Board logo

Why is it.. Pt. 2
coozer - 3/6/12 at 11:37 AM

When your going down the motorway the hard shoulder is littered with duffers in cars with flat tyres with AA/RAC in attendance changing wheels?

Why is that? Nobody do a basic wheel change anymore?

I think it should be part of the test...

Laughed me bits off Thursday.. a mug towing a caravan with an AA fella pouring fuel in... probably only 500 yards from Tibshelf.

Why is that? Surely going on a touring holiday with the wife and 3 brats you realise the mpg is going to suffer!!

flibble - 3/6/12 at 11:44 AM

People are stupid and lazy and getting more so as time moves on, I'd say that covers it

blakep82 - 3/6/12 at 11:44 AM

think advice from police, rac, aa etc is if you get a flat tyre on the motorway now, call aa/rac to change it, as its dangerous on your own (ie without the rac vans lights flashing)
remember seeing that years ago

maccmike - 3/6/12 at 11:47 AM

I think it is part of the test now, could be wrong though.
Plus, too many cars have inflater kits, if this is used and not replaced before next puncture, your stuck.
My biggest bug bear is lack of indicating.
Also, last weekend, joined a double entrance and exit roundabout in right line, was going straight on, indicated to come off, woman in left lane decided she wanted to go all the way round. It was close to say the least! Closest encounter Iv had to swapping paint. Cheeky bitch was waving at me as if it was my fault.

scootz - 3/6/12 at 11:50 AM

If I wasn't in a rush... and if I was a member of one of the motoring associations (I'm not)... then I would much rather have my tyre changed by a guy in a yellow jacket working in the safety-shadow of a big orange van with flashing warning lights on top than do it myself whilst dozens of half-sleeping dopey ****-wits who think they can drive flash a few feet past me at 80+mph!

This is the self-preservation society!!!

Slimy38 - 3/6/12 at 11:54 AM

quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
think advice from police, rac, aa etc is if you get a flat tyre on the motorway now, call aa/rac to change it, as its dangerous on your own (ie without the rac vans lights flashing)
remember seeing that years ago


Yep, I remember it from the documents of my breakdown cover. Considering the few people I've seen who do try it have had their back sides sticking out on to the first lane I'm not surprised this is now the recommendation.

While I'm all for people doing work themselves, some people need protecting from themselves.

PSpirine - 3/6/12 at 12:22 PM

The other reason is.. I've been paying £100 a year for relay breakdown cover for 4 years and not once had a breakdown (surprising, given my motors).

If I get a flat tyre and it's pissing it down, I will most certainly call them out just to get my money's worth!



As for inflators.. I've been carrying a TyreWeld can for a while in my Micra - used it the other day, and the whole plastic top just leaked with goo spraying seemingly everywhere except into the tyre... So can't really rely on those evidently...

YQUSTA - 3/6/12 at 12:52 PM

most company car policies also have a section saying not to change wheels.

maccmike - 3/6/12 at 01:11 PM

cant fault my bmw inflater kit.

afj - 3/6/12 at 01:20 PM

When I do breakdowns 90% of the time I need to use a 2ft breaker bar with a length of scaffold tube on the end after some monkey in a workshop has done the nuts up with his gun, it's only us on here who have some mechanical sympathy to do the nuts to the proper torque

stevegough - 3/6/12 at 02:23 PM

quote:
Originally posted by scootz

This is the self-preservation society!!!



Need a picure to illustrate the vision conjured up by this line from scootz!


scootz - 3/6/12 at 02:50 PM

jabs - 3/6/12 at 03:27 PM

Most dangerous place on the motorway is the hard shoulder, advice is always get out and get well away from the car / motorway.

owelly - 3/6/12 at 05:22 PM

I hear what you're all saying but I have a reflective triangle. That'll save me.

BenB - 3/6/12 at 05:34 PM

It is indeed part of the theory test that you shouldn't do it yourself. Personally if it was on the passenger side I'd do it. If it was on the drivers side might wait for some AA/RAC.

avagolen - 3/6/12 at 06:12 PM

Once apon a time......

I drove 5 miles with a flat nearside rear on the motorway - after a late shift - until I
got to a place I new would be safe to change it. I knew the tyre did not have a lot of life in it
and would not be worth repairing.

I feel it was still a lot quicker and safer than doing it in the dark
on an unlit stretch of motorway....

When I was a mere lad, helping my dad change a flat on the motorway,
a police man shouted over his tannoy as he drove past 'Get your backside in son'

Will never forget that bit of advise.....

Bladerunner - 3/6/12 at 06:43 PM

One of the problems with Alloy wheels is that they "rust" on to the hubs. Most breakdown guys have a large hammer to break the rust seal. That is why the AA/RAC are called out, because you can't get the buggers off!!!!

Mr C - 3/6/12 at 08:42 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Bladerunner
One of the problems with Alloy wheels is that they "rust" on to the hubs. Most breakdown guys have a large hammer to break the rust seal. That is why the AA/RAC are called out, because you can't get the buggers off!!!!


Exactly this happened the other day to someone on the school run, being the good Samaritan I thought I'd help them out to no avail. No amount of persuasion would shift it with a danger of the car coming off the flimsy jack, AA called and sorted.

My own daily driver has a canister provided rather than a spare wheel, as happened to me recently, if the damage is too great them no amount will inflate the tyre resulting in another call to the AA .

Its not all about not having the ability or too lazy etc, to change a tyre, circumstances and equipment need to be right.

A1 - 3/6/12 at 11:11 PM

bit of copper slip on the hubs stops any corrosion gluing them together.

Furyous - 4/6/12 at 02:49 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Bladerunner
One of the problems with Alloy wheels is that they "rust" on to the hubs. Most breakdown guys have a large hammer to break the rust seal. That is why the AA/RAC are called out, because you can't get the buggers off!!!!


I once had that happen to me. I went through one of those narrow traffic calming things but hit the kerb and punctured the tyre. I pulled over a bit down the road, out of the way, and managed to get all the bolts off but the wheel wouldn't budge. I sat on the side of the road in the snow waiting for dad to bring a mallet but he was over an hour away. After half an hour a very nice man in a mobile tyre fitting van pulled up, jacked my car with his heavy duty jack, then gave the wheel a single kick and swapped the spare for me. I felt like an absolute plank. To be fair, if I had kicked it with the little wind-up jack it might have toppled over. I said thanks and off he went. That was before I had AA membership.


Mum's car got a wheel stuck on one time so I used the spare wheel to give it a thump, which worked fine.

[Edited on 4/6/12 by Furyous]

mcerd1 - 4/6/12 at 09:44 AM

I've done a few for random people at the side of the road (not motorways) and few for neibours, the last one was on a tiny unclasified road - the old boy had all the stuff out but couldn't work out how the jack worked on his audi A6 and the AA couldn't find him... took me 2min to jack it and change the wheel (with his jack)


a mate of mine had just had new tyres put on when he got a puncture (quickfit or farmers - can't remember which) he couldn't get the bolts loose for anything - in the end it took an 8ft lever and 3 wrecked sockets to get them off
and my mum's cars rear wheels took more than a little persuading to come off the hubs and that was on an 18 month old car!

alloys corroded onto the hubs, flimsy jacks, over tightened nuts/bolts etc... None of these help and add in the whole health hand safety side and you can see why most companies won't let there employees change a wheel
but most people just give up to easily these days anyway


personally I always torque my wheel nuts, copper slip my hubs and nuts and know that the jack is just sturdy enough - I always seem to get flats in carparks for some reason and its always a nail or a roofing bolt...
the last time one of my mates decided to time me (rather than actually help) apparently I can change one in 4:40 including getting all the stuff out of and back into the boot, would have been faster but he kept hiding my tools

quinnj3 - 4/6/12 at 11:57 AM

I had a flat a couple of weeks ago on the motorway in tehe works van. The tyre was on the passenger side so i was happy to change it. The wheel nuts would not come off with the supplied bar, I bent that!! So out came the socket set and eventually I got the bolts off. The the wheel would not come off, so i put the wheel nuts on loosely and drove a couple of meters until the wheel came off. I was then able to change the wheel o.k. I felt very vulnerable though as the traffic was flying past!