Wish my car had a spare wheel...

ewal

I always thought that not having a spare wheel was a bit silly, but convinced myself I could use the tyre sealant kit if the need arose....

I'm currently sitting a petrol station waiting for the RAC.... A tyre valve completely disintegrated when I was putting air in. I will be buying a spare wheel next week...

Tannin

I flat refuse to consider any car that doesn't have a proper full-size spare. It is simply unacceptable. 

Rob1742

No spare wheel and smart motorways, two of modern day motoring mistakes.

The other is the amount of models available by all manufacturers, which make buying confusing and I think delays car purchases. I used to buy a new car every two years, but once went four as I just didn’t want the hassle of trying to work out what to buy. I don’t think marketing departments have understood that confusing the buyers will lead to less sales.

On the spare wheel point, I am unsure if the cars we have, have spare wheels or not. But it’s one of those where I don’t want to know really as I don’t like the idea of not having one and so I’m like burying my head in the sand. 

Kittyfrisk

Pulled out the ridiculous giant shaped foam item that took up all the space under the hatch floor in my Skoda, bought a matching alloy wheel on ebay, had a tyre fitted & stuck it in the space. Sorted.
Manufacturers have cut one too many corners in omitting a spare wheel, sealant is crap.

Jono111

You should only buy a spare wheel if you have a spare wheel compartment to put it and screw it down. This stops it flying about in an accident. 

Kittyfrisk

Jono111 said:

You should only buy a spare wheel if you have a spare wheel compartment to put it and screw it down. This stops it flying about in an accident. 

My car has the compartment, just that no wheel was supplied 

Jono111

Also the jack needs to fit under the screwed down wheel, no buying the nice easy hydraulic jacks, well not for my car anyway 

topdog91

This feels like a thread I can add a proper old git moan to.

Rob1742 said:

No spare wheel and smart motorways, two of modern day motoring mistakes.

The rise of the SUV is my personal peeve. Taking up more road and parking space, contributing to the decline of the roads, more likely to kill if one hits a pedestrian, worse fuel economy / environmental impact, high centre of gravity for shit handling. I know it's wrong and they're so popular I'll offend many people and I do apologize because everyone is so nice here, but often SUV drivers are just so gormless. To be fair for whatever reason the car manufacturers are marketing the **** out of them.

(Personally I'd love an AMG estate...)

The other is the amount of models available by all manufacturers, which make buying confusing and I think delays car purchases.

At least they all look the same these days so it doesn't really matter which one you buy. /s

darthed1981

topdog91 said:

This feels like a thread I can add a proper old git moan to.
The rise of the SUV is my personal peeve. 
...
(Personally I'd love an AMG estate...)

I felt EXACTLY the same until (through a lack of options on the company car list) I ended up with the baby-SUV MG ZS EV..  I also thought manuals were proper cars and automatics sucked.

Now, fuck half lying down in my fucking car when I can sit properly and actually see out of the damn thing.  Also fuck changing gear, no gears is the way to go.

Also, after two estate cars, fuck cars so long in modern car parks you end up sticking out halfway into the road and then can't open the damn tailgate anyhow.

The standard of drivers on our modern roads, generally, is utterly appalling.  The people who buy massive SUVs to be bullies, the German car drivers weaving in and out of traffic like they are in some kind of race, and the fact nobody can keep a 2-second gap, the anger, the impatience... a nation of dickheads using the least efficient and least environmentally-friendly means of getting around and seemingly so in love with it they will never let it go...

...but, nice day today, eh?  Might go for a drive.

Rob1742

topdog91 said:

This feels like a thread I can add a proper old git moan to.

Rob1742 said:

No spare wheel and smart motorways, two of modern day motoring mistakes.

The rise of the SUV is my personal peeve. Taking up more road and parking space, contributing to the decline of the roads, more likely to kill if one hits a pedestrian, worse fuel economy / environmental impact, high centre of gravity for shit handling. I know it's wrong and they're so popular I'll offend many people and I do apologize because everyone is so nice here, but often SUV drivers are just so gormless. To be fair for whatever reason the car manufacturers are marketing the **** out of them.

(Personally I'd love an AMG estate...)

The other is the amount of models available by all manufacturers, which make buying confusing and I think delays car purchases.

At least they all look the same these days so it doesn't really matter which one you buy. /s

I’ve an SUV, and love it. The comfort is amazing and the handling is superb if you get a really good one. It’s also great for when we go away and can take cases and then stick in a guitar for good luck. 

The point about the drivers is interesting and I’m a complete contradiction here. I haven’t seen an SUV driver being any different to any other driver.

However I have a classic mini and an Aston and you really are treated completely different by drivers dependent on what you are driving. To the point where I will move the mini on soon as a percentage of drivers just don’t recognise you as a road user and there is a danger with driving this car. 

ewal

Jono111 said:

You should only buy a spare wheel if you have a spare wheel compartment to put it and screw it down. This stops it flying about in an accident. 

It has compartment but I think it is currently occupied by some audio component... Well it says Harmon-Karden on it...

RAC man is away with wheel to get temporary valve fitted at Kwikfit. I'll then have to book it in to get pressure sensor valve fitted... Modern cars eh...

marxski

Kittyfrisk said:

Pulled out the ridiculous giant shaped foam item that took up all the space under the hatch floor in my Skoda, bought a matching alloy wheel on ebay, had a tyre fitted & stuck it in the space. Sorted.
Manufacturers have cut one too many corners in omitting a spare wheel, sealant is crap.

Would you mind sharing how much this cost? We have a ‘23 Fabia and the dealer wanted 200 when we bought it and I said no. But I think we need to get one. 

TTony

topdog91 said:

To be fair for whatever reason the car manufacturers are marketing the **** out of them.

Can't be anything to do with profit margins ...

TTBZ

darthed1981 said:
I ended up with the baby-SUV MG ZS EV.. 

My wife decided she wanted an MG ZS (non EV) and there was no convincing her otherwise. As expected it's a steaming piece of shit. Around 30k miles and it's already needed a new gearbox (luckily under warranty) and now the clutch is on its way out by the sounds of things - not covered under the warranty this time. Steering feels clunky and makes an odd noise sometimes now. Head unit screen coating is blistering and needs replacing. Poor fuel economy and feels underpowered for a 1.5. Garages don't seem to want to deal with MG as they're a hassle to get any parts for, have to get everything direct from a main dealer. I also don't feel like it has much more space inside than a decent sized hatchback, wish we'd just got a Golf or something reliable! Sorry, mini rant over hope you have better luck with yours!

topdog91

Rob1742 said:

topdog91 said:

often SUV drivers are just so gormless. 

The point about the drivers is interesting and I’m a complete contradiction here. I haven’t seen an SUV driver being any different to any other driver.

To be fair, it could well be my confirmation bias kicking in.

Kittyfrisk

marxski said:

Kittyfrisk said:

Pulled out the ridiculous giant shaped foam item that took up all the space under the hatch floor in my Skoda, bought a matching alloy wheel on ebay, had a tyre fitted & stuck it in the space. Sorted.
Manufacturers have cut one too many corners in omitting a spare wheel, sealant is crap.

Would you mind sharing how much this cost? We have a ‘23 Fabia and the dealer wanted 200 when we bought it and I said no. But I think we need to get one. 

No problem. Mine was from November 2020 off eBay & was a 6x15, 5 Stud, cost including delivery was £52.20.
Can't remember the new tyre & fitting cost, but it was under £60 all in.
I could have got a cheaper wheel, but held out for one in good order that was a match for the others, just because it seemed right to my sense of symmetry 

Edit: photo of wheel in situ, with extra stuff including Silky saw for opportunist firewood   2015 Mk3 Fabia.

topdog91

TTony said:

topdog91 said:

To be fair for whatever reason the car manufacturers are marketing the **** out of them.

Can't be anything to do with profit margins ...

Really? More metal, would have thought it would be cheaper to make a hatchback or estate.

TTony

topdog91 said:

TTony said:

Can't be anything to do with profit margins ...

Really? More metal, would have thought it would be cheaper to make a hatchback or estate.

Hatchbacks and estates might be a little cheaper to make, but an SUV can be sold for a lot more - the margins are much better.

For years, the only real SUV was the Range Rover.  The Germans wanted some of that luxury market (profit margin), and hence the original Q7 and X5 launched as their premium product rivals to the Range Rover.  The subsequent smaller versions allowed other consumers into the "luxury" and other manufacturers similarly followed in. 

But somewhere along the way, "luxury" and "expensive" seems to have become confused, one does not mean the other.

It's also easier to build in the various safety requirements and sensors/tech (and now batteries) into a larger vehicle, so we're probably stuck with them.

Tannin

TTony said:

For years, the only real SUV was the Range Rover.   

Cough cough. 

The Range Rover, for all its virtues, came long, long after the Japanese had mastered the art.
 
Toyota have been building Land Cruisers since 1960 - i.e., a full decade before the first Range Rover, and Nissan started making Patrols in the early 1950s. 

Nobody takes a Range Rover into the outback, you need something tough and reliable: Toyota, Nissan, Subaru, maybe one or two others. Range Rovers are for swanning around in the leafy suburbs dropping the kids down to their ballet lessons.

Dominic

topdog91 said:

This feels like a thread I can add a proper old git moan to.

Rob1742 said:

No spare wheel and smart motorways, two of modern day motoring mistakes.

The rise of the SUV is my personal peeve. Taking up more road and parking space, contributing to the decline of the roads, more likely to kill if one hits a pedestrian, worse fuel economy / environmental impact, high centre of gravity for shit handling. I know it's wrong and they're so popular I'll offend many people and I do apologize because everyone is so nice here, but often SUV drivers are just so gormless. To be fair for whatever reason the car manufacturers are marketing the **** out of them.

(Personally I'd love an AMG estate...)

The other is the amount of models available by all manufacturers, which make buying confusing and I think delays car purchases.

At least they all look the same these days so it doesn't really matter which one you buy. /s

You get terrible drivers in all sorts of cars but especially TOYOTA  PRIUS because of the Uber drivers
As soon as I see that little Uber licensed disc.......I know what I will see .....a head buried in an iphone / screen map with no idea either how to drive or where they are going until the app tells them ............
then they just either turn on the spot with zero indication or stop dead in middle of road without warning or do U turn without looking.......especially when on the bike I avoid them like a plague

sev112

RAC chap tells me they hate cars with no spare wheels, ruins their day and takes so much longer than a swap of a spare and they can spend their time on more important/dangerous ones.

tell the Dealership “do you want the deal or not? spare wheel or not?”  

I’m not totally convinced managed motorways or no spare wheel are the biggest mistakes, but the 2 combined certainly is.