On 19/10/2018 11:28, NY wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
news
On 19/10/2018 09:35, Brian Reay wrote:
How difficult would it have been for them to put a hexagonal head on
the bolt of the same size as the wheelnuts? That would have been a
proper solution.
Your spare wheel idea gets my vote.
There is an argument for no spare wheel at all since frankly 50% of
the population can't change one -Â* its an AA (or equivalent) callout
and they are quite capable of asking what tyre size you have and
fitting one at the roadside as trucks have long done
Do the roadside trucks carry a supply of spare tyres of all sizes and
the ability to fit the right tyre to your wheel?
No, but the people they call up bring the right one with them
I never knew that. I
thought they would just fit your spare and then leave you to find a
garage to get the puncture repaired - assuming garages are open at that
time. I've never had to use the AA or RAC to change a wheel - apart from
the one occasion when I couldn't release the spare wheel from its
under-floor cage, due to the stupid "screwdriver and screw" arrangement
that Peugeot used on the 306, and on that occasion I was able to change
the wheel myself. The RAC man said he'd give me £5 if I could do it
quicker than he could have done *using my wheelbrace, not power tools*.
I won :-)
When I reported the puncture to RAC, I wasn't asked what size tyre so
the RAC man could make sure he had the correct size in his van, and he
didn't offer to replace the tyre once he arrived.
I was gobsmacked that my wife would wait for AA, RAC or Green Flag
instead of changing it herself and being on her way in a few minutes. I
offered to show her how I do it, but she said no. The only time I
wouldn't change a wheel is if it's the offside when I'm on the hard
shoulder of the motorway, and even then I'd sacrifice the tyre and crawl
along the hard shoulder to the next junction to find somewhere safe to
replace it, or else give it a quick burst from my electric pump to make
it safe(r) to drive on for a short distance.
You and I are in a minority.
--
€œIdeas are inherently conservative. They yield not to the attack of
other ideas but to the massive onslaught of circumstance"
- John K Galbraith