Half of motorists 'can't change a wheel'

[Aitcho]

I came across an interesting story on 'Yahoo Cars' regarding flat tyres:-

http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/news/half-motorists-change-wheel-100500256.html

The article also mentioned that an "estimated 8.8 million motorists suffered a flat tyre every year"!

[DV]

I`m not surprised...

[chrisc]

I don't think that is right, more like 80%

Of these

45% are too lazy to find out how
20% don't know how to jack up the car
15% don't know what the tools are for
10% are too frightened to do it
5% try and find the wheel nuts too tight
5% have had their spare wheel and/or tools stolen

My neighbour who was a high-school principal and who had VW Beetles right up to 1975 was convinced that there was no battery in his car.  He just turned the key, he said.  When he bought a new Golf, the battery was evident in the engine compartment.  In those days we had a few Beetles and I showed him the battery under the back seat.  He was amazed.  Not a lazy guy but totally devoid of common sense.

[guest2865]

Under rear seat and mine was 6 volt !!  (1965 model)

[guest2765]

I don't think that is right, more like 80%

Of these

45% are too lazy to find out how
20% don't know how to jack up the car
15% don't know what the tools are for
10% are too frightened to do it
5% try and find the wheel nuts too tight
5% have had their spare wheel and/or tools stolen

This i believe but you forgot the 5% who bought a car without checking it still had the tools..

thankfully I can change a tyre..if it came down to it. i dont think my mum could not due to not knowing how. My dad wouldnt be able to...dont think he realises how a locking wheel nut works (since the volvo came with locking wheel nuts as standard)

[guest3170]

0.1% have a wife who buys a car with no spare that also happens to come with no wheel wrench and no jack. They then find that although their trusty trolley jack will raise the car, the fancy high-domed wheelnuts don't fit in their "spare" wheel wrench   

Changing wheels twice per year for two cars (summer/winter)  improves speed and technique, but it still surprises me that there are young, fit, able bodied people who will give cash to a garage to do the job...

[Ozzie]

Don't forget the few who are physically unable to change the wheel, either not being strong enough or heavy enough to get enough force on the wheel wrench, after spotty oik has used an air gun to weld the nuts on.

Luckily I am a big lad so my size 13 boot on the wheel wrench is usually enough for it to submit its grip, but my missus would have no chance, although she knows how to do it, doing it is a different matter . . . a bit like me and hoovering   

[culzean]

I wonder how many calls to roadside assistance (AA, RAC, Green Flag etc.) are from people who have a puncture and either don't have the tools or knowledge or simply don't want to get their hands dirty!  These are taking up time and it means people with 'real' breakdowns have to wait longer.

I know people who can't even be bothered to check their oil, radiator or even screen-wash bottle between services - I drove one of their cars once and nothing but dust came out of the windscreen washer jets !!  They probably never look at tyre pressures either.

if you are worried about not being able to get nuts off,  there are plenty of 'telescopic' wrenches on the market,  extend them to give extra oomph when undoing and collapse them to put nuts back on.

[Aitcho]

if you are worried about not being able to get nuts off,  there are plenty of 'telescopic' wrenches on the market,  extend them to give extra oomph when undoing and collapse them to put nuts back on.

I have a Draper 'telescopic' wheel wrench which was purchased on eBay and cost £11.58 including delivery and it certainly shifts obstinate wheel nuts.

A relative spent sometime loosening all the wheel nuts on my car and re-torquing them to 80ft-lb (108Nm) to ensure that I would not encounter any overtightened ones.

[guest582]

I tried to change an alloy wheel (on a Polo) a few weeks ago and failed because the wheel had corroded on to the hub. The man at the tyre place told me that this was quite common with alloy wheels and they get them off by whacking the wheel with a rubber mallet. I had tried this but there is a limit how hard you can hit a wheel when it is just supported by the jack that came with the car - so don't knock everyone who can't change a wheel because it may happen to you someday.

The incident has put me off alloy wheels and also made me think that I may have been wasting my time insisting on a spare for my Jazz. A spare wheel is not a lot of use if you can't get the original wheel off.

[caseyjones]

Hear hear. When you consider all the disadvantages, there's very little to be said for alloy wheels. They're of as much practical benefit as go-faster stripes.

[JazzyB]

Best thing to

I tried to change an alloy wheel (on a Polo) a few weeks ago and failed because the wheel had corroded on to the hub. The man at the tyre place told me that this was quite common with alloy wheels and they get them off by whacking the wheel with a rubber mallet. I had tried this but there is a limit how hard you can hit a wheel when it is just supported by the jack that came with the car - so don't knock everyone who can't change a wheel because it may happen to you someday.

Best thing to do is to remove each wheel and coat the places where it contacts the hub with a 'copper type' grease.

Never had any problems removing a wheel since.

The incident has put me off alloy wheels and also made me think that I may have been wasting my time insisting on a spare for my Jazz. A spare wheel is not a lot of use if you can't get the original wheel off.

Best thing to do is to remove each wheel and coat the places where it contacts the hub with a 'copper type' grease.

Never had any problems removing a wheel since.

[caseyjones]

Is 'copper grease'  a reference to corruption in the police force?

[chrisc]

I thought it was a substitute for Marmite

[guest2765]

Hear hear. When you consider all the disadvantages, there's very little to be said for alloy wheels. They're of as much practical benefit as go-faster stripes.

^ haha this is true...I like my alloys for how they look, knowing they dont benefit the car that much..case of better grip but added weight vs lighter but less grip (195 thick alloys vs 185 thick steels) - not heard anyone refer to vynal stripes as go faster stripes since school though :O (even then it was a teacher who refered to them as such)