I have the foam in my new vRS - though i have 3 years 'skoda' breakdown coverage so it would only be time wasted waiting for the rac to arrive. How does the RAC deal with a flat that foam cant fix?

Tow to the nearest tyre dealer.

In my case they changed the wheel for me and directed me to the nearest Kwik fit to get tyre fixed/changed to save another 200 miles at 50 mph.

I had a puncture that destroyed a tyre at 8pm on a Sunday night 50 miles south of Glasgow on a journey back to Gloucestershire.  Car wasn't a Skoda and there was no spare wheel.  No possibility of a new tyre being fitted at that time of night.  Cost the two of us a night in a nearby hotel and a day's lost wages on the Monday.  If there had been a spare wheel it would only have cost us 15 minutes (probably even less) of our time.

 

Also missed a ferry back from France due to a car not having a spare wheel.  In my view the only valid option is a full sized spare wheel.  By full-sized I mean exactly the same size as the wheels/tyres fitted to the car.  For my last three cars I have purchased a 5th alloy/tyre.  I won't buy a car if the spare wheel storage won't take a full-sized wheel/tyre.

I have the foam in my new vRS - though i have 3 years 'skoda' breakdown coverage so it would only be time wasted waiting for the rac to arrive. How does the RAC deal with a flat that foam cant fix?

 

In my case I was lucky (if you can call it that!)

 

There was a tyre place about 2 miles from where I discovered I had front and rear wheel punctures.

 

The callout guy used a compressor to pump both tyres up and then followed me as I drove slowly to the tyre place.

 

I've since bought a tyre pump that runs off of the 12v socket (they're £7 delivered off of eBay).

I'm all for a spare wheel, and have ordered one, but sometimes a full size is unmanageable.

 

I used to have a VXR8 and I could hardly lift the 19" full size spare from the boot. I'm 6'5 and more than capable of lifting but that was a real struggle. A less capable person would still be waiting for the AA (if they would be allowed to lift it due to H&S), but at least you would be able to continue your journey.

 

So don't discount a space saver, they have their place.

So don't discount a space saver, they have their place.

 

Stuck on Bodmin Moor at 2a.m on a January morning when it's -10C:

 

A spare wheel will get me moving - GUARANTEED + I can get my £200 tyre repaired.

 

A can of gunk might get me moving - NOT GUARANTEED + my £200 tyre is wrecked.

 

I'd love to know what car manufacturers are upto?

 

What next, a set of keys is a chargeable option FFS?

Run flat tyres or at least self sealing tyres would have a a better choice than just pump + gunk, but spare wheel is best.

Run flat tyres or at least self sealing tyres would have a a better choice than just pump + gunk, but spare wheel is best.

 

Runflats would have been a deal breaker for me.  No way was I buying a car with them, I know too many people who have had nothing but trouble with them (mainly with hideous prices and cracked alloys from potholes).

 

I paid the £75 for the spare wheel as it was a must for me.  I travel a lot where you can be miles away from the nearest house/car/mobile reception sometimes all you can here is banjos. 

 

However I might invest in a small compressor / gunk kit as well in case I'm stuck somewhere the gunk is safer - motorway hard shoulder etc as I've never been able to have a tyre repaired (always seems to be nails etc through the bl**dy sidewall). 

I bought a RING RAC 600 compressor for my car and it's very good too.

I found this on eBay: http://bit.ly/1d6rGf1

From the pic it looks like a full size steel spare (17" wheel). I know its more than ordering at factory or even buying a space saver from the dealer but I'd rather have a full size spare, I'd prefer a full size alloy but full size steel wheel is the next best IMO.

I've sent them a message asking for more info.

That ad contradicts itself.

 

One part of it says it's a 16" wheel, the other says it's a 17" wheel!  :wonder:

Mike83 you can buy the proper spare full size 16" steel wheel with the full polystyrene insert tools and jack from a main Skoda dealer for £124.00 for a mk2 but that advert is the 17" spare for the mk3 latest model to accommodate the bigger brakes

Which is what you get if you order the spare at the time of ordering for about £75.00

As for the OP's original post all the cars are the same as in the all have the spare wheel hole/well under the floor, you just get a polystyrene thing with gunge or the spare as described above.

Edited 19 October, 201312 yr by Defenderben

Dam only edit once....

I made ref to 16" mk2 for £124.00 as I asked the other day, so would assume the 17" spare kit for your mk3 would not be much more and hopefully not as much as £170.00 as per that add.

That ad contradicts itself.

One part of it says it's a 16" wheel, the other says it's a 17" wheel! :wonder:

I did notice that but he's got both 16" and 17" for sale so may be a typo, that why I've sent them a message.

Mike83 you can buy the proper spare full size 16" steel wheel with the full polystyrene insert tools and jack from a main Skoda dealer for £124.00 for a mk2 but that advert is the 17" spare for the mk3 latest model to accommodate the bigger brakes

Which is what you get if you order the spare at the time of ordering for about £75.00

As for the OP's original post all the cars are the same as in the all have the spare wheel hole/well under the floor, you just get a polystyrene thing with gunge or the spare as described above.

That why I posted it pal as it's the first 17" full size I've seen and I thought the spare wheel optional extra was a space saver?

I was told by the dealer that he had added a full size alloy spare for me at order as he said it was a free option but I think all he'd done is click on the Pictorus wheels as I had to point out I wanted anthracite Gemini's. So I'm not expecting a spare but I'll be asking ;-)

I'd much prefer a full size spare so I never added the space saver wheel. I'm just looking around to decide what I'll do about wheels and a spare, at the moment I'm looking at:

Full size steel wheel spare (if possible)

Buy another Gemini wheel for a spare

Buy 5 Extremes, one for spare and also use my Gemini's for winter tyres.

As above but sell the Gemini's

That is it they do a 17" spare c/w tool kit & jack, (steel wheel larger profile tyre) as the official spare it is not a "space saver" or at least it wasn't a little while back or you can spec a matching alloy.

The official steel spare has lots of yellow stickers regards Max speed etc but it is not a space saver,unless it has changed recently.

But the alloy AFAIK will be a lot more ££'s than the official spare wheel/tool kit option.