Lack of spare wheel

[AES]

I was very surprised when looking at a Peugeot 308 as my possible new steed yesterday - it has NO spare wheel/tyre. After almost 50 years of driving I've had various types of spare, including the more modern "thin, bicycle-type tyres". But never before have I seen nothing at all.

All you're given to get you home in the event of a puncture is a funny little 12V compressor plus some chemical "goo" to pump into the affected tyre.

The sales bloke made the point that punctures are very rare these days, and I must say that I struggle to remember the last time I had a flat (it was years ago, and to be fair, was the reult of a b ---- y great masonry nail which I hadn't seen, no doubt dropped by the blokes doing some refurbishing in a multi-story car park where I happened to park).

And the sales bloke also made the point that I'm anyway covered by the "Get you home insurance" included with the car, which is also a fair enough comment.

But to me (old-fashioned to a fault I guess) I still have a feeling of unease about not having a spare wheel/tyre aboard at all.

So has anyone here any experience (positive ir negative) of "spare-less" motoring to share with me please? And anyone with any experience of this "get you home chemical goo" + compressor please?

Krgds
AES

 

[marcros]

I believe that the punctures are not repairable after the chemical goo, and that the tyre fitters are not keen on having to remove it.

I havent had many punctures until my latest car, (the first one to use expensive tyres!), and have had 2 since December. the first knackered the tyre, the second is a nail that is still in the tyre but isnt leaking. It needs 4 tyres on in the next couple of months so if I have to change it then i will just bring that forward.

 

[tomatwark]

If you like the car I would tell the salesman if he wants a sale he throws in the spare wheel and jack, he will get them trade anyway so will not cost him much.

I would never buy a car without a spare.

Tom

 

[Harbo]

Most new cars come without a spare.
With my car the choice is run-flats or normal tyres with a supplied foam spray - there isn't even a space to fit a spare tyre - it's occupied by the extra batteries for the autostop/start system.
My previous car came with run flats but none of the major tyre chains will repair them ( though my local, Independent one will ).
I eventually changed them to normal ones, only to get a slow puncture whilst on holiday. On a visit to KwikFit I was greeted with " we don't repair run-flats or tyres with foam"! As mine had neither they did a repair.
Because of this I bought an emergency wheel kit which fortunately fits my new car. But with no well, it has to travel in the boot.

It's a sad state of affairs forced on consumers by car manufacturers - it's about time there was a mass protest?

Rod

 

[finneyb]

I have had run flats for the last 8 years - I think they pick up more punctures that previous tyres, but that could be due to a different rubber.
Luckily all the punctures have been localish so the 50 miles and 50mph on the run flats has always got me home and to the garage.
They won't repair and I can understand why - when punctured they rely on the wall strength to continue running. The garage has no means of checking if the wall strength has been compromised by exceeding the 50mpg/50 miles criteria. So its a new tyre every puncture.

Seen a runflat shredded on the motorway by exceeding the 50mph - new wheel and tyre needed and probably lucky to maintain control of the vehicle.

To be fair I see tyres as safety equipment so even a new tyre is cheap at the price - although never seems so at the time.

I assume they done it to save either/both cost of a spare wheel and the weight --- if they are trying to get emissions down then weight is a factor.

Brian

 

[Sailormantom]

Goo wouldn't have helped me back in March when I hit a hidden pothole one dark and stormy night, dented the rim and damaged the sidewall of a week old tyre!

 

[mailee]

A good friend of mine is a tyre fitter and hates those cars with the compressor and goo. Apparently it is done to save weight due to getting the emission with the lean burn engines. They will supply a spare wheel/tyre but it will cost you as it is an optional extra. I personally think it is a rip off and a stupid idea not supplying a spare as a puncture will cost you more in the long run compared to a simple repair. I suppose it is keeping the breakdown services in work though. :roll:

 

[Spindle]

Hi

My preference is for the space saver wheel option - it takes away the potential for oversight when fitting a replacement normal spare and then 'forgetting' to get the puncture fixed.

Regards Mick

 

[marcros]

I guess that part of it is whether the user is going to be able to fit the spare if they break down. I doubt my wife would even try- she would just ring the breakdown people or me. If she did have a go I doubt she would manage to undo the wheel nuts. In theory she could manage the goo and compressor if we had that, but again I doubt she would try.

 

[Paul Chapman]

If there is room for a spare, tell the salesman that if he wants a sale he should provide a spare and a jack at no extra cost. I've done that twice now and got the spare and jack.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[RogerS]

Interesting thread.

Our elderly RX8 uses goo but luckily never had to use it. The goo reached its sell-by date recently and so had to be replaced.

The equally elderly S2000 has a slim spare....slow speed only. Used it once.

And the slightly more modern but nevertheless still geriatric Discovery has a proper spare.

Slightly digressing, talking over with my local 4x4 local garage I get the sense that modern cars now cost an arm and a leg to get repaired. All these complicated electronic management units for this and that, linked to emission control doofers for this and that..to the extent that you can't always replace just one bit. I was expressing my concern about the latest bill for the Disco when they pointed out that had it been a Disco 3 or 4 then I could easily have added a zero to the bill!

 

[Woodchips2]

I've had a car with an emergency only spare wheel and had a puncture. That worked fine until I could get the puncture repaired.

My current car has a proper spare wheel and I had a blow-out in the side wall when I hit a lump of metal in the road. I don't think 'goo' would have been much use!

I wouldn't be keen to have a car without a spare wheel although an emergency only spare would suffice.

Regards Keith

 

[mailee]

I have to agree with your garage Roger, Most repairs on cars nowadays are very expensive due to all the electronics. I am not a fan of electronics on vehicles, too much to go wrong and when they do there's not much you can do about it but take it to a garage. It seems like everything on a car now needs a laptop. :roll: Mind you Doctor Bob does say that I am stuck in the 70's. "Fire up the Quattro" :lol:

 

[toesy]

A lot of people knock run flats.

Here are my reasons why I like them and continue to use them

A) A Run Flat will can be driven on for approx. 150miles @ 50mph, which gets me home or at least to a tyre retailer.
B) My family wont be with me on the side of motorway, waiting for someone to come and get me.
C) A blowout on a run flat is very unlikely, since blowouts are usually on the side wall which is reinforced.

Once driving back on the M54 my cars dash showed the puncture light, this was after 30mins of traveling, so I pretty sure this happened en route.

Downsides - more expensive to buy, large tyre repairers don't like to repair them or wont, a harder ride.

My view is this, the biggest danger to a stranded driver & their family is, the other car, or local thieves.

All I want to do is get my family to safety.

 

[woodfarmer]

The real problem is when you are short of time. for instance I have a 300 mile run to the ferry port and only one overnight each day. When I lived in Cornwall it was also a 300 mile or thereabouts run to an airport.
The skinnys are useless only good for 30 mph and 100 miles max. The run flats worse. I always obtaina full sized wheel and keep it in the boot. personally I believ all road tests of cars should be made with the spare or substitute installed. That would alter things. besides, no way would a punctured car pass an MOT with a skinny or other bodge in place. So It isn't safe.

 

[AES]

Thanks very much for all the inputs Gents - there were several points above which were new to me.

As the car in question does have space for a full-size spare (if you throw the funny plastic liner away and stow the compressor elsewhere), and as it does have a jack included as standard, it seems a no-brainer to do a deal with the garage and order a proper spare.

So that's what I'll do, thanks again.

Krgds
AES

 

[pip1954]

hi when ibought my fiesta it had goo kit so as soon as i could got a spare wheel i would never use the goo waste of time and space
i like the reasurance of the spare wheel in the boot.
i think it is a of order that manufacters are they should put spares back.
pip

 

[MMUK]

The Renault range all have full size spare wheels, even my little Twingo

 

[Ed Bray]

Six years ago I bought a new Zafira, I used to do a bit of Wedding DJ work and wanted a big car to carry all the stuff, one night I got a flat, the side wall had completely split, fortunately it was as I arrived at the venue, I started the gig and 5 hours later came out to put the spare on, no spare, just a crappy compressor and a can of gunk, no use on a side wall split. Had to leave the stuff at the hotel overnight and get my wife to travel the 18 miles to Tavistock to pick me up. Next morning, back to Tavistock, take off the wheel, to the tyre fitter, new tyre back to the car, put the wheel back on and then load the car. On the Monday morning I was at the Vauxhall Garage buying a New wheel and then went and had it fitted with a tyre, I carried that tyre around in the boot for the following 5 years without it being required, but I had peace of mind.

Last year I bought a new Astra Sports Tourer (posh for estate car) , I stated that I only wanted a full sized spare and it cost me an additional £70 for the cradle, wheel and tyre in replacement of the compressor and gunk, cheap for peace of mind over the 5 years I keep a car.

 

[KevM]

Hmm, all this talk of spares makes me wonder - when I did last check the pressure in my spare? Also, where's the long handled wheel wrench I bought after having to bounce up and down on the wheel brace that came with the car after the tyre fitter torqued the wheel nuts up to 11... it eventually took the RAC guy with a Samson bar to undo the nuts.