You’re on a country lane, it’s dark and you get a flat tyre. Or your car breaks down, or maybe you’ve accidently run out of fuel. What do you do? Probably phone dad, but what if you get no answer or there’s no signal?
Now I know this is boring stuff, until you need it, so please read on, I’ve kept this as short as possible.
This is why you should have breakdown cover. AA or RAC are the best known companies, or you may have breakdown cover that came with your car insurance policy. If you have breakdown cover, do you have you saved their phone number you need saved? If not then put it in your phone now. If you have no breakdown cover they buy it now.
The breakdown patrol person can fix simple mechanical problems and often do a temporary repair to a tyre. If they can’t fix your problem on the spot, if you have relay/recovery cover they will get you and your car home or to a garage/tyre shop. If you have home-start they will also come out if your car is at home or close to home.
If you have a spare wheel but don’t know how to change it, the recovery patrol can do it for you, but you really should read your car manual and learn how to do it for yourself so you don’t have to wait for them.
IMPORTANT: Know where your locking wheel nut is if you have alloy wheels. Without this your wheel cannot be taken off and changed. It’s probably either in your glove box, or in the boot under the carpet.
Newer cars tend to come with a puncture repair kit instead of a spare wheel. Easy to use, a bottle of thick liquid that fixes into a pump that plugs i nto the 12v socket inside your car. It pumps the gunk into the tyre with air to inflate it. Then you usually have to drive 3 miles or so it spreads around inside. When it goes into the hole and hits the air, it seals the hole. Good for small holes in the tread, but no good for holes in the side wall or much bigger holes/gashes. It also ruins the inside of the tyre, so you’ll need it replaced. It usually advises not to drive over 50mph with it in, but check the instructions on yours.
I find it easier to use this. Most petrol stations sell them. Good as an extra back-up.
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A good idea to have a 12v air pump in your boot too. I bought a posh one for £85, but you can get much cheaper simpler ones.
Do you know if your car has a spare wheel or a puncture repair kit? If a spare wheel then is the jack, wheel brace and locking wheel nut all there too? Have you been checking if the tyre has air in it? If it’s a puncture repair kit then is it new and ready to use, or empty as the last car owner used it and never replaced it?
Have a look for these things under the carpet in the boot of your car in the daylight, as if and when you need them, it may be dark.