Automotive

CAA flat tire repair

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  • Mar 31st, 2015 10:26 am
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Deal Addict
Aug 19, 2006
2176 posts
407 upvotes
Mississauga

CAA flat tire repair

Hi All

I have a 3 series BMW which originally came with run flat tires and no spare tire or wheel jack
Now I have a new set of regular (non run flat tires) and no spare tire.

Question:

If I get a flat tire, would CAA attempt to repair the tire even if I don't have a spare ?
If the tire cannot be repaired, will they tow the car? I know that in normal situations they would put your spare tire on ..

On a side note, is anyone aware of any CAA deals going on ?

Thanks
28 replies
Sr. Member
Apr 18, 2010
578 posts
91 upvotes
Really man, I would never drive without a spare.
Deal Addict
Aug 19, 2006
2176 posts
407 upvotes
Mississauga
fredf wrote: Really man, I would never drive without a spare.
They don't have spare tires by design, that's why they come with run flat tires
Sr. Member
Apr 18, 2010
578 posts
91 upvotes
krypton wrote: They don't have spare tires by design, that's why they come with run flat tires
I understand that but since the OP has switched to regular tires he should buy a cheap rim with a tire.
Deal Expert
User avatar
Jul 30, 2007
33237 posts
21167 upvotes
Toronto
btw, those flat tire slime thing that claims to plug a tiny hole ... don't bother, they don't work and actually, it caused the tire shop more grief in cleaning those junk out from the rims and tires.

If you are going for a long trip, bring a winter tire (on rim) instead and at least CAA will change that for you.
Deal Addict
Aug 19, 2006
2176 posts
407 upvotes
Mississauga
booblehead wrote: btw, those flat tire slime thing that claims to plug a tiny hole ... don't bother, they don't work and actually, it caused the tire shop more grief in cleaning those junk out from the rims and tires.

If you are going for a long trip, bring a winter tire (on rim) instead and at least CAA will change that for you.
So they will not do anything if I don't have spare tire ? Do you need a 'legitimate' reason to have the car towed ?
Newbie
Mar 16, 2015
25 posts
6 upvotes
Orillia
I'm sure they'll tow your car even if you don't have a reason. They'll just want to get paid to do it
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Dec 11, 2003
5731 posts
199 upvotes
Toronto
[QUOTE]Do you need a 'legitimate' reason to have the car towed ?[/QUOTE]

Hey guys can you come tow me home, I had a long day at work and I want to grab a nap in the car??
--------------------------------------------------------------
HEATWARE.... if you bought from me ... thanks
Deal Addict
Aug 19, 2006
2176 posts
407 upvotes
Mississauga
googoo wrote: Hey guys can you come tow me home, I had a long day at work and I want to grab a nap in the car??
trololol
Deal Addict
May 2, 2010
1646 posts
167 upvotes
Toronto
There's no place for a spare tire on this car.

Realistically speaking, you should not get a flat. Flats caused by nails and other objects are rare but it does happen. Your car has Flat Tire monitoring system, and rely on it.

If you do get flats, most of the situations it is still drivable, even if it's not RFT - leak is rather slow. I've gotten flats couple of time over 30 year of driving. In either situations I did not use a spare but both cars were equipped with tire pressure monitoring system or flat tire monitoring system, so early detection was possible before they went complete flat and required replacement.

Keep a air pump and repair kit in the trunk. That's what I'd do.
Deal Addict
Apr 18, 2005
3799 posts
1991 upvotes
Mississauga
I know a lot of folks who ask the dealer to replace the tires with regular tires + spare when they buy the car !! I think MB was also doing run flats but then stopped ... RF were big a couple of years back. Now they cause more grief as most tire shops don't stock em and have to special order.
Deal Addict
May 2, 2010
1646 posts
167 upvotes
Toronto
OP, simplest solution - when you get flats and get stuck, just get CAA to tow you to nearest service center to repair the flat. Chances are, you'll never need to do this but if you do, it would be rare.

Spare tire does not solve all problems. Once you swap the flats with the spare, you no longer have a spare. Often I see people drive with spare for days or weeks, instead of heading directly to service centers to repair the flat tire.

I hate run flats. They offer safety and convenience but they are heavy, expensive, rare and impacts both car's performance and comfort.
Deal Guru
User avatar
Mar 31, 2008
13011 posts
3095 upvotes
Toronto
Small chance but it does happen is if you hit a curb, you can tear your sidewall of the tire. No amount of technology is going to help with that.

All this hooply and additional price tag for technology that can just cause more headache later on.
Deal Addict
May 2, 2010
1646 posts
167 upvotes
Toronto
at1212b wrote: Small chance but it does happen is if you hit a curb, you can tear your sidewall of the tire. No amount of technology is going to help with that.

All this hooply and additional price tag for technology that can just cause more headache later on.
If you hit a curb hard enough to tear the sidewall of your tire, you'll definitely need a tow not a spare tire.
Deal Addict
May 10, 2011
1482 posts
540 upvotes
Ottawa
Have been driving a BMW in the winter with non RF tires and no sparse tire for about 10 years. So far so good. In fact I only had two flats in my entire 24 years of driving. Unless you drive around construction sites a lot, your odd is probably pretty good.

BTW roadside assistance (not the full bmw assist) from BMW is $99 per year. If you only have one car you may want to consider that, especially if your car has the bmw assist hardware.
Member
Feb 24, 2013
359 posts
53 upvotes
Ontario
CAA does not repair flat tires. They can pump them up if it's a slow leak so you can get to a repair shop, but that's about it. They will also change the tire if you have an easily accessible spare. My son had a blowout on his 2003 minivan a couple of years ago and could not get the spare out from underneath. The CAA guy just shook his head and said it was impossible, so we had to take the wheel to a used tire shop to get a replacement. I would suggest to the OP to pick up a donut spare that fits from a junkyard and a jack.
Deal Addict
May 2, 2010
1646 posts
167 upvotes
Toronto
Velocrank wrote: I would suggest to the OP to pick up a donut spare that fits from a junkyard and a jack.
If it were that easy, all of them would be doing this already. There's no dedicated space for spares on these cars, unless you want to sacrifice your trunk for them.
Member
Feb 24, 2013
359 posts
53 upvotes
Ontario
Yes, you have to use the trunk. This became a problem since 1968 when space saver spares were introduced. If you ordered your car with a real spare, it didn't quite fit and took up more space.

The whole idea of compact spares is ridiculous. Where do you put the dirty flat tire you just replaced, in the back seat?
Deal Addict
May 2, 2010
1646 posts
167 upvotes
Toronto
Velocrank wrote: Yes, you have to use the trunk. This became a problem since 1968 when space saver spares were introduced. If you ordered your car with a real spare, it didn't quite fit and took up more space.

The whole idea of compact spares is ridiculous. Where do you put the dirty flat tire you just replaced, in the back seat?
One of the reasons I did not use the spare when I got a flat. The best is to avoid the use of spare altogether. Most flats on today's radial tires aren't so bad, usually not bad enough that many people drive with flats without even realizing it.

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