Towing Service Reno NV

Emergency Flat Tire Service

There are a lot of car owners out there but not everyone who drive a car can change a flat tire. Have you thought about a contingency plan when that happens to you? Hopefully you keep a functional spare with you as we should always do.  Calling for roadside assistance might be the only option in some cases. In the next few posts, we will be talking about flat tires, changing them out, best safety practices and common sense. Thankfully the book Dare To Repair Your Car by Julie Sussman, et al has a lot of important points that will guide us. Below is an excerpt.

Flat Tire

Fiona had taken her three children out for Sunday brunch as a special treat, but the day turned out to be more like a trick when she came out of the restaurant to find one of her tires as flat as the pancakes they just ate. She had never changed a tire in her life, but luckily there was a great Samaritan ready to help. Don't waft for a flat tire to happen to learn how to change it. If there is one repair you learn from this book, this should be it. 

Another reason (which you probably never thought of) for learning to do this project ahead of time is that you need to know if you can lift one of your car's tires. A tire from Fiona's SUV weighs almost 100 pounds. Fiona weighs 110 pounds. How many of us can lift our own weight, especially if it's an awkward shape and you're removing it from your car? Being stuck on the side of the road with a flat is not the time to discover your lack of upper-arm strength! So even though it looks like an awful lot of information, the steps for changing a tire are simple and easy to remember. And once you've changed a tire, you'll never forget how to do it.

Be Prepared

You can't prevent your tires from getting a flat, but you can be more aware of when a problem is brewing. Do a quick visible check of the tires before you start the car in the morning by walking the long way around to the driver's door to get a look at all four tires. If you see one that looks lower than the others, check that tire’s air pressure, as well as the other three, and fill with air, if necessary. A tire that is worn or low on air is more likely to get a flat or have a blowout.  Also, have the following items in your car, and try to keep them together so that you're not looking all over your car for them. You may wonder why we suggest you have work gloves, a towel, and an old shirt on hand. You'll understand after you've replaced a tire!

• Car owner's manual
• Spare tire (properly inflated)
• Flashlight (with new batteries) or 12-volt work light
• Car jack
• Cheater bar
• Crowbar
• Cross-shaft lug wrench (looks like a big X)
• Wheel blocks/chocks
• Safety triangles
• Reflective outerwear (vest)
• Work gloves
• Old shirt
• Towel
• Lubricating spray
• Dare to Repair Your Car

Getting Off the Road

The American Automobile Association (AAA) strongly recommends that if you have a flat tire, do not pull off onto the shoulder of the high way. Instead, turn on the emergency flashers, decrease your speed, and drive in the slow lane to the next exit. Don't stop your car until you've found a safe place to park, even if it means that you have to drive on a flat tire and ruin your wheel. Why? Many die each year after pulling onto a shoulder – a shoulder that they thought was safe. But morn densely populated cities are allowing the shoulders to be used as traffic lanes during rush hours, leaving no are for breakdowns. If you must get off onto a shoulder, leave your car for a safer area, such as a hill or behind a guardrail until help arrives.
​
Park your car on pavement and nothing else – not dirt and not grass, because your car, and or jack, could sink into them and the heat from your catalytic converter (located underneath your car) could cause grass to catch on fire. And the spot where you park must be flat. No slope, no hill. If your car has air suspension, turn it off by flipping the switch (check the car owner's manual for the location).Turn the engine off and firmly engage the parking brake!"