Changing a tire is must-know skill for adulting! The next time you find yourself with a blown out tire, follow these steps and you’ll be back on the road in no time:
1. You already had one scare, don’t give yourself another. Do yourself a huge favor and make sure that your car is secure. Florida is a flat state so we are very lucky there but never change a tire on a hill or incline. If you have no other choice then use bricks, wooden wedges or metal wheel chocks to block the wheels. The last thing you would need in this situation is the car rolling away. If it’s late a night then turn on emergency flares. An emergency kit should be kept in your car at all times.
2. Now the real work begins. Start by taking off the wheel cover. Insert the point of whichever tool you are using (screwdriver will work just fine) where the edge of the cover meets the wheel and apply a little leverage. Just like taking off the cover of a paint bucket you may have to do this in a couple of places.
3. Next up: loosen the lug nut. This is a large fastener used to secure a wheel on your vehicle. You should not remove this completely, this only needs to be loosened enough to be able to remove by hand after lifting your car. Although a powertool make look like a good idea, it should never be used for fear of scratching the finish.
4. Lift your vehicle about 6 inches off the ground using a jack (which again should be in your car in case of emergencies). Check the owner’s manual before placing the jack to make sure you have the right location for your vehicle. Otherwise you could injure your car. Finally using nice and even strokes to shorten the labor involved.
5. Time to remove the flat tire. As mentioned before you should be able to take the lug nuts off now completely by hand. Be sure to put them in a safe place to be used for the new tire. The flat should slide along the bolts and once it clears you will be supporting the full weight (this would be a bad time to be wearing white).
6. Spare time! Hope that you’ve been hitting the gym lately because tires are heavy and it is time to lift the spare into place.
7. Replace the lug nuts which should’ve been carefully placed somewhere safe or else you are not going anywhere anytime soon and tighten them by hand.
8. Lower the vehicle and after the vehicle is on the ground, use a wrench to tighten the lug nuts as much as you can. Again no power tools!
9. Replace the wheel cover or hubcap. If your car has hubcaps, place the hubcap against the wheel and whack it into place with the heel of your hand (may take a couple of whacks).
Congrats! You just adulted! We hope these steps helped you out and hopefully, you’ll be able to help someone else out with this knowledge.
Here at Tropical Chevrolet Collision Center, we pride ourselves on our customer care, even if it means helpful tips and lessons like changing a tire on your car. Tropical Chevy is here to help you with any of your collision needs as well, and believe we provide some of the best collision repair in Miami. You can visit our website here for more information on the services we provide.