I've got a GM pickup truck with the mini spare mounted under the truck bed.
Every year, I'd think "I should really look at that, check the inflation, and make sure the mechanism still works. Otherwise, a flat tire could leave me stuck.". And every year, I'd never get around to it.
And so, 15 years later, today ... a flat tire leaves me stuck. That mini spare would not lower. The latch thing was rusted solid, and I was unable to loosen it or break it.
On the bright side, it was a pleasant day, and the tow truck only took 90 minutes. And I got to experience a 65 mph blowout on the interstate, just to make my life more exciting.
What I'm saying is that's one maintenance item you shouldn't keep putting off.
Another thing people forget about maintaining is hood latches.Go lubricate them with some WD-40 or equivalent. Not being able to open the hood could also prevent a repair. I had the hood latch not work because I didn't do that, but at least it was in my garage. Someone on YouTube showed me how to bend a coat hanger a certain way so that it could spring the latch.
As far as the mini spare goes, it's still stuck there. After 15 years of road salt, that latch is a solid piece of rust. Heck of a design, GM. I may have to cut it out. Maybe stick the mini spare in the "back seat", which isn't big enough to hold a human anyways.
Every year, I'd think "I should really look at that, check the inflation, and make sure the mechanism still works. Otherwise, a flat tire could leave me stuck.". And every year, I'd never get around to it.
And so, 15 years later, today ... a flat tire leaves me stuck. That mini spare would not lower. The latch thing was rusted solid, and I was unable to loosen it or break it.
On the bright side, it was a pleasant day, and the tow truck only took 90 minutes. And I got to experience a 65 mph blowout on the interstate, just to make my life more exciting.
What I'm saying is that's one maintenance item you shouldn't keep putting off.
Another thing people forget about maintaining is hood latches.Go lubricate them with some WD-40 or equivalent. Not being able to open the hood could also prevent a repair. I had the hood latch not work because I didn't do that, but at least it was in my garage. Someone on YouTube showed me how to bend a coat hanger a certain way so that it could spring the latch.
As far as the mini spare goes, it's still stuck there. After 15 years of road salt, that latch is a solid piece of rust. Heck of a design, GM. I may have to cut it out. Maybe stick the mini spare in the "back seat", which isn't big enough to hold a human anyways.