No recovery, spare tyre, in pub
 

so I went out for a beer tonight. Nothing new. Had permission from her indoors. Out of the blue the phone in the bar rings and passed to me.

The sister in laws car has locked up on the motorway. Martin(brother) wants me to go to help him. Big problem, on pint number 4.

So go home and phone him for the real story. His wife's Merc has alloy wheels and a puncture. He has gone up to change it but the wheel bolts are too long when he puts the cheapy steel wheel spare on and go through the hub and lock it against the back plate.

All I can suggest is we wait for my daughter to come home and drive me up with a pocket full of washers to pack it out.

We get there park up behind hazards on, already cursed the wife for throwing out my brand new never been worn fluorescent coat. (I didn't think you would ever wear it) and kneel on the outside of the hard shoulder looking out for killer trucks.

Whoopie my spare wheel bolts that my locking bolts replaced fit his car. So we only need to pack out one extra long bolt. Follow him home safely. His wife having pinched his car to go off the the Royal Preston for her night shift.

Question

1) Will I ever see my spare bolts again?
2) Will he buy some bolts in case he needs to use his spare again
3) Why the f**** does he let his wife drive a bloody great Merc C class without a recovery. "It is so reliable I never saw the need", will he now put his hand in his pocket tight git.

So people out there with posh after market wheels. Will your spare still fit?

I suggest you check before you need to find out.

Re: No recovery, spare tyre, in pub
 

Before someone asks. I did ask him why he could not simply blow it up. she had driven 6 miles flat and shreaded it. Stopped when she could smell burning

Re: No recovery, spare tyre, in pub
 

My wife the other day...."Darling, I was going to ask you to look at the car, it's been making a strange rattle from the engine, but don't worry, it's stopped doing it now. There is a strange red light though, does that mean anything?"

I go and have a look, the pulley on the end of the alternator had come off....

There was another twist. I had to take the alternator into the dealers so they could match up the new pulley. They offered to swop it over for me. Five minutes later red faced mechanic comes out. "The good news is we got the pulley off, the bad news is the alternator fell out of the vice and cracked the casing. Would sir mind waiting a few days for a new replacement alternator...." Oh well!

Re: No recovery, spare tyre, in pub
 

Also wonder if cars with the skinny spare wheel will have the same problem Tim.

Re: No recovery, spare tyre, in pub
 

Not all the crapy breakdown seat altea I have does have the skinny wheel with extra bits so bolts aren't to long. It's a shame they don't supply a spare turbo or glow plugs or rocker gaskets and several litres of oil ready for a 30k engine failure doing 80 on the m54.

Re: No recovery, spare tyre, in pub
 

Some of the new cars are coming with a can of air repair instead of the space saver now too.

Re: No recovery, spare tyre, in pub
 

I imagine the answers are

Question

1) Will I ever see my spare bolts again?
No
2) Will he buy some bolts in case he needs to use his spare again
No ..because see 1)
3) Why the f**** does he let his wife drive a bloody great Merc C class without a recovery. "It is so reliable I never saw the need", will he now put his hand in his pocket tight git.
He has recovery via your mobile number ;)

I just imagine throwing whatever I lend in the bin..therefore not disappointed when I dont get it back.

Re: No recovery, spare tyre, in pub
 

Not going to help if some spackwench has driven it flat for half an hour and it's shredded!

Re: No recovery, spare tyre, in pub
 

I would go back to Merc with that as i am sure that they have a legal obligation to ensure that the bolts will fit the std wheels and the spare, unless they were non Merc alloy wheels brought off a bloke down the pub.

Re: No recovery, spare tyre, in pub
 

That is probably the problem. He bought it second hand. so god knows why the correct bolts are not there. I have to admit they were damm long. I can only assume his alloys are really thick. sort of defeats the weight saving people put alloys on for. Oh do some people put them on because they look nice.