SS/NSS: Flat Tire

[Markel]

SS #1: As I started my drive home after work today, I had an ominous vibration. Sure enough, my right rear tire was flat.

SS #2: I bought this car ('94 Altima) used a couple of years ago, so this is the first tire problem I've had. I get out the spare, find the jack, then start looking around for the lug wrench and jack handle. The owner's manual says they are in a pouch next to the spare. No pouch. No tools. No way to change the tire.

SS #3: I call AAA to get road service. The recording says they are very busy. (Probable truth: their one operator is taking an early dinner break.) After about 5 minutes of waiting, a guy who passed back up to help me, so I hang up.

NSS #1: I explain my problem to the guy. He pulls a small floor jack out of his trunk and gets ready to lift the side of the car. He then brings his cross-type lug wrench out, and I get ready to loosen the lug nuts before he jacks up the car.

SS #4: I try the different ends of his lug wrench. Two are too small. One is two large (I'd probably round off the lugs trying to loosen them.) The one remaining one (probably the one I need) is broken out so it can't be used.

I thank the guy for stopping, he drives on, and I get back on the phone (wating) for AAA.

NSS #2: Just as I finished giving my info to AAA (and prepared myself for a usual 1+ hour wait), a guy with an Altima back up. He gets out his jack (with handle and lug wrench) and helps me get the tire changed. I tried to help, but he wanted to do most of the work himself. After he finished, I thanked him heartily, and started my 17 mile drive home (keeping my speed down a bit, since it's one of those space-saving spares). Ended up getting home about a half hour late.

NSS: two people willing to stop and help. Nice experience.

Reminder to self: next time you see someone that seems to be having trouble, remember how nice it is when someone stopped to help you, and see if you can help them.

[mcs328]

When I bought my car I made sure it came with the pouch with the lug wrench and stuff. I had it happen to me and they took it from another car and gave it to me.

[Jane83]

flat tires sooo suck

[speedracer120]

If I see a female motorist I'll help. Not because I'm trying to pick up on chicks but because I figure they need more help than males. That being said, I've had to drive half an hour before because my uncle and cousin couldn't figure out how to lower the flat out of the minivan and just plain didn't know jack about changing the tire.

I'm glad there were people who weren't assuming anything and helped you out man.

[Grimm]

My sister had a flat a couple days ago, actualy it was a blowout. She got over safely and a guy pulls over to help, aparently he is a very big guy so she was a bit nervous. He was a Discount Tire employee. He changed out her tire quickly and had he back on the road in no time. The tire that blew was purchased at Discount Tire a couple years ago so they replaced it for free the next day when she went into the shop. How's that for service? I think it says a lot about a business when the employees go the extra mile on their own time.

If you are driving a car, you should know certain things.
1) How to put gas in the car.
2) How to check fluid levels.
3) How to change a tire.
4) What tools are in the car.
5) How to drive (just thought I would throw that one in there).
If you don't know these things, you should not be operating the vehical.

[Gothic Girl]

That's really great that people stopped to help. One night, I saw a car pulled over on the side of the road and I slowed to see if I could help. Turned out it was a cop so I just kept going. The cop winds up pulling me over for speeding. Go figure.

[cheapie]

i had a flat a little while ago and a cop pulled up to see if i was ok.

...yeah. just a flat tire.

so he opens his trunk, grabs a hydraulic lift and changes my tire for me. wow.

[Markel]

Well, this morning I went in to Discount Tire (where I bought the tires 18 months ago). They guy looks at the flat and says I need to replace it because it had been driven flat for too long (had the burn mark on the sidewall). Because I had purchased their warranty, the replacement tire cost me something like $26 (because I had their siping done). My other tires still have 85% of their original tread.

I think tomorrow (a company holiday for the extended July 4th) I'll check a few junkyards to see if they have any Altimas that might have the jack handle/lug wrench.

[nickel]

i live in a small town surrounded by small towns, and a military base. i have no doubt someone would be nice and stop to help me if i had a flat tire.

once i slid just off the road into a snowbank and was hung up on it. just about the time i got out of my car two soldiers in uniform were there and easily pushed me out.

[speedracer120]

i had a flat a little while ago and a cop pulled up to see if i was ok.

...yeah. just a flat tire.

so he opens his trunk, grabs a hydraulic lift and changes my tire for me. wow.

Wow. I hardly see some officers pull over for major accidents. But nowadays in Cali they have ticket only officers. Dirty money grubbing scoundrels.


i live in a small town surrounded by small towns, and a military base. i have no doubt someone would be nice and stop to help me if i had a flat tire.

once i slid just off the road into a snowbank and was hung up on it. just about the time i got out of my car two soldiers in uniform were there and easily pushed me out.

I'm guessing from your location you probably live somewhere near Ft. Drum. I had a friend who was stationed there a year or two ago. He told me about how he loved to travel on the snowy roads and throw up a rooster tail of snow.

[ufcrusher]

Yeah the cops in SD dont stop to help you even when your hood is up, your hazards are on, and you are in a dangerous (due to traffic) area. But they are more than happy to pull over some kid for speeding, give the guy a ticket, then walk over and say....You're fine, I'm sure a tow truck will be here shortly and leave.

I really dont care for police here in SD. Then again, I didnt care for them in a few other states either.

[nickel]

Yeah the cops in SD dont stop to help you even when your hood is up, your hazards are on, and you are in a dangerous (due to traffic) area. But they are more than happy to pull over some kid for speeding, give the guy a ticket, then walk over and say....You're fine, I'm sure a tow truck will be here shortly and leave.

I really dont care for police here in SD. Then again, I didnt care for them in a few other states either.
coincidently when i was out in SD, my brother, who is a Federal Agent, seemed to stop everywhere we went to help motorists/people in distress.
once i got to be first on the scene of a car fire and helped to calm down the woman who escaped it as my brother took a fire extinguisher to the flames. the woman had her cellphone and i helped her call her husband on it since she was so hyped up she couldn't function. we let her stay in our vehicle until her husband arrived.

[guiseppewv]

SS #2: I bought this car ('94 Altima) used a couple of years ago, so this is the first tire problem I've had. I get out the spare, find the jack, then start looking around for the lug wrench and jack handle. The owner's manual says they are in a pouch next to the spare. No pouch. No tools. No way to change the tire.


I had the same thing happen to me. I bought a car from my sister and she lost the tools and didn't tell me. So, when I got a flat tire on I-70 at 1 am I was so screwed.

It is nice that 2 people pulled over to help you, though. :)

[BigJon]

In one of my flat tire experiences, I was heading down one of our major highways when I got the "ominous vibrations" from the car. I pulled off the road to take a look and realized I had some work to do. I had all the tools and parts, it was just a matter of digging them out of the trunk. I got the tire out and a white ODOT (Ohio Dept. of Transportation) truck pulls up. The guy gets out and says, "want me to fix the flat?" All I had to do was sign a waiver that I wouldn't hold him responsible if something went wrong with the spare and he pulls out an airgun set and jack and swaps the tire out in about 30 seconds! Made my hassle a lot quicker.