Pancake Day
Feb. 16th, 2004 11:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
j4Not, it's not till next week, but my new car seems to have decided to celebrate it early with a very flat tyre. :-(
So, where in Cambridge would people recommend for a new tyre for a Renault 5? And how much does a new tyre cost?
And do you say "a new tyre" or "a new wheel"? Because people clearly mean the latter but seem to say the former, and you talk about "spare tyre" but "emergency wheel" and they seem to be the same thing, and I know it doesn't really matter but when I go to buy the bloody thing I don't want to do the automobile equivalent of walking into PC world and saying "I'd like to buy an internet please". Not that I'm REALLY NEUROTIC about knowing the script for this sort of interaction, or anything, y'understand.
I don't know how to change a wheel yet, but it looks fairly straightforward in the manual. In fact the most awkward bit looks to be getting the jack out from under the bonnet. Or possibly getting the emergency wheel out from under the car, though I'm not sure I can be arsed to do that, I might as well just buy the new wheel & fit that straight away.
AND, as if the flat wasn't bad enough, I think the speed-camera on Elizabeth Way bridge flashed me as I was doing thirty miles an hour over the bridge. At least, it flashed behind me (I saw the flash in the mirror) -- does that mean it got me or the car behind me? If it got me I'll be gutted. I mean, I'm sure everybody says "But I wasn't speeding", but honestly, my speedo said 30, I check it a lot because I'm still not really used to the acceleration on this car. But because everybody says they're innocent it can't possibly be true, so that'll be points on my licence and a fine I probably can't even afford, for nothing. :-(
The really ironic thing was that on the way back home over the bridge somebody undertook me down the taxi lane doing twice my speed, and did the speed-cam get them? Did it buggery.
Sigh. There goes my Zen-like calm.
So, where in Cambridge would people recommend for a new tyre for a Renault 5? And how much does a new tyre cost?
And do you say "a new tyre" or "a new wheel"? Because people clearly mean the latter but seem to say the former, and you talk about "spare tyre" but "emergency wheel" and they seem to be the same thing, and I know it doesn't really matter but when I go to buy the bloody thing I don't want to do the automobile equivalent of walking into PC world and saying "I'd like to buy an internet please". Not that I'm REALLY NEUROTIC about knowing the script for this sort of interaction, or anything, y'understand.
I don't know how to change a wheel yet, but it looks fairly straightforward in the manual. In fact the most awkward bit looks to be getting the jack out from under the bonnet. Or possibly getting the emergency wheel out from under the car, though I'm not sure I can be arsed to do that, I might as well just buy the new wheel & fit that straight away.
AND, as if the flat wasn't bad enough, I think the speed-camera on Elizabeth Way bridge flashed me as I was doing thirty miles an hour over the bridge. At least, it flashed behind me (I saw the flash in the mirror) -- does that mean it got me or the car behind me? If it got me I'll be gutted. I mean, I'm sure everybody says "But I wasn't speeding", but honestly, my speedo said 30, I check it a lot because I'm still not really used to the acceleration on this car. But because everybody says they're innocent it can't possibly be true, so that'll be points on my licence and a fine I probably can't even afford, for nothing. :-(
The really ironic thing was that on the way back home over the bridge somebody undertook me down the taxi lane doing twice my speed, and did the speed-cam get them? Did it buggery.
Sigh. There goes my Zen-like calm.
no subject
Date: 2004-02-16 07:55 pm (UTC)As mentioned elsewhere the easiest option is probably to change the wheel for the spare and then drive there and let them do the rest. Depending on the nature of the puncture they might be able to repair it - which is only worthwhile if the tyre is still pretty new - otherwise just get a new tyre.
What is likely to be the most hassle in changing the wheel, especially if it has been on the car for a while, is actually undoing the wheel nuts. The tools provided by car manufacturers for this purpose are usually far too wimpy to get enough purchase.
I recommend investing in a tool called a "spider" which is a cross shaped device with ends to fit various sized nuts and because it is symmetrical is much easier to apply a decent amount of torque to the nut. This is useful to keep in the car for when you have to change a wheel at some inconvenient point.
Re:
Date: 2004-02-16 11:55 pm (UTC)Me: I'd like a new tyre please.
Him: Which tyre?
Me: Um, the front nearside, where I've got the bright yellow emergency wheel.
Unless you've got the flat tyre by running over a titanium robot, or you've driven around on a completely flat tyre for miles, it's very unlikely you'll have to replace the wheel.
Re:
Date: 2004-02-17 07:33 am (UTC)