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Got A New Jam Jar.


hilldweller

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I've recently swopped my car for a slightly smaller model.

I usually change them at three years old anyway when the warranty expires.

The old car ran like a limo but the width of it and the huge doors meant that I was having increased difficulty getting in and out of the thing when it was in the garage. Lying on the floor trapped in the gap between car and wall is not my idea of a good time. I know, I've tried it a couple of times ! :wacko:

I can't really make the garage any wider because it is semi-detached with next doors garage and has a thick concrete roof.

I've bought the Fabia Estate this time, about five inches less wide, the same spec level with almost the same number of bells and whistles, ( does a car really need eight airbags ? ).

The only thing I don't like about it is the much increased amount of tyre noise, I think this is down to the standard fitment of very low profile tyres.

Why this fashion for low profile tyres I wonder and what has happened to the concept of the spare wheel ? I enquired about a get-you-home spare, but was advised to call the provided RAC cover if I have a flat, do they carry a range of spare wheels I wonder ?

I'm now the proud owner of a plastic bottle of some mysterious gloop and a very nice Audi badged 12 volt air compressor in a fancy fitted case.

I'd rather have a spare wheel.

At least the MPG has increased by about 30%.

HD

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What has happened to the concept of the spare wheel ? I enquired about a get-you-home spare, but was advised to call the provided RAC cover if I have a flat, do they carry a range of spare wheels I wonder ?

I'm now the proud owner of a plastic bottle of some mysterious gloop and a very nice Audi badged 12 volt air compressor in a fancy fitted case.

I'd rather have a spare wheel.

HD

The bottle of mysterious gloop may be OK for sealing a puncture, - a nail or piece of glass through the tyre, as a temporary repair. But there are times when the tyre can become more substantially damaged and the hole (or rather an elongated tear) is too much for the gloop to deal with. In this case, for greatests convenience, you need a spare wheel.

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The bottle of mysterious gloop may be OK for sealing a puncture, - a nail or piece of glass through the tyre, as a temporary repair. But there are times when the tyre can become more substantially damaged and the hole (or rather an elongated tear) is too much for the gloop to deal with. In this case, for greatests convenience, you need a spare wheel.

When I bought my other vehicle, the high performance one ( nought to eight MPH in two seconds ), I had the tyres filled with a puncture proofing compound. This is a blue non setting thin gloop that is supposed to be legal up to about 120 MPH.

In three years I have never lost any pressure from the tyres although close examination shows numerous tiny blue spots around the treads where thorns have entered the tread.

I understand that the big transport firms make extensive use of it.

HD

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When I bought my other vehicle, the high performance one ( nought to eight MPH in two seconds ), I had the tyres filled with a puncture proofing compound. This is a blue non setting thin gloop that is supposed to be legal up to about 120 MPH.

In three years I have never lost any pressure from the tyres although close examination shows numerous tiny blue spots around the treads where thorns have entered the tread.

I understand that the big transport firms make extensive use of it.

HD

I was once offered some to use on my motorcycle tyres in the event of a puncture because, for obvious reasons, you can't carry a spare on a motorbike, - nowhere to put it and front + rear wheels are different sizes anyway, - so you would need 2 spares.

As the risks involved in motorcycle punctures and blow outs are usually more serious than in a car I declined to use it.

However, that was over 30 years ago.

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There was something in the paper a few days ago about spare wheels. They are frequently listed as an optional extra now, at £150-ish a go. It also said the gloop once used renders the tyre irreparable. When they asked the manufacturers about the lack of a spare, the answer was that so few people these days would know how to change a wheel, they thought it was unnecessary.

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When they asked the manufacturers about the lack of a spare, the answer was that so few people these days would know how to change a wheel, they thought it was unnecessary.

Using the correct jacking point and the jack (which was once also provided) Jack the car up so that the punctured wheel is clear of the ground.

Remove the hub cap, then using the wheel brace (also previously provided) undo the wheel nuts.

Remove the wheel with the punctured tyre, put it in the boot after removing the spare wheel.

Place the spare wheel on the bolt studs, replace the nuts and tighten them up using the wheel brace. Replace the hub trim.

Lower the jack and remove it, - if possible check the tyre pressure in the spare wheel before driving off.

Pack up the tools, get in the car, start the engine and away you go again.

It has to be one of the simplest car repair operations if you have a spare.

Only downside is that it tends to happen at inconvenient times, when the weather is bad and when you are wearing smart clean clothes.

Both myself and my wife have changed wheeels on cars without needing the AA / RAC, to be honest, if you have a spare wheel practically anybody can do it.

Either the manufacturers are treating drivers like idiots or perhaps wheel changing should be a compulsory part of the driving test.

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I've never heard of a car without a spare wheel. Whats the world coming to?

As for all that clap trap about people not knowing how to change a wheel, I've just done the front crankshaft seal in mine and am about to replace the ball joints. I'ts not hard I reckon most people could do it.

As for eight air bags . . . I have a mate in Queensland who is a panel beater. He buys and repairs the odd bent and buckled vehicle and has been known to make a hansome profit. The first thing he looks at is the airbags, how many, if any, have gone off. $2000 replacement cost for each bag determines whether it's a viable proposition.

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As for eight air bags . . . I have a mate in Queensland who is a panel beater. He buys and repairs the odd bent and buckled vehicle and has been known to make a hansome profit. The first thing he looks at is the airbags, how many, if any, have gone off. $2000 replacement cost for each bag determines whether it's a viable proposition.

Now I've nothing against airbags, - they do what they are designed to do, - in the event of an accident they save peoples lives and prevent more serious injuries.

The technology behind them is amazing as they have to inflate in milliseconds, to an exact cushioning degree at the exact instant the start of the collision is detected.

The problem is, that to do this they use some rather nasty chemicals like sodium azide, a chemical which can be triggered to release an exact amount of nitrogen at a very controlled, albeit very fast, rate into the bag. The chemicals are very toxic and, as they can release large volumes of gas very quickly, potentially explosive.

OK, normally the chemicals are enclosed and present no risk. However, most cars come to the end of their service life without the airbags going off (this is a good thing, it means most cars don't end there days in a smash) and then there is the problem of environmental disposal of them. I suppose one way would be to deliberately set them off as the products (nitrogen for one) are less harmful, and another may be to reclaim and reuse them, - although the reliability of a "secondhand" airbag is questionable, - remember someones life could depend on it actually going off it needs to. But to have unfired airbags lying around in scrapyards, landfills or just dumped somewhere is not a good idea.

As Thylacine says, most car air bags never go off. This is a good thing as it means the safety the airbag gives in an accident was never needed, - but what happens to the airbag after the car is scrapped is a problem which requires some careful thought and legislation.

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Picture then :)

To be honest I've never really been in to taking pictures of my cars.

With some of them I've no photos at all.

The last car only had it's picture taken about three weeks before it was traded in.

However I've attached a photo of the new jam jar standing in the dealers yard awaiting checking in a few days before I took delivery.

If it doesn't look very shiny it's because it's still covered in the shipping wax protection.

The colour is Arctic Green which is a sort of grey/silver with a slight green tinge. In winter sunlight it looks blue rather than green.

I've also attached a photo of the gubbins under the front lid. It shows the complexity required to get over a hundred brake horse power out of a 1.2 litre engine.

You can see why I trade them in at three years when the warranty expires.

HD

.

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