Getting the spare tyre back in its holder

[paradise city]

Is a complete PITA!

That's all I wanted to say.

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[Calimili]

care to expand?

what was the most difficult part?

 

[T6 CFO]

Try it on a sloping hard shoulder on a Portuguese motorway with a tow ball bike rack, 2 bikes on it and watched by two local polis and it rained


Mike

 

[Aidy P]

If you have levelling chocks with you, it helps to use these on the rears. Also remember to remove the removable towball too as it gets in the way.

 

[paradise city]

care to expand?

what was the most difficult part?

The fact that the hole doesn't line up with the bolt so you have to take the weight of the wheel in one hand while using the other to direct the bolt into position.

Might get easier with practice but I hope I don't get too much of it!

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[Jay20cali]

Try it on a sloping hard shoulder on a Portuguese motorway with a tow ball bike rack, 2 bikes on it and watched by two local polis and it rained


Mike

Oohhhhhhh
I thought my experience was bad !
Hit a small rock on the side of narrow Rd in Cornwall it instantly deflated...3bikes on the rack boot brimmed to the max nowhere to pull over at all except to block someone’s driveway so that’s what I did It was an absolute ass of a job.and them jacks don’t feel safe at all with a fully loaded van.

 

[Hotel California]

Just put it on the floor between the front and rear seats , plenty space there , and put it back in place when arriving on your destination (a safer place than on the roadside) even better have it fixed first before putting it back as you need to do the whole proces again...
I had my spare out only once to try it out , it was at home in my garage and i found it not all that hard ...ideal circumstaces offcoarse.
Fingers Xssed i never need to take it out on the roadside.

 

[WelshGas]

The fact that the hole doesn't line up with the bolt so you have to take the weight of the wheel in one hand while using the other to direct the bolt into position.

Might get easier with practice but I hope I don't get too much of it!

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Did you use the wheel brace in the end of the spare wheel carrier to lift it up and clip into and position it on the L hand bolt before inserting the R hand removable bolt?

 

[paradise city]

Did you use the wheel brace in the end of the spare wheel carrier to lift it up and clip into and position it on the L hand bolt before inserting the R hand removable bolt?

No, but I will the next time. Thanks for the tip

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[WelshGas]

In case any new members don’t know.

 

[crazygrandad]

Call the AA

 

[Hotel California]

No, but I will the next time. Thanks for the tip

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In that case it’s your own fault you are struggeling there ....read the manual , it can help sometimes

 

[Ting Tong]

And you only remove the right hand bolt and just loosen the left one, which acts like a hook to take the weight: lift and push right to unhook and vice versa. Once hooked the right bolt should just line up.

 

[paradise city]

In that case it’s your own fault you are struggeling there ....read the manual , it can help sometimes

Thanks

 

[paradise city]

And you only remove the right hand bolt and just loosen the left one, which acts like a hook to take the weight: lift and push right to unhook and vice versa. Once hooked the right bolt should just line up.

Yep I knew that. The bolt doesn't line up. That was the problem.

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[Aidy P]

Yep I knew that. The bolt doesn't line up. That was the problem.

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This happened to me. The carrier can twist and prevent it from lining up. I found a good pull on it helped. This was on my driveway changing over to winter tyres. Wouldn’t have like it by the side of the road.

I also find sitting on something and using my feet to guide the wheel in whilst using the wheel spanner helps. Not graceful mind you!!

 

[Vagophile]

At least you have a spare wheel. I can't understand why any sensible person would travel without one. These gunk fillers are rubbish. I know that they are designed to save weight, but I think that a lightweight emergency spare is the least you should expect.
How to load and unload the spare is in the manual. I second previous comments (elsewhere) from @hotel california and others that RTFM applies, especially to something like this which can be critical.

 

[Vagophile]

A digression.
In the '80s, in Yugoslavia, I could feel that the camper was driving erratically and found that a tyre on a rear wheel had developed a significant bulge. I replaced it with the spare, taken from its underslung housing.
The bulging tyre was too wide to fit in the spare wheel cradle and being a bit of a dork, I didn't have the sense to deflate it, so laid it inside the van beside the door hoping to deal with it the following day.
Yes, you've guessed. In the middle of the night there was an almighty bang as the tyre exploded. Luckily, I had some windows open, but it was one of the most terrifying nigh time experiences I have had in a camper.

 

[WelshGas]

At least you have a spare wheel. I can't understand why any sensible person would travel without one. These gunk fillers are rubbish. I know that they are designed to save weight, but I think that a lightweight emergency spare is the least you should expect.
How to load and unload the spare is in the manual. I second previous comments (elsewhere) from @hotel california and others that RTFM applies, especially to something like this which can be critical.

Reading on other Forums, those who go for "The Look" with 18 + wheels and no spare rarely cross the water unless it's to the I. O. W.

 

[briwy]

It's a lot easier if you use a scissor jack or smll hydraulic bottle jack instead of the VW one. Just put the jack under the cage and wind it up.

 

[B J G]

It's a lot easier if you use a scissor jack or smll hydraulic bottle jack instead of the VW one. Just put the jack under the cage and wind it up.

More kit to carry though.

 

[briwy]

More kit to carry though.

Not really. You only need one jack.

 

[TripleBee]

It's a lot easier if you use a scissor jack or smll hydraulic bottle jack instead of the VW one. Just put the jack under the cage and wind it up.

If you put the back of the wrench in the hole of the basket, you (at least I) can easily lift the basket with the standard 16" steel back in place. No need for jacking the basket up.
Also the standard jack (although it feels a bit wonky) met up to the requirements for me, even on cobblestone where it could slip any moment.
But if you think you need other gear, I won't stop you.
It's just getting used to it (but not too much, or it means you break down too often...).

 

[Blue Yonder]

I sold my spare wheel and put the space where it was stored to better use. If I ever get a flat tyre whilst away from home my strategy is as follows....

a) If simple puncture and I am in a safe dry well lit location then use my plug repair kit to temporary fix hole and re inflate the tyre with a 12 volt compressor (time taken to fix including re inflation of a completely flat tyre 25 mins - and no need to remove tyre but jacking may be required)

b) If simple puncture and I am not in a safe dry well lit location then will use two or three cans of sealant to fix and re-inflate the tyre (time taken <10 minutes no need to jack up or remove the wheel) and the accept the tyre cannot be repaired thereafter.

c) If tyre cannot be made temporarily good by the two previous options then I turn the gas on make a cup of tea and wait for my break recovery man/woman to arrive and let them sought it out. Note. 'break down vans' carry 'muti-fit' spare wheels and they fit the T6 vans.

I can't understand why any sensible person would want to go to the grief of fitting a full size spare wheel if they puncture given most sensible people pay upfront for breakdown cover.

PS. When I travel around Spain I carry a spare wheel as it is a legal requirement. However, my flat tyre strategy would remain unchanged.

 

[TripleBee]

I sold my spare wheel and put the space where it was stored to better use. If I ever get a flat tyre whilst away from home my strategy is as follows....

a) If simple puncture and I am in a safe dry well lit location then use my plug repair kit to temporary fix hole and re inflate the tyre with a 12 volt compressor (time taken to fix including re inflation of a completely flat tyre 25 mins - and no need to remove tyre but jacking may be required)

b) If simple puncture and I am not in a safe dry well lit location then will use two or three cans of sealant to fix and re-inflate the tyre (time taken <10 minutes no need to jack up or remove the wheel) and the accept the tyre cannot be repaired thereafter.

c) If tyre cannot be made temporarily good by the two previous options then I turn the gas on make a cup of tea and wait for my break recovery man/woman to arrive and let them sought it out. Note. 'break down vans' carry 'muti-fit' spare wheels and they fit the T6 vans.

I can't understand why any sensible person would want to go to the grief of fitting a full size spare wheel if they puncture given most sensible people pay upfront for breakdown cover.

PS. When I travel around Spain I carry a spare wheel as it is a legal requirement. However, my flat tyre strategy would remain unchanged.

Each one does what he wants, but I could not be bothered with that tyre repair kit.
Changing the wheels only takes me less than 15 minutes, and I am good to go. I can just leave the spare wheel on and drive 1000km back home at 100+km/h and sort the flat tyre out whenever and wherever I want.
Most of the time, you don't break down in a safe and dry location.
And I wouldn't wait in the van on a busy highway for a break down van. I would put on the safety vest and get away from the van as far as possible. There is always a chance a truck collides with a broken down car, and then you don't want to be in, or in front of it.

But as said, that is only my point of view.