5 hours ago, Llanigraham said:

I suggest that the people who think that a spare wheel adds to their crash protection talk to some Body Shops, just like people who think tow bars improve things. 

The problem is these things often "bridge" the areas designed to deform so transmit further damage further into the body shell, resulting in more expense and difficulty in repair.

 

Read my posts again. It was the "Body Shop" that carried out the repair on ours that advised how the spare wheel had saved significant extra damage and had probably saved the life of our dog.

 

Had the wheel not been there the car would have been written off for sure.

I did read your posting, and I still stand by what has been said to me by other Bodyshops.