Young numpties

dbphoto

dindude said:

I’m 43 and have never changed a car wheel and never really intend to. I also don’t face my chair towards the window whilst enjoying a nice glass of wine. Not sure if you’re aware but I think you come off worse than the youngsters by your discription. 

Jesus wept.

While sitting with my feet up on the sofa, and having floor to ceiling windows in the living room,  it would have been pretty difficult to not see what was going on.  I could have closed the curtains of course, but it was more enjoyable than the film I was watching.

Next time I will go out in the rain, around midnight, while my wife is away, and leave the kids on their own.

Iamnobody

dindude said:

I’m 43 and have never changed a car wheel and never really intend to.

Really! Is this because you don’t drive?

Adam_MD

Iamnobody said:

dindude said:

I’m 43 and have never changed a car wheel and never really intend to.

Really! Is this because you don’t drive?

I’m 38 and have never had to do it either.  

digitalscream

To be fair, it's not exactly a difficult thing to figure out. I had to do it for the first time about three years ago on the wife's car, and I magically managed first time....with a basic grasp of the laws of physics and a modicum of forethought.

Turned out it was good practice, because I've had to do it five or six times since then (also on the wife's car).

Bridgehouse

digitalscream said:

To be fair, it's not exactly a difficult thing to figure out. I had to do it for the first time about three years ago on the wife's car, and I magically managed first time....with a basic grasp of the laws of physics and a modicum of forethought.

Turned out it was good practice, because I've had to do it five or six times since then (also on the wife's car).

https://www.webuyanycar.com/

scrumhalf

Iamnobody said:

dindude said:

I’m 43 and have never changed a car wheel and never really intend to.

Really! Is this because you don’t drive?

I don't drive and I've changed wheels. We cancel each other out. And the universe can rest easy.

munckee

Extendable tyre iron makes it easy no matter how tight the nuts. 

If kids have never done it or been shown they are going to mess up to start with  

when I first got a guitar it was hard because I didn't know how to play it. 

Nitefly

Bridgehouse said:

digitalscream said:

To be fair, it's not exactly a difficult thing to figure out. I had to do it for the first time about three years ago on the wife's car, and I magically managed first time....with a basic grasp of the laws of physics and a modicum of forethought.

Turned out it was good practice, because I've had to do it five or six times since then (also on the wife's car).

https://www.webuyanycar.com/

LOL, My old man used to joke "I need a new car - the ash-tray's full on this one..."

Gagaryn

It's a forgotten skill - so many new cars have no spare so people have less opportunity to learn.

I fitted a new set of  wheels about 15 years ago but the last chance I changed a wheel due to a puncture was Christmas day 1985. I remember it well - sills were so rusty (1977 mark IV Cortina)  that when I jacked up the car with the scissor jack that was in the boot it started to cut the car in half! 

Foster

I'm rather baffled by people who ring the AA (or similar) to change a wheel on the car. By the time you've got through the automated telephone system you could've changed the wheel yourself.

Only time i've ever been tempted to do it was when I burst the tye on my hateful VW Passat, threw my back out getting the jack out of the boot. Tried and struggled to jack the car up using the widow maker supplied by VW (whilst in rather a lot of pain) and was on the verge of ringing the AA. Then a lad from college drove past in his Austion 1100, pulled over, jumped out the car and changed the wheel for me in seconds

Foster

As a thought, whilst the worst OEM supplied emergency jack was the VW widow maker, the best by far was the one in my BMW E36 - a long pole with a handle at the top. You flip out a pole on the side, slide it into a specific point on the sill and wind the handle till the car is up. No risk of grazing knuckles on the pavement!

digitalscream

Gagaryn said:

It's a forgotten skill - so many new cars have no spare so people have less opportunity to learn. 

I think the root of it is that folk tend to assume that anything remotely big or difficult has to be done by somebody else. My wife was absolutely shocked when I suggested that, instead of spending £200 at Ikea to get her a desk that sorta-kinda fit the space when she started working at home, we could spend £50 on wood and make something that fit exactly and was exactly the shape she wanted.

Similarly when she got her first flat, she (and all the folk in her team) were shocked when I said I'd do it, because "...that's a job for for the garage!".

boogieman

Foster said:

I'm rather baffled by people who ring the AA (or similar) to change a wheel on the car. By the time you've got through the automated telephone system you could've changed the wheel yourself

Two issues here.

Firstly a lot of cars don't even come with spare wheels. Mine hasn't got one. In fact it hasn't even got a jack, just a compressor and a can of tyre gunk, enough to get you off the motorway I suppose.

Then, as said, even if you have a spare, a wheel wrench and a jack, a lot of times you still can't shift the nuts if they've been done up by your local Kwikfit monkey with an air wrench. When I did the brakes on mine recently I had to use a socket, a bar and a four foot length of scaffold pole to shift them.

thecolourbox

boogieman said:

Foster said:

I'm rather baffled by people who ring the AA (or similar) to change a wheel on the car. By the time you've got through the automated telephone system you could've changed the wheel yourself

Two issues here.

Firstly a lot of cars don't even come with spare wheels. Mine hasn't got one. In fact it hasn't even got a jack, just a compressor and a can of tyre gunk, enough to get you off the motorway I suppose.

Then, as said, even if you have a spare, a wheel wrench and a jack, a lot of times you still can't shift the nuts if they've been done up by your local Kwikfit monkey with an air wrench. When I did the brakes on mine recently I had to use a socket, a bar and a four foot length of scaffold pole to shift them.

Yep, and also if it takes four hours for them too come, but all you've had to do is wait on the phone a bit (which I didn't as I just phoned the insurance number they gave me, took about five minutes) that's still easier than half an hour in the dark of effort

Foster

I don't take the risk. I keep a tool roll, extendable wrench, gaffa tape, plastic & metal tie wraps,, compressor etc in the back of the van. When I had a car i'd keep the same in the boot. If the car didn't come with a spare wheel (or the skinny variety) then I'd fork out and buy one to keep in there.

I have AA membership and have had to use them in the past (once when my car keys were stolen at a festival). As I go to the lake district a fair bit I know that if I break down it'll be sods law that it'll happen in the middle of nowhere with no mobile reception. 

Far better to know how to perform a quick and dirty bodge to get me either home or somewhere I can call the AA (preferably from a pub car park) than to be stranded.

Also worth keeping some warm clothes and, at the very least, a hi-viz vest in the vehicle too.

Emp_Fab

Once upon a time, the AA & RAC used to fix things at the roadside.  Now, there’s a 90% chance they will declare it unfixable there and make you wait another two hours for the “recovery truck” to take you to a garage for them to fix.

digitalscream

Emp_Fab said:

Once upon a time, the AA & RAC used to fix things at the roadside.  Now, there’s a 90% chance they will declare it unfixable there and make you wait another two hours for the “recovery truck” to take you to a garage for them to fix.

The RAC caused about £600 of damage to my wife's car replacing the battery, and all they offered her was a couple of years' free membership. They took it quite personally when she told them to get fucked.

Kitsune

Never changed a wheel. Wouldn't have any idea how to other than the basic concept. I don't really care for cars generally.

Always best to remember that when your phone or something goes haywire and you need someone to fix it, the yoof in the shop is probably thinking "wow, this old duffer knows sod all. Best smile and nod until he leaves"

jellyroll

I had a puncture outside the house a couple of months ago. Loosened the nuts and jacked up the car but could not get the wheel off the bolts. Fearful that too much force might damage the axle, I called the AA man. He pulls out a hammer, smacks the wheel and hey presto! 

I felt like a schoolboy."Honestly, sir, it wouldn't come off when I tried..."

Danny1969

I once watched a neighbour try to change his MkIII Transit wheel, to be fair he was a pretty practical bloke and got it jacked up OK but didn't realise the studs on that side of the van had left hand threads so was just trying to further tighten em