Gardian Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 We recently changed our VW Golf for a Tiguan. Delighted with the car, but there's just one thing about it that concerned us.The Golf had a 'get-you-home' spare wheel which whilst not perfect, did the job: in a country area like this, punctures aren't unusual and we've probably had one every year or two.Unfortunately, the Tiguan has no spare wheel at all - they give you a sort-of injector that pumps gel in to a flat tyre. I've been nervous about this from the word go and whilst it mightn't be a big problem for local driving, the long drag back to the UK at Christmas didn't seem the best of times to try out the system! Furthermore, once used, you've obviously got to buy a new gel pack (c. €20) and the punctured tyre (I'm told) may not be repairable in the conventional way.I asked the VW dealer for the price of a spare alloy - €450!!! So I scouted around the internet and found a place in Germany selling 'used' alloys. They had 3 or 4 of the exact same alloy at between €80 & €120, with good photos of the scratches and marks. I settled on one at €95, which cost me £87 incl carriage.Ordered it last Thursday and it arrived today, perfectly packaged and the scratches are virtually invisible. OK, I've now got another €150 or so to get a tyre fitted, but 'peace of mind' is all in these situations. I reckon that these could easily be wheels sourced directly from VW that have been rejected on the production line.Anyway, if anybody wants the link, just ask & I'll try to get back to how I found them. JV Automobile in Nuremburg. Result !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulT Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Gardian, I belong to a club for Rover 75 and MG ZT. Our cars started off with the space saver wheels and as the years went by to cut costs it was replaced with a can of stuff. Full size was an optional extra. Most owners have bought a full size one from a breakers.A couple of clubs went on a tour of Bentley and I commented on the tour that I bet Bentleys do not get a space saver wheel. The guide informed us that standard equipment is a can of stuff. An optional extra is a space saver wheel and that a full size wheel will not fit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 It's quite amazing the number of people who don't realise they don't have a spare until the day it's needed.You'll not catch me buying a car without one, and I mean a proper one not a skinny space saver.Even though I have got a full size spare in my MGB I still carry a puncture repair kit too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 This was on Watchdog last year. In fact it was just as my brother was buying a new car and I told him to watch out for there not being a spare, but they had ordered one. I wouldn't like to drive without a spare, but on this car, ours is very hard to get at. So far, since learning to drive, I have changed three, all by myself. And then driven off waiting from my wheel to go rolling past me, never did though. The most terrifying was changing a wheel on the motorway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spyder Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 My car has a space saver spare tyre and I had to use it last week. First puncture in over 25 years. It was fine, no problems getting home then next day to get a new tyre. I would have preferred a full size tyre but then it did what it was supposed to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 But, Spyder, say you were on a 12 hour overnight drive either heading home or going somewhere, with full family aboard, using one of these pestilential space saver tyres. What are you supposed to do, pull in to a hotel, if you can find one.The bloody things are dangerious and should be banned; a fast one pulled by the motor manufacturers. Nasty really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Better a space saving one than none at all. And we have had that happen on our 1000mile drive back to France. It happened between Calais and Reims about 19h. We changed the wheel to the emergency one and stopped at Reims and got it changed the following day. I was just glad that we didn't have one of those bombes and it wouldn't work.I didn't change that one, as I had husband and son in the car and let them get on with it in the dark. I just kept out of the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spyder Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Wooly - Yeah, I would probably pull into an hotel for the night in those circumstances, once in 25 years is not too bad. As I said I would prefer a full size tyre but the car came with a space saver which I never got round to changing. It got me out of trouble and I'm sure the recovery services would have arranged to get me home had it been a problem. As for safety, I'm sure they are not dangerous if you stick to the max. of 80km/hr they recommend. To be honest I never noticed any difference with the space saver on the back apart from going a bit slower than usual.Fast one by the motor manufacturers? I'm not sure about that. Certainly they will try to save on certain item to make the car more competative. Had there been a can of tyre inflator in the car I would not have been happy with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Its a cost saving for sure and once a couple did it all the others follow suit or become a little more uncompetitive.Its also a packaging issue, modern cars despite being much larger externally have far less interior room, add in clever folding seating arrangements in vehicles like the Touran and you can see why the spare wheel was dropped, a double benefit for them with the cost saving.Where do you store your new spare wheel in the Touran?Look at vehicles with monster wheels like the BMW X5 and you can be pretty sure that they wont have a spare on board and most of the drivers that I have sen would be physically incapable of removing the punctured Wheel/tyre.I know of someone that phoned Audi assistance when they got a puncture on their TT (tosser transporter) they have such good Customer service that he got through late at night.I have had a puncture, fitted the space saver spare but the damaged Wheel and tyre will not fit back in the space.Put the spare Wheel in the boot sir.My boot is full of our luggageDont worry sir you will find a special storage sack for the Wheel, fit it and you can put the Wheel on the passenger seat.And what do I do with my wife? [:-))]Good Customer service though, they collected his Wheel from the roadside, repaired the puncture and delivered it to him at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham & Brenda Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 My Mégane CC had no spare at all so I just bought the right size steel rim from Renault & got the local tyre shop to put a good second hand tyre on it. Job done cheaply & perfect when it was needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Yes, I did that too for the Kia. There was even a well for the wheel, but the manufacturer only supplied one of those awful kits and a pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DraytonBoy Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 +1 to WB's post. Our Nissan also had a well which was filled with foam and a kit etc. Managed to get a space saver steel wheel and tyre over the net which fits perfectly in the hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave21478 Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Be aware that steel wheels may require different wheel nuts/bolts if you normally have alloys.The thickness of material where the bolt holes are on alloys is much thicker than the few millimeters of a steel wheel, so often bolts will be different lengths or if you have nuts, closed ended nuts may not screw all the way down and you will need open nuts instead.Occasionally the seating face is a different size and requires a different angle of taper on the shoulder of the nut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 I got caught out like that last winter.I have monster 18 inch wheels but I do have a full size spare.Got a puncture in one of my winter wheels. These have a taper fit to the nuts.The spare, although full size, has flat fit nuts which do not work with the taper ones at all, not even in an emergency, and where were the nuts for the spare wheel? In the UK of course! My lovely neighbour helped me out by taking me to a nearby tyre repair place while I left my car on the jack! Not ideal but what can you do? €20 for a repair and good as new. I now carry a spare wheel AND nuts [:$] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Clearly, the message is to check you nuts chaps to make sure they fit well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spyder Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 [quote user="woolybanana"]....check you nuts chaps....[/quote]You mean "your nuts" no doubt. Mine has bolts not nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Our Grand C4 Picasso has pnumatic rear suspension so there's no room for a spare, so I got a get you home wheel from Citroën, who said I may have to wait 6 months for the tyre!! The tyre was ordered at Norauto and fitted a few daze later and the wheel is strapped against the left and side of the luggage space in the back. Now I feel a lot more content. I haven't had to use the 'gunk' and compressor and that suits me fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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