How not to put your spare tyre on

We got a call from a gentleman who had a puncture and needed his spare wheel put on.

This is becoming a common request, as people have less involvement with there cars they seem to have forgotten some of the basics of car maintenance.

Got to the job to change the tyre and saw the results of what he had done. He had removed all the bolts from the wheel with the punctured tyre before jacking the car up.

Once he started to jack the car up the wheel had come loose from the wheel hub and suddenly the weight of the car had been transferred to the jack, this had caused the jack to slip and the car had started to fall off of it. Luckily the cars disk brake had caught on the wheel stopping the car hitting the floor. The jack was still under the car but was at a very strange angle when the car had stopped moving.

He had managed to move his hand out of the wheel arch so it was not caught between the body and the wheel.

First thing to do was stabilise the situation put a jack under the front jacking point (it was the rear wheel he had been trying to remove) and took the weight onto the jack so the rear could not fall any further, this also lifted the whole side up so the jack the customer used could be removed. Immediately put the second jack under the car and lifted the rear from the jacking point.

Removed the wheel with the punctured tyre and put the spare wheel on. Tightened up to the correct torque and put the original wheel in the boot. Removed both of our jacks and checked to see if he had done any damage to his car. Besides a small dent where the jack had suddenly taken the weight of the car he had been lucky.

Took payment and headed off to the next job.

If you would like your spare wheel put on, have a puncture repaired or maybe new tyres fitted call Hometyre on 0800 783 93 10 and we will come to you.