A local garage has informed me that they have experianced a number of motorists who have had punctures and have put the spare wheel on using the same locking bolts!!! this has caused BIG problems as the spare comes with its own set of locking bolts which are longer as the spare is not an alloy wheel.If not used then the wheel will not fit correctly and vibration will occur and massive damage could result.The problem may apply to other makes.Any views out there ??
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A number of cars that have space saver spare wheels need shorter bolts when the spare is used. If you use the original bolts, you can make a nasty mess of the wheel hub etc.
Always, always read the manufacturers manual!
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Always, always read the manufacturers manual!
Or in acronym terms, RTFM. :o)
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Seem to remember my mother doing this while stuck on the hard shoulder of the M27. She managed to attach the spare with the bolts from the "normal" tyre and carried on. When she came to replace the spare tyre the whole thing was uop the spout and the threads knackered.
I seem to remember that the damage was about £1k (might be mistaken) and that MB picked up the tab. It happened about 6-7 years ago, so nice to see that nothing really has changed!!
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This strikes me as being very poor design & engineering. Clearly little thought has gone into thinking about how the customer is going to use the product. It would have been a simple matter to make the steel wheel thicker around the bolt holes by welding on an extra thickness of steel. This would enable the same bolts to be used, would prevent the loss of the spare bolts (there wouldn't be any) and would probably be a cheaper option for MB.
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merckmad
Doesn't seem to apply to Vauxhalls. My last two have used the same bolts for the steel spares.
The other day as I walked down the street I saw the tailgate of an estate car open (can't remember the make) and this had a warning sign, showing two different length bolts, on the rear loading lip, where I imagine you'd lift the boot floor to get at the spare.
I suppose this is a partial answer to the problem.
Regards
John S
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