The thing that's really amusing is that cars like the 207 and many more which had a spare now have a massive lump of polystyrene to fill the gap that the lack of spare now >> leaves.
What a waste! You'd think that they would at least convert the area into storage space.
About the lack of a spare in the Octavia...it could be worse. At least they are not fitting run-flat tyres yet.
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Actually, a spare wheel (either full-size or space-saver, depending, I think, on type of wheels fitted) is now a £50 optional extra on July 09 onwards Octavias.
Can't really see any excuse for not supplying a full-size spare wheel on a car with a boot THAT size...
Edited by Typ 8L on 14/07/2009 at 02:22
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Can't really see any excuse for not supplying a full-size spare wheel on a car with a boot THAT size...
It's not totally about size/space. It's also about cost. Car manufacturers have to draw the line somewhere regarding the specification to enable them to sell to their chosen market sector.
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Yes, been perusing the Skoda brochures and £50 for a space saver or a full sized spare with a steel wheel. Looks like they are trying to push the cars into the lowest tax bands and all weight counts to that.
Amazingly, some of the petrol & diesel Octavias are now in the £35 tax band with EU V emissions.
A DPF seems to be fitted as standard now on the new 1.6l CR diesel- claimed not to be a problem if you drive more than 25 miles per day.
Edited by Glaikit Wee Scunner {P} on 14/07/2009 at 09:30
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Car manufacturers have to draw the line somewhere regarding the specification >>
I can think of dozens of other areas where they could cut the specification before cutting out spare wheels.
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'I can think of dozens of other areas where they could cut the specification before cutting out spare wheels.'
Damn right. It all smacks of penny-pinching ? but in completely the wrong area!
I've quite possibly mentioned this before (hah) but I've run 2 Octavias for the past 11-years. I've used both spares fleetingly on a couple of occasions to get me to a local garage for nail removal/tyre repair etc. but then put them straight back in the hatch, so I suppose you could argue that to supply full alloys is an extravagance for such infrequent use.
However, such 'scaling-back' sends out the wrong type of message to me, so I'm sorry Skoda, but I won't be buying a 3rd Octavia from you now!
I seriously hope that Jag, Fiat and Infiniti don't introduce similar measures between now and 2020...
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>>I've used both spares fleetingly on a couple of occasions to get me toa local garage for nail removal/tyre repair etc.
Thats OK, but what happens when you are driving 300 odd miles on a Sunday afternoon / evening and you have a puncture or damage to a tyre, even a spacesaver spare is going to be a pain, and a can of sticky repair gunge may not work. I would not trust a tyre inflated with a repair can anyway.
Edited by Old Navy on 14/07/2009 at 11:27
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I concur fully with that viewpoint.
Are you listening Skoda ? you're in danger of alienating people who know better than you do?...
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Ricky, you could still buy a Skoda, just forget to leave the spare in the trade in.
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'Nowhere for a spare in an S-Max...'
Incredible ? and all in a vehicle designed to accomodate families!
My brother runs a (company) S-Max to transport his wife & three young children (under the age of 6) around at weekends. Just the sort of scenario you'd like to find yourself in at the side of the M40/M25 on a dark, wet Sunday evening then:
"Wonder where the spare's kept? Oh, I suspect it'll be under the five suitcases, folding push-chair, plastic baby-bath, giant cuddly toy and your parent's C*******s presents. Ah, erm."
Still, I'm sure he must be well aware of that fact as he works in the 'industry'!
This 'lack of a suitable spare' issue has consequently shot to the top of my list of criteria for choosing my next new motor ? forget the right pearlescent coloured paint job, forget sheer raw performance, forget head-turning looks and sleekness! "Does it come with a spare-wheel that'll do the job it's supposed to do?"...
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IMO, you would have to be mad to buy a car without a spare wheel.
What happens when your tyre shreds on a Sunday Night or over a bank holiday , will you be happy to wait until the main dealer opens on a Monday morning and then order your wheel? "we had a lot of punctures over the weekend guvnor, wheels are on back-order but we should have them in in a couple of weeks"
Crazy
MVP
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I don't know what the problem is with run-flat tyres. My BMW has them and the ride is firm but not uncomfortable - it's no worse than my friend's Focus.
The alternatives:
1. A full-size spare - probably the "best" option but uses boot space and increases fuel consumption a tiny bit because you're carrying it around all the time, plus the jack. There's also risks involved in changing a flat tyre, particularly on a motorway or other busy road.
2. Space-saver. As (1) but less fuel consumption penalty but still the risk of changing the wheel. Also limited to 50 miles at 50mph
3. "Get you home kit" - works on small punctures but the tyre is basically unrepairable unless the tyre place doesn't mind cleaning out the inside of the tyre before repairing it.
4. Run-flats - no need to stop when you have a puncture. Reommended 50 miles at 50mph but probably further. Tyre not repairable due to potential sidewall damage. No spare and jack (saves weight and space). No need to stop and change the wheel when you have a puncture. More expensive than normal tyres.
So in my book, the only prolem with RFTs is the price. If the suspension on the car is designed to cope with the stiffer sidewall of an RFT there is no penalty in terms of ride comfort.
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Andy P - have you read the thread about BMW wheels running runflats cracking? Cost to replace the tyre becomes slightly more expensive than just the rubber when you need to replace an alloy.
4 - "Tyre not repairable due to potential sidewall damage" - so a small screw in the tyre costs you £150+ rather than the £10 a repair would cost - I have had far more tyres repaired than replaced due to punctures.
If a car as small as an Aygo can have a full size replacement wheel there's no reason any car can't have them.
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I don't know what the problem is with run-flat tyres. My BMW has them and the ride is firm but not uncomfortable - it's no worse than my friend's Focus.
Putting aside any debates on ride quality etc, there is one other issue. Run flat tyres are fine and dandy except for the fact that you cannot drive on them forever before you need to find a tyre repairer. I do a lot of continnetal driving and wouldn't like to be stuck in the middle of France on a Sunday afternoon with a punctured run-flat, give me a spare any day !
Are we really gaing so much by not having one ? It has put me off ver getting a BMW again, and I have had 3 or 4 in the past.
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My previous BM had a spacesaver. Fortunately I never had to use it. The new one has runflats. I'm OK with them as at least I can get home. But I won't like it if I happen to be in the wilds of Scotland on holiday, or halfway down France and I have to go at 50 mph. Better then being totally stuck.
I've been thinking about an Octavia as my next car. It's OK if you can get a spare as an option, but not OK if, like the S-Max, there isn't even a space for it to fit in. That would rule it out for me. I gotta be able to get home.
I last had a puncture about 3 years ago. 15 minutes later I was on my way.
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A run flat with a badly ripped side wall is of little use.
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I can think of dozens of other areas where they could cut the specification before cutting out spare wheels.
Everyone has their own preferences. I wouldn't buy a car which didn't have a spare wheel, but I wouldn't mind if manual aircon was standard and the car had reversing sensors in place of climate control. However, I expect that few others would agree with that. It's horses for courses.
Edited by L'escargot on 14/07/2009 at 17:34
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Whilst I would personally prefer to have a spare wheel on board I can see the manufacturers' view to some extent. Maybe I've just been lucky (and I'm tempting fate by sayng this) but I have had one (yes, one!) puncture in my 28 years of driving. I remember it distinctly: August 1990 on the way back from a holiday in Suffolk, and because it occurred at speed the damage done before I could pull over wrecked the tyre anyway.
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I'm sure that in an ideal (car designers) world with 24hr 365 days tyre fitters available with every known tyre size in stock and no more than 30 minutes away, run-flats would be fine.
Unfortunately sod's law dictates that punctures happen when:
1. The tyre fitters are shut or,
2. If they are open don't have the right tyre in stock or,
3. You are out of mobile phone reception when you need to ring them anyway.
Let me know when we have an ideal world, and I'll willingly buy a car with run-flats, as I quite fancy a BMW 335d!
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I personally have no issue with not having a spare wheel. The reality for me (touch wood) is that I haven't had a flat/damaged tyre in over 8 years and this is at an average of 40,000 miles per annum. I have saved weight (hence fuel) and space by not carrying a spare that hasn't been needed in 32 years of annual average mileage. I may have been lucky, I agree.
I also have to pose the question, how many new (ish) cars actually haved their wheels changed by the owner/keeper if they do actaully get a flat? We may be motoring enthusiasts so are more likely to do it ourselves however I see the roadservices often changing wheels at the roadside. If they are changing the wheel, they would take you to a garage if you don't have a tyre. If it's a Sunday, the AA/RAC have facilities to get you a hire car if necessary out of hours.
It all comes down to economics. Sure a few peole will be put out by it, by the majority will save the cost of the wheel in the car price, the cost of fuel (weight saving) and the extra space. These savings on the many may outweigh the roadservices towing a car to a garage or hiring them a car for the few.
Tin hat on as I know plenty will not agree with this post...
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I certainly would prefer a proper spare but in the car before this I stuck with the space saver - it meant the lease company couldn't play their usual game of trying to re-use the spare when you need new tyres.
I have actually only had one flat tyre in about 14 years. And that tyre thankfully deflated over night after driving back from Brittany via Roscoff/Plymouth to Manchester. And the next morning the fun started when the lease company would only replace that one worn directional treaded tyre... I made 'em see sense in the end.
My current car has the sub-woofer in the middle of the spare wheel.
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I haven't had a flat tyre on one of my own vehicles for donkey's either..though had a few truck punctures over the years.
But sod's law dictates that within 6 months of being daft enough to buy a car with no useable spare will see a completely ruined tyre on a wet Saturday night and SWMBO in her finest frock and fur coat.
Not going there.
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I suggest everyone who is concerned goes to Skoda's website and comments under 'contact us' . A substantial weight of opinion might make them realise that to make 'happy drivers' (their slogan) requires a bit of long-term thinking. Losing loyal customers is not worth the penny-pinching: making a spare wheel a no-cost option might be a sensible compromise.
Run-flats are a partial answer but surely there must be occasions when something in the road manages to shred a run-flat in such a way that only the 'flat' bit is true.
Edited by Avant on 14/07/2009 at 20:13
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Given a choice, I'd swap the run-flats on my 335d for normal tyres. However, BMW have implied that "any problems related to this will affect the warranty" - just another excuse to weasel out of paying. Also, the exhaust means there's no room for a spare (unless I just throw it in the boot and loose a considerable amount of space. What makes this more puzzling is that you can buy a space-saver kit for the 3-series for 150 notes, but where do you put the damn thing?
Anyway, for now, I'll put up with the run flat tyres because the car itself is brrrilliant and no other diesel comes close.
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Having shredded a tyre (my fault) on a dark wet night in my Skoda Superb I'm in no doubt about the value of a spare wheel. As I tow a heavy trailer frequently, a "scooter wheel" spare will not do.
I wonder what the position is regarding crash performance in the event of a rear shunt if the spare wheel is "deleted" by the maker. I'd like to know if these vehicles were re-submitted for crash performance testing.
In the case of the Skoda, the dealer from whom I purchased my car was most accomodating in terms of equipping it with the (steel) wheels of my choice in place of the alloys originally fitted. A wise decision as the tyre destruction also bent the rim, which I have been able to hammer straight. I'm sure a Skoda dealer worth his salt would not lose a sale for the sake of including a servicable spare.
659.
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I have had several punctures in the last 15 years. All bar one was repaired for less than £15. All needed my spare to get me to the tyre shop. The last puncture was last week at 8pm in the wife's car. Swapped the wheels over the tyre was replaced the next day. But that night we were both able to go to separate appointments in our cars. But not if we had no spare.
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I've been in touch with Skoda UK via their website and telephone. They agreed if enough people contact them about the spare wheel omission , something will be done.
So get doing folks.
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Just posted the following on your other thread, GWS, so I'll repeat it here:
I E-mailed Skoda UK and said that this was a poor, short-termist decision and goes against the mantra of creating happy motorists: they may not act on it but at last someone from Skoda rang me up yesterday and promised that it would be considered by management. Others may like to E-mail them as well.
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Others may like to E-mail them as well.
Done, and i also added that i wouldn't buy a used car in the future either without a proper spare...and that is the truth too.
If those of us in the BR do this, and most of us can put together a coherent letter, then it might just help to change the corporate mind.
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