So she could not get me on the phone yesterday while I was out working and was pissed because her computer on wheels, Ford Fusion Hybrid, had a warning on the display about her 'tires' needing servicing....

What it actually was is the bottle of goop in the trunk to try and fix a flat with had expired... past its due date. You can't make this stuff up....no donut tire in the trunk just a air compressor and bottle of goop to try and fix a flat with. Can't find any reference to this in the 500+ page manual ... but did on line... also found lots of stories about how the goop screws up tires or at least the valve..... went on line and found you can order a donut tire and kit for the car for less than $200 with shipping....

GrandDad didn't have a spare tire in his big old ugly green station wagon.

He had two. Why not? He had the room.

When I discovered that my sons car didn't come with 5he spare tire, I went to an auto salvage yard and purchased one from a wreck. It was in New shape, still wrapped in plastic and had a jack with it. $100.

Yeah, that's getting more and more common these days... Roughly 1/3 of cars no longer come with spare tires. Some don't have provisions for them at all. While others have a storage spot for a spare but they're not standard, instead being offered as "optional upgrades".

I haven't had a car with a spare tire since 2009. The cars all came with runflats.
When the runflats wear out, I always get goflats as replacements.
My current car, I actually went and put together a spare tire for road trips. I have only had one flat tire in the past 14 years. The one flat was in a bad neighborhood. Had to wait for my brother to bring me two summer tires to switch over (i got a flat on a rear winter tire, but since it's awd, i needed to replace both). Never again.

Many years ago, I think the late 80's, I wrecked my work van and had to rent a Ryder van for two weeks.... got it all loaded up with what I thought it needed and went out to work.... got back the first day and started looking for the spare tire in the van... not there.. I called Ryder and they informed me there was no spare if I had a flat to call them and they would send someone out to fix it.... this was before cell phones even and I often was out in the boonies not near a pay phone and such. I took that van back....

One of the few things I've learned over the years is the people that manage big corporations are idiots.... it is part of the qualifications it seems.

And yes, my father also had two spares in the truck. When my wife and I go on road trips with our Ford Flex I carry both the donut tire in the wheel well and a full size regular tire in the back storage area.... (full-size won't fit in the wheel well) what they don't tell you is AWD vehicles do not like the spare donuts... computer that controls the transmission is not happy....

Me Mercedes didn't have a spare & came with horrible Conti runflats. Swapped on non-RFTs & kept a patch kit in the trunk.

In Europe, they come with a spare

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:

Me Mercedes didn't have a spare & came with horrible Conti runflats. Swapped on non-RFTs & kept a patch kit in the trunk.

In Europe, they come with a spare

Mine came with a full-size spare, same brand / type as the other four. Maybe because I picked the car up at the factory delivery center in Sindlefingen? It was a U.S. model, ordered from Mercedes-Benz of North America, but held for factory delivery.

Funny thing, while I was driving it in Europe, many European Mercedes drivers would strike up a conversation with me, asking me about the "custom" front and rear bumpers. The U.S. requirement for 5 mph bumpers was not included in production for cars that were manufactured for the European market, so my car with U.S. specifications was noticeably different from the ones that they were driving and they were curious about it.

I learned a lot about car manufacturing during the year and a half that I worked on the "Transfer of Technology" project at the SEAT automobile factory in Barcelona. The cars that were made in that factory had different specs, depending on the country to which they would be shipped. Spanish cars were badged SEAT; cars going to any other country were FIAT. French cars got yellow headlights. Cars going to Belgium got lighted side markers on the fenders. The optional (and expensive) upgrade to the MB diesel engine was available in cars that we manufactured for some countries, not for others. My job was the lead software guy on the tech team, to develop a system of tracking the cars through the final assembly line to insure compliance with all the specifications for each car -- a job that had previously been done by having a packet of paperwork attached to each chassis.

Ordered a 'used' donut tire kit on the 18th and got it yesterday,...22nd looks pretty good, I guess I need to make sure it fits and will work before I put it all in the trunk. I did not get the foam insert that keeps everything tight in the wheel well but I can figure that out later.

My Audi came with a collapsible spare. That’s a marketing term for flat tire. Yes to save space they give you a flat and a little air compressor.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:

Me Mercedes didn't have a spare & came with horrible Conti runflats. Swapped on non-RFTs & kept a patch kit in the trunk.

In Europe, they come with a spare

Mine came with a full-size spare, same brand / type as the other four. Maybe because I picked the car up at the factory delivery center in Sindlefingen? It was a U.S. model, ordered from Mercedes-Benz of North America, but held for factory delivery.

Guessing yours was the 240D?
My 240D & 300SD had spare tires.
The one that didn't was my 2015 C300

When we bought my wife's Ford Escape in 2017 only the AWD versions had the spare, the rest had the "Roadside repair kit". When I asked about it, the claimed it was due to the CAFE requirements, and for every 100lbs shed, it added 1 mpg to the vehicle.

When we bought our Nissans this year, I made sure they had spares and was presently surprised to see a full size in each one (Rogue for me, Kicks for the daughter)

Don't know why but I put the donut tire with jack and wrench in the car on Wednesday and then realized today I had not made sure it was actually the right tire and would fit. So, this afternoon I took it back out.... first problem was trying to figure out the place to put the jack.... the crazy part is there is no mention of how to actually change a tire in the 500+ page owners manual. Looking under the car and it is just about all plastic... but there is a metal seam just under the side and this is where the jack goes.... jack actually has a slit in the top that fits in this seam.... and the tire I bought does fit.

I'm still trying to figure out a way on line to upgrade/replace the goop canister in the original kit... so far all I've found on Amazon is a full replacement for compressor and goop which is $100.

I got the warning light that the fix the flat had expired. No problem.I call the dealership. Then the next, etc. Nobody carried one! I finally found one on EBay.Then decided to trade it in.

That's the consequences for purchasing these ridiculous vehicles. Wait until you see the rest of the hidden gems these lemons have in store for you.