PLASTIC Rims?!?!

[gollums_friend]

Never changed a wheel in my life, no need to start now. But thanks for the advice.

[STG]

Originally posted by gollums_friend
Never changed a wheel in my life, no need to start now. But thanks for the advice.

Noe there's a real car guy! Can you drive a manual?

[WaspHunter]

Before we all start on people driving manuals and autos and whatnot...

I will not pass judgement based on that last comment, gollums_friend. But I will say this: Changing a tyre is not an easy skill. With a low-jack, a mate to help, gloves, an rattle gun and a torque wrench, someone whos had little practice can change a wheel in probably 5-10 minutes.

In the real world, you get: a screw-type jack, a crappy aluminium socket bar, and wheel nuts tightened by lazy mechanics who've used the rattle gun to tighten your wheel nuts. Now imagine getting a flat and having to change a wheel on the drivers side.

Best case is that its a bright sunny day, theres no traffic and you have plenty of room to do your work. Easy. Get out the manual, follow the instructions: chock the diagonally opposing wheel, find the jacking hardpoint point for your current wheel, screw the jack until it bites the point.

And at this point you'll be thinking, "that's not so hard". It isn't. Get the socket bar and loosen your wheel nuts without removing them. OK, still easy. They're a little tight thanks to the rattle gun, but you manage to get them off. Return to the jack and raise the car until the wheel just clears the ground. Remove wheel nuts. Slide the wheel off. "Wow, heavier than I thought, but still easy".

Locate and mount the new wheel. Place and hand tighten the wheel nuts. Lower the car and then apply 100Nm of torque with the aluminium bar. The aluminium bar will most likely bend a fair amount, and you'll have to put your full weight behind it, but its still easy. Pack up and drive off, remembering to book a service with your suspension/wheel specialist to check the blown wheel and retorque your wheels.

Wow, that's not so hard, right?


Except for one thing: Murphy's Law. What can happen, will, at the worst possible time. Imagine doing the above, without a torch, in the dark, with cars passing inches from your back. And without any previous practice. Oh and while we're at it, lets put you out of mobile service and the closest anyones come to stop is when they slow down so they can get on the horn and call names out.

Sound bad yet?

Well I have had that happen. And it was raining. And the camry was on a grass shoulder so I had to unmount the spare wheel well lid to spread the force under the jack out so it wouldn't sink.

I'm not trying to scare you here, just trying to put some weight behind my suggestion. If you don't drive yet, its probably not even relevant for you. But then again, it might be someday, and its never too early to learn.

[gollums_friend]

Originally posted by STG
Noe there's a real car guy! Can you drive a manual?

Please don't assume that everyone on here is a GUY. It's a bit offensive to assume that women aren't present on this MB to pick up tips on how to help detail their vehicles.