutting production costs by doing away with spare tires.
Additionally, Crossen cautioned about the risks of traveling great distances on a donut tire.
He told Scripps News, “You should not drive on them for more than 50 miles.”
Thus, it’s really only transient. And many vehicles do have those.
Crossen advised drivers to always be ready for a flat tire in case of an emergency, regardless of whether they had a spare tire.
“You definitely should know what you have in your vehicle,” he stated.
“You want to be familiar with it now rather than when you need it on the side of the road in the dark.”
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Crossen advises drivers to keep five necessary tools in their cars at all times:
- Hazard triangles or road flares
- A working flashlight
- Rags or gloves to help with a tire change
- A phone number for roadside assistance
How to change a tire
For any driver, being able to change a tire is essential. A blowout or a flat tire could occur at any time.
To change a tire, you’ll need the following supplies:
- Jack
- Lug wrench
- Fully inflated spare tire
- Vehicle owner’s manual
These should have been included with your car, but if you replaced any of them or if they weren’t, you should get new ones right away.
How a tire is changed:
- Find a safe location such as an empty parking lot that has level ground. Never change your tire on a narrow shoulder near ongoing traffic.
- Turn on your hazard lights
- Apply the parking brake
- Use the wheel wedges either in front or behind the tires to make sure the car doesn’t roll away while you fix the tire
- Remove the hubcap or wheel cover
- Loosen the lug nuts
- Place the jack under the car
- Raise the car with the jack
- Unscrew the lug nuts
- Remove the tire
- Mount the spare tire on the lug bolts
- Tighten the lug nuts
- Lower the car and tighten the lug nuts once more
- Lower the car completely and replace the hubcap
- Place your equipment back in the care
- Check the tire pressure in the spare tire
- Take your flat tire to a technician
It may take fifteen to thirty minutes to replace a flat tire.
Bridgestone is the source.
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