I had a phone call from my wife this morning. "I've arrived at work and have a flat tyre".
First instinct was to tell her to ring the breakdown company, but then I remembered she's still on her winter wheels, and I need to swap to the summer ones anyway, so I agreed to come out to her work place.
It was indeed very flat. So flat I couldn't get my trolley jack underneath easily.
No problem. The car came with a space saver and jack. I'll just use that. Except, there was no jack to be found. The space saver was there, as was a jack handle and a wheel wrench, but I couldn't find a jack.
I almost gave up, but decided a final plan of attack - pump some air into the tyre. After that, everything was plain sailing using the trolley jack. I changed all four wheels while I was there.
I found the puncture - a great big screw, fortunately what looks a fairly repairable part of the tread.
Apparently Toyota will fix punctures for free if you use them for servicing. I'll have to do that in the next few days (or at least before next winter!!. It will give me a chance to ask them where the jack is - I reckon it's missing! The car is only a few months old but was a demonstrator so I imagine all sorts of things can go walkies.
At least it was a lovely day, not at the side of the motorway.
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Was that it??? What happened to the SAGA?
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I guess I've become used to the easy life! But yes, saga is over-selling it. I didn't even have to take a sledgehammer to the wheel to get it off (like I did last time I changed the wheel on my land cruiser).
In my younger days I can remember fixing a land rover accelerator linkage when there was a lion eating its prey a hundred yards or so away. I remember feeling a bit tense at the time!
Last edited by: Tigger on Wed 5 Mar 14 at 16:34
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If the car is only a few months old, it will be the third generation Yaris, and the jack should be under the front passenger seat.
Last edited by: Auristocrat on Wed 5 Mar 14 at 17:17
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I had a puncture 2 weeks ago, rear tyre on a Honda Accord estate. Stopped in the pouring rain, looked for a spare and there wasn't one..so
...drove it a mile and a half on a flat to a tyre place and had a new tyre fitted instead.
My time was worth more to me than sitting there for an hour waiting for an AA man, then having to go with him to the tyre place for a puncture repair, then back to put it back on.
...and there was no way I was having a repair done to a tyre i'd driven flat for a mile and half.
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"My time was worth more to me than sitting there for an hour waiting for an AA man, then having to go with him to the tyre place for a puncture repair, then back to put it back on."
If I remember correctly you are retired - that's some hourly rate in retirement !
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>> If I remember correctly you are retired - that's some hourly rate in retirement !
>>
I wish.
That's the only negative about retirement...having to wind your neck in from your previous salary...
...how are you managing Bromp?
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>> ...how are you managing Bromp?
>>
>>
I'm not finding it too bad but I'm atypical because I spent so much commuting while at work.
As well as the weekly/monthly season I was paying £7 a day to park and diesel for the 10 mile round trip to the station. Not to mention cost of lunchtime sarnies whether in 'Legal London' or as latterly round the corner from NSY.
Need more cash though for the lifestyle I want!! Currently looking for PT work to parallel with longer term objective of getting, via volunteering, into RP type advice work in CAB or similar.
(Apologies for thread drift)
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>> If the car is only a few months old, it will be the third generation
>> Yaris, and the jack should be under the front passenger seat.
>>
Thank you.
Just been to check, and so it is! What a bizarre place to put it!
Last edited by: Tigger on Wed 5 Mar 14 at 18:41
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It's good from the point of view of weight distribution to put a heavy object on the less used passenger side. Doubt though that is why!
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A work colleague had to be recovered with a puncture when he couldn't free the jack from behind the driver's seat on a Peugeot van. Apparently he'd kicked, bashed and swore at it for some considerable time.
His face was a picture when he was shown how to wind it down a little!
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>> His face was a picture when he was shown how to wind it down a
>> little!
>>
There's story somewhere of a dad and his son having a test run before a European road-trip and the lad being left to put the jack away. He couldn't get it back in its space so smashed it in with a hammer. Of course they then had a flat in the middle of nowhere while on holiday!
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>> Just been to check, and so it is! What a bizarre place to put it!
Is the handbook missing as well? Could it be under the drivers seat instead of the glovebox ;)
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D.E I'm 'liberated' and time is worth far more than when you are in paid employment. Money is not the only worth. I never want to waste time hanging around doing nothing : its too valuable.
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>> Is the handbook missing as well? Could it be under the drivers seat instead of
>> the glovebox ;)
>>
I was in despair when I needed to fit the space-save to my Merc as I knew it needed different bolts and they weren't in the holes MB had thoughtfully provided.
Thankfully it was during the day and I rang the supplying dealer to let rip. The service manager asked me to take the space saver out of the car. I did, and the bolts were in a bubble pack underneath, cleverly positioned so that you couldn't fail to notice them! Doh!
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RTFM!!!!!!!! But at least you were both honest.
Last edited by: jc2 on Thu 6 Mar 14 at 07:56
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I have just been caught out by my new car, I returned to the dealer because the rear hatch would not lock. I has a Smart key system with only one emergency keyhole in the drivers door. The service guy at the dealer said "Give me the key" and he walked about six feet away, then said "Now try to open the hatch" You can guess the rest. :-)
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Does it relock when the ignition is on and/or the engine is running? Otherwise traffic light thefts could become common place!
Some of these things are too smart for their own(ers) good!
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>> Does it relock when the ignition is on and/or the engine is running? Otherwise traffic
>> light thefts could become common place!
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Not that many cars auto-lock when driving.
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My car has a switch to lock the doors and boot when driving and,yes,I only found out by reading the manual!
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As does mine, a switch amongst the window and mirror controls on the armrest panel. I forget to use it as the Ceed auto locked at about 5mph. This car is only clever in some cases.
Last edited by: Uncle Albert on Thu 6 Mar 14 at 10:09
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>> As does mine, a switch amongst the window and mirror controls on the armrest panel.
>> I forget to use it as the Ceed auto locked at about 5mph. This car
>> is only clever in some cases.
Both our Berlingos have a central lock button on the dash. Short press to lock/unlock or longer to select/de select auto lock whih locks door above 5mph.
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Toyota Yaris II/Vitz - Saga of the puncture... - jc2
