Leoness has developed an addiction to shopping channels since I bought one of those freeview box things. I noticed last night that one of the channels (think it was QVC) they were selling motoring bits and pieces at incredible prices. I decided to have a look. They were selling a product called greased lightening you know the stuff, put this potion in your engine oil this one into your fuel your car will drive like new, you'll double your miles per gallon, you'll become more attractive to the opposite sex blah blah blah. They guy talked for over half an hour about this stuff!!!!!
Anyhow, the deal clincher was that they would throw in a free can of tyre weld, he then went on for half an hour extolling the virtues of tyre weld.
However, this is the point for discussion......
He did state, many manufacturers (but did not name any) are not providing spare wheels in their cars, in the interest of offering more boot space or words to that effect, and were instead providing cans of tyre weld instead. In the event of a roadside puncture, the motorist would not need to risk life and limb trying to change a wheel, which by his estimation would take ten minutes, whipping out a can of this stuff attaching the nozzle to the valve and squirting a dose into the punctured wheel would have you back en-route in just two mintues.
Can anyone confirm the accuracy of the no spare wheel allegation?
If so presumably we no longer get a jack or wheelbrace with said motor?
I have always assumed tyre weld to be a temporary emergeny repair, I would not fancy running at motorway speed with a tyre full of epanded styrofoam....
If you can run at motorway speed with tyres full of this stuff, surely manufacturers would be filling the tyres at the factory and claiming puncture resistant tyres as standard???
Comments please,
Leon
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Some manufacturers don't include spare wheels on some models, but those models are usually equipped with run-flat tyres. I have heard of cars being supplied with a puncture sealant and a mini-compressor in lieu of a spare, but I don't remember which one exactly. I think it was a German prestige brand (MB or Porsche?).
I don't know about tyre-weld specifically, but other puncture sealant products I have come across were not "expanded styrofoam". They were a liquid substance in a presurized container, and none of them were inteneded to get you further than the nearest tyre repair facility. The liquid once introduced into the tyre would find its way to the source of the leak and would serve to block the leak once it dried.
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I saw the same progrramme whilst channel hopping (it's actually a regular feature) and it was rightly made clear that using the Instant Spare product was a temporary measure only and that the tyre should be repaired as soon as possible.
The company has a website:
www.greasedlightning.co.uk/index.html
One thing that does amaze me about these shopping channels such as QVC and Ideal World is a presenter's ability to drone on and on about one, perhaps even two, products for the best part of an hour...:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Its certainly the case with Audis A2 and done so on the basis that owners prefer space to clutter. Given the 3 year Warranty now includes Roadside Assistance to include punctures it becomes less of a worry. HOWEVER Should you choose to use it, the car has some sort of sealing compound and a 12v compressor to re-inflate as a temp repair. I believe there are guide lines about its use such as MPH and max distance before the need for a permanent repair.
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Honda Accord comes with 12v air pump and an aerosol tyre sealant, full size spare is an option.
Ok, it frees up space but that space is under the boot floor, so you'd have to get everything out of the boot to access it.
For those family journeys when your taking everything bar the kitchen sink, you'd use the space but for everyday use, no.
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my bmw mini had an air pump and a can of trye weld in the boot!!!
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Honda Accord comes with 12v air pump and an aerosol tyre sealant, full size spare is an option.
The option is a space saver spare, mine is not full size.
One for Mondeo Drivers - even the "full size" spare is not the same size as the rest of the wheels on the car - check if you don't believe me.
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If you can run at motorway speed with tyres full of this stuff, surely manufacturers would be filling the tyres at the factory and claiming puncture resistant tyres as standard???
A year or so ago I received a flyer from a local second-hand car dealer offering to do exactly that. The leaflet looked professionally produced, suggesting that the product was being sold by franchises. If it were any good, wouldn't everyone be doing it?
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Most tyreshops in the uk were approached by a firm offering a local franchise on pre fill tyresealant. Don`t know of any serious players who took up the offer. When used tyres become virtually unrepairable, and if that good then all the major manufacturers would not be investing heavily in runflats. suggest you look at the thread currently running in the technical section of the room... reminds me weren`t QVC running something called cataclean !!!!! say no more.
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Plenty of vehicles no longer come with spares as standard - Audi A2 (is available as a no cost options when the car is ordered, but it's rarely highlighted). BMW Mini, smart fortwo and Roadster. BMW has run flat tyres as an option, A2 comes with sealant and pump, but they also supply a jack. smart comes with nothing as standard - they sell a breakdown kit for a vast sum, but spending £10 in Halfords will achieve the end result.
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BMW 1-series has no spare either (according to HJ's CBCB).
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BMW 1-series has no spare either (according to HJ's CBCB).
Bmw 1 series totally fitted on runflats. Just announced all 3 series will be fitted with runflats as OE. By mid 06 all beemers apparently whatever series will be fitted with runflats. Yippee from the trade.....
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7 seat Touran and Grand Scenic also have no spare wheel - the extra seats store where the wheel would be. Probably other small mpvs are similar.
The other question is: what happens if you get a puncture that cannot be temporarily repaired with goo? I had a tyre deflate suddenly at 70mph in the outside lane and by the time I stopped on the hard shoulder, the sidewall was split and the tyre wrecked. If I remember correctly, the motoring organisations had an exclusion clause if you were not carrying a servicable spare - is this still so? How would you get off the motorway - trailered off to tyre depot is ok during the working day, but what happens outside hours?
JohnM
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If you don't have a spare you need to check with your breakdown company. AA seem to change their policy, sometimes they will attend sometimes not, Autonational won't, Green Flag will. If you do get a puncture and you have no spare it's treated the same as any breakdown and depends on your membership level - usually its - fix it at the side of the road, contact a mobile fitter, take you to a fitter, take you home, take you to your destination.
Also remember that a full size spare wheel may not have the same size tyre as those fitted to the other four wheels of the car - my dad's Fiesta being a case in point. If this is the case the spare is for emergency use only.
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The AA dont have a leg to stand on to refuse to attend a car with a puncture and no spare wheel where not fitted as standard.
The clause states "YOUR" failure to carry a legal and serviceable spare wheel and tyre.
Its not YOUR failure to carry it. The car is as standard from the factory and they are obliged to assist.
What they wont do is PAY for new rubber, fitting of tyre to rim, puncture repair or the cost of calling out a mobile fitter etc. They are obliged however to recover to, or facilitate the services of, such a service.
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that assumes that your tyre has not been torn to shreds (as mine was after a blowout at 90 70mph. All I know is that my car has a full size spare wheel in the boot.
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My 4 year old Rover 25 turbo diesel 24k miles has an unused 50mph MAXIMUM only spare tyre with wheel.
Penny pinching at its best.
Why?
Den.
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IIRC the UK buying public rightly built up a campaign some years ago to ensure that a proper spare wheel was supplied with new cars, rather than the temporary spares.
One of the marques involved, again if I remember correctly, was VW - my final Jetta had a rear boot cover that had a hump in it to enable it to lie flat over the full sized spare.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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In the last 25 years of motoring I can't remember ever having a puncture. My Audi coupe was famous for wasted boot space with the positioning of the spare wheel so it spent it's time in the garage and I took the risk.
Personally I wouldn't want to take the risk of changing a wheel by a dark roadside without half a dozen flashing lights, some spotlights and a fluorescent jacket which the recovery people all have.
I think modern tyres seem to be more puncture proof than the crossplies of the 1970's and have no doubt the loss of the starter handle had people similarly complaining to manufacturers of the time.
PS, I do keep the fluorie jacket on the back shelf, it keeps tailgaters at bay ;-)
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I thought you all might be interested in an experience I had 25years ago with a product (long since forgotten the name) that I put in my BMW (1974 R90S) motorcycle tyres. It was supposed not only to seal most punctures but dynamically balance the whole wheel. It was a thick viscous black stuff in a pressurized tin and went in the valve stem with the core temporarily removed, As far as its effectiveness at sealing punctures - I never got one, but who knows whether I would have otherwise. The remarkable thing, though was the feeling of perfectly balanced wheels. When you first started out after application the wheels were horrendously unbalanced but within a mile or so, as it distributed itself, the ride became smoother than I had ever felt before and it was REALLY pleasant. I would buy it again if it were available.
Presumably any thick viscous substance, which I imagine most sealers of this type are, would provide the same side benefit.
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