Spare flat tyre No spare

[longpig]

Well, it happened! Three years driving over 50.000 miles in my Civic Coupe and not a single puncture! Found the rear N/S flat on my ES. The other morning!
Got out the tyre gunge and read the instructions by torchlight Got out the jack and tried to find the reason of the puncture and there was a brass screw! I weighed up the tubes and plastic bits and the feeble looking pump and got out my own electric compressor and re-flated the tyre! The tube of repair fluid would have cost me £40+vat to replace (insult to injury)
Drove it to the local tyrebay for a repair and was told that--although, he --the tyreman, would have reluctantly repaired it, in his discussions with his peers, it turns out that upon finding the tyre filled with "white crap" any other tyrebay would have flung it aside as scrap and offered a replacement!! (£10 for a repair, v £100 for replacement!!)
I am now looking for a spare wheel and tyre! not a spacesaver but the full hit!! I dont want to be a casualty on the motorway while fiddling about with a tube of "white crap" which might or might not work depending on the area of damage!
Why spoil the experience of such an outstanding car by scrimping on such a vital piece of kit . Please explain Mr Honda????
The next Honda I go to buy will not leave the showroom without at least a spacesaver as a condition of the sale at no cost to me!!!!

[Dimplyred]

I bought a spacesaver for the very reason you describe, most tyre fitting companies won't even touch the tyre to attempt a repair, once it has been inflated with the foam.

Glad you managed to get it repaired. Good luck finding a spare.

[cylon2007]

I have to say I don't like space saver spare tyres but they are preferable to the dodgy foam sh*te Honda supply. So I bought a spare off ebay for £50, worth a search.

[Dimplyred]

Originally Posted by cylon2007

I have to say I don't like space saver spare tyres but they are preferable to the dodgy foam sh*te Honda supply. So I bought a spare off ebay for £50, worth a search.

What the 135/80/16 one? Not a bad price, like you say, worth a try, but I think you were lucky to find one on ebay. o rdid you buy a full size wheel.

There are lots of space savers, off the older civic, on there but they are the wrong sizes. But you never know unless you look.

[alanwalne]

I went to my dealer to buy a spacesaver and was recommended not to bother, just call Honda Assist and say you refuse to drive on a 'gunked' tyre. Either a mobile fitter will be called, or they will take the car to a tyre place. Sods law it will only happen when the boot is full and there will then be nowhere to put the full size wheel!!!

As regards the foam - general concensus is don't put the foam in and pump the tyre using the std compressor evry 10 mins to get to nearest outlet. If the hole is too big and goes down quicker than 5 mins, the foam won't hold it anyway.

[Unknownsoldier]

I bought a spare for this same reason and when I complained to Honda I was told "You knew when you bought the car"...... Honda "F*c* you!"....... Every other car in the world has a spare, they could have fitted it under the rear seats to save room, quite easily. (Sorry but I'm not best pleased with Hnoda right now, turns out the car i bought was made from recycled crisp packets ).

Tom

[alanwalne]

Originally Posted by Unknownsoldier

I bought a spare for this same reason and when I complained to Honda I was told "You knew when you bought the car"...... Honda "F*c* you!"....... Every other car in the world has a spare, they could have fitted it under the rear seats to save room, quite easily. (Sorry but I'm not best pleased with Hnoda right now, turns out the car i bought was made from recycled crisp packets ).

Tom

If the spare was under the rear seat, it would not be able to have the 'magic rear seat' and I only got one as it has the space of an MPV without having to drive an MPV - horses for courses etc.

P.S. There are quite a few cars appearing now with no spare.

Ford S Max, Ford Galaxy, Scenic 7 seat etc. and probably non MPV's as well!!

[vivid bluey]

I bought the spacesaver from my dealer for £100. Was gonna cost me that for a new tyre if needed. Comes as a complete kit, with sponge protectors, screw down clamp & a cargo net. Rather have some sort of rubber on rather than leaving it to chance full of foam!! (sounds a bit rude that!!!).

[ASH]

There is only enough space for a space saver tyre in trunk. I tried　to fit a full size and　couldn't.

[Dimplyred]

Originally Posted by ASH

There is only enough space for a space saver tyre in trunk. I tried　to fit a full size and　couldn't.

Even a space saver is better than a can of foam.

[longpig]

Originally Posted by alanwalne

If the spare was under the rear seat, it would not be able to have the 'magic rear seat' and I only got one as it has the space of an MPV without having to drive an MPV - horses for courses etc.

P.S. There are quite a few cars appearing now with no spare.

Ford S Max, Ford Galaxy, Scenic 7 seat etc. and probably non MPV's as well!!

Doesnt make it right!!

I think it will soon become a legal requirement! The first tragedy with "White crap" will scare the S*it out of the manufacturers and I hope they get taken to the cleaners!! Just a pity that it will probably happen in that order!!
Hey Honda!------ Get the point and kit up with a spare. Lead the way with safety like you have with the rest of the car before you are legislated into doing it!!!!!!!!!

[alanwalne]

Originally Posted by longpig

Doesnt make it right!!

I think it will soon become a legal requirement! The first tragedy with "White crap" will scare the S*it out of the manufacturers and I hope they get taken to the cleaners!! Just a pity that it will probably happen in that order!!
Hey Honda!------ Get the point and kit up with a spare. Lead the way with safety like you have with the rest of the car before you are legislated into doing it!!!!!!!!!

As there is no legal requirement to provide any kind of spare, if any legislation comes in, IMO manufacturers will just provide nothing at all.

I have no spare, and if I get a flat that will not inflate with the pump, then I will phone Honda Assist - I am very wary of the gunk.

We all insist on safe cars with air con etc, and then the EU sets emissions targets. Something has to give and manufacturers appear to go down the no spare wheel route. Perhaps the answer is run flat tyres.

VW ditched the spare to get the Polo bluemotion under the magic 100g/km.

[longpig]

I would actively support a law to compell manufacturers to provide a spare tyre .
I am less stressed about A/C etc. Missing such fripperries dont stop you in your tracks or leave you in unsatisfactory and potentially dangerous positions---OK for you and I. I know people who could not cope with the foam scenario!
The car also boasts 90 degree door opening to aid the disabled--Great stuff! Back it up with the correct level of ancilliary support.

[alanwalne]

Originally Posted by Dimplyred

Even a space saver is better than a can of foam.

Sods law will state that you will only get a puncture when the car / boot is full. (Usually longer journeys and heavier car).

I wonder should I leave luggage or kids at the side of the road???

Space savers and foam are both dangerous in my opinion, a car should either have a full size spare or nothing. A car is safer on the back of a breakdown truck rather than on a wheel more suited to a push bike.

[Unknownsoldier]

My mothers BMW came with a space saver, but mine did not (full size alloy wheel), hers is a 155 mph car (330ci Sport, E46), mine was a 130mph car (520i SE, E39), I would have been more than happy to have a space saver on mine (the space saver must meet the same relative safety standards as an Alloy wheel), you have to reduce your speed to use one, but I don't believe there is a weight difference, in load carrying capacity.

But as you say anything is better than a can of that cr*p. Also btw their would with some minor tweeking, enough room to put the spare beneath the rear seats to allow room to be kept in the boot, and allow the retaining of the magic rear seat.

Tom

[mike20]

I didn't pay £100 quid for the space saver option. I liked the look of the extra boot space plus I thought about the extra weight of the spare wheel and tyre.
I did read the instructions about how to use the kit supplied in case I ever needed it and sounded like grief.
When I was in Halfords, I spotted that they were selling off their tyre fixing kits that are a can of compressed something that fixes and inflates the tyre in one go so I bought a pack of 2 for about £7.99 (can't remember exactly) and I've ditched the Honda kit for these cans. Seems a lot easier and you don't have to carry the compressor around.
Obviously these are going to suffer with the same issue that they might not be fixable afterwards.
Lets hope I never need to use them!

[lazytrev]

Truthfully the extra boot space is nice but i sacraficed it for a spacesaver. (Plus there is still plenty of room for all your tools, first aid kits etc in and around the spacesaver)

Ok im not going to argue that spacesavers are brilliant, because they arnt, but they are certainly better than getting a blowout when you are on your way home after a long journey when you are tired and you have to wait for assistance or worse if you are on your way to an appointment, but at least you can limp to your home/destination or to a garage (if one is open).

Also i dont think that anyone has the grounds to complain to honda about the car not having a spare wheel. You knew before buying the car that it didnt have one and at the end of the day there were other car manufacturers to choose from. However i do think it is disgusting that you dont get even a spacesaver but then i knew this before i bought the car so i just accepted it.

Honda have probably purposefully not put a spare in the car so that it makes the civic look like its got a class leading boot size and it makes honda money by selling spacesavers to those who want them.

Anyway all this of course is my own opinion
Here are some pics of what ive done with my spacesaver.

[allan40alt]

After reading of the problems with 'shredded' tyres the whole issue was made even more relevant by our neighbour having his tyre 'shred' at the weekend.

I've now ordered a space saver from my dealer (Avonvale Honda, Coventry). Cost £100.01 complete. Well worth it considering the replacement cost of the gunk and the possibility of the tyre fitters not wishing to repair a messy tyre.

Nice to see there's still plenty of room for 'bits n bobs' in the boot-well (thank's for the photo). I actually use a cheapo ladies small handbag to hold these bits. Got one last year for just £4 from Lanzarote. It has a main zipped centre section with a long zipped front section together with two end pockets and two additional front pockets. (Black, of course). Keeps everything neat and tidy.

[Dimplyred]

Originally Posted by alanwalne

Sods law will state that you will only get a puncture when the car / boot is full. (Usually longer journeys and heavier car).

I wonder should I leave luggage or kids at the side of the road???

Space savers and foam are both dangerous in my opinion, a car should either have a full size spare or nothing. A car is safer on the back of a breakdown truck rather than on a wheel more suited to a push bike.

Sods law also states when you get a puncture it will be shredded so the foam is no use, you'll have a car full of peolple, a boot full of luggage and no space saver. Stuck on the hard shoulder where the nearest exit is miles away. It will be night time and throwing it down, or stuck in the middle of nowhere and throwing it down. Oh and the recovery truck can't get to you for hours.

I'll take my chances at up to 50 mph on my spacesaver I think, and limp off the motorway or back to civilisation.

[FWH]

Originally Posted by Dimplyred

Sods law also states when you get a puncture it will be shredded so the foam is no use, you'll have a car full of peolple, a boot full of luggage and no space saver. Stuck on the hard shoulder where the nearest exit is miles away. It will be night time and throwing it down, or stuck in the middle of nowhere and throwing it down. Oh and the recovery truck can't get to you for hours.

I'll take my chances at up to 50 mph on my spacesaver I think, and limp off the motorway or back to civilisation.

You forgot that the cell phone battery will be dead so you can´t call the recovery truck at all...