Cornel Strydom, technical master at a local car dealer, believes the most important thing to remember is that the spare wheel, tools and jack must be easily accessible.
He says before taking a road trip it is vital to check if the spare wheel is in perfect order.
There are a few safety measures that need to be taken before the tyre is changed:
- The first thing to do when a vehicle has a flat tyre is to pull off to the side of the road.
- Make sure the surface is stable enough to use a jack.
- For safety purposes make sure the passengers are all out of the vehicle.
- The emergency triangle should be placed behind the vehicle.
- Remove the spare wheel from the boot.
- Loosen the wheel nuts slightly to make sure the wheel doesn’t turn.
When all of this is done use the jack to jack up the car.
Cornel says once this is done the following steps need to be taken:
- Remove the wheel nuts and keep them safe.
- Remove the wheel and put it where it is safe.
- Lift the spare wheel into place.
- Screw on the wheel nuts.
- It is advised that the nuts are fitted across (top left, bottom right and then top right and bottom left) to pull the wheel straight.
- Tighten the nuts in that order.
- Lower the jack and remove it.
- Replace the hubcap.
After all this is done, put the wheel spanner, jack, flat tyre and triangle back in the boot.
It is advisable to have the flat tyre fixed as soon as possible to be well prepared if there is another flat tyre. As a precaution, ask the attendant at the garage to check the tightness of the wheel nuts.
Cornel says it is important to always have the spare wheel in a good condition.
