Spare tyre removal problem

George Sharpe · Sep 17, 2022

Just had a flat and needed to change the wheel. Suffered the humiliation of having to call roadside service to do this as I couldn’t get one of the bolts holding the spare off. The guy who came had great difficulty and in the end sheared the bolt
So I’ve had the call for 8 years and never needed the spare. Leaning is that’s it’s worth loosening and lubricating the retention bolts occasionally

westfalia · Sep 17, 2022

I think with mine, only one bolt is needed to be removed and the second one
loosened enough just to slide the carrier over it.

Wesel · Sep 17, 2022

The left bolt should not be removed completely.

George Sharpe · Sep 17, 2022

Wesel said:
The left bolt should not be removed completely.

That’s correct. It was the left one that wouldn’t undo

George Sharpe · Sep 17, 2022

I mean right!

Wesel · Sep 17, 2022

George Sharpe · Sep 17, 2022

Yep. I get that. My point is the right bolt wouldn’t undo so it’s worth listening it periodically to avoid the issue I had

Stu@rt · Sep 17, 2022

Please don't think it's humiliating to call for assistance. Especially if the vehicle isn't in a safe place. These guys have a vehicle that can be placed to protect yours and all the right tools for the job. If I found myself on the hardshoulder or worse on the verge of a busy A road, I think I'd wait an hour and let someone who does it for a day job show me just how good they are.

Ozzy Pete · Sep 17, 2022

Before going away this year I made sure the spare wheel bolts we’re nicely greased up and the spare was at the right pressure and came off fairly easily.. Luckily everything was ok. Better to be safe than sorry.

willwander · Sep 18, 2022

Getting the spare off is only the start of it, getting a wheel off can also be a PITA, they tend to get stuck on the hub if they’ve not been off for a while.

Lambeth Cali · Sep 18, 2022

I've always assumed that the day I get a puncture on the Cali, will be one of the worst of my life.

The last time I jacked up my Golf the jack broke and I was lucky I didn't lose my arm.

Ten years ago someone stole the Cali spare and I replaced it with one from eBay. At the back of my mind I worry that even once I've jacked up and removed everything, the spare will be the wrong size! It has 5 holes, gotta go on right?? A call to the AA is pretty likely I'd say.

v-tec · Sep 18, 2022

willwander said:
Getting the spare off is only the start of it, getting a wheel off can also be a PITA, they tend to get stuck on the hub if they’ve not been off for a while.

I’ve been on the tools for 45 years, in the early days at VW removing the wheels and cleaning the hub flanges and and wheel then greasing them would be part of the major service schedule, Now it isn’t,the only time they are removed in a dealership is to replace brakes, Then more often than not the technician doesn’t clean/lube them because there all on bonus, Then they impact gun the wheels on (Too tightly) Then torque up the already over tightened bolts, So yes getting the wheels of in the event of a puncher can be a real PITA when it shouldn’t be.

Ozzy Pete · Sep 18, 2022

willwander said:
Getting the spare off is only the start of it, getting a wheel off can also be a PITA, they tend to get stuck on the hub if they’ve not been off for a while.

When you rotate your wheels use a small dab of suitable grease. They will always come off a treat when needed. And you won’t need a sledge hammer to do it.

Resfeber · Sep 18, 2022

Ozzy Pete said:
When you rotate your wheels use a small dab of suitable grease. They will always come off a treat when needed. And you won’t need a sledge hammer to do it.

Word of Warning, if you have a Spare Wheel.

That time of the year, but the garden and lawn still too sodden, so decided to remove my 17” Steel Spare with 235x55 tyre and clean it, rub it down and apply some Hammerite paint. So, undo captive bolt on L side - no problem, unscrewed about 1.5 cm. Removed dust cap on R side Locking Bolt and...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

Please also heed WG cautionary note and have a practice at removing the spare wheel from the cradle.
I swapped the spare on to the vehicle after having a puncture repaired with a plug and felt happier with the repaired tyre as a spare.
Even on a level driveway there was just enough clearance to slide the spare out without jacking the rear up.
I also managed to prolapse a cervical disc getting the new spare back into the cradle and levering the cradle back on to the retaining bolts with the wheel wrench in the slot on the end of the cradle

CaliAM · Sep 23, 2022

I called the AA and unfortunately he cross threaded the spare because he couldn’t be bothered to jack the vehicle up. It was a real problem as the thread is in the floor pan of the van. Thankfully the tyre fitter I ended up going to fiddled with it for an hour and thankfully managed to rethreaded. I darent undo it again because I’m worried the thread won’t hold!

willwander · Sep 23, 2022

CaliAM said:
I called the AA and unfortunately he cross threaded the spare because he couldn’t be bothered to jack the vehicle up. It was a real problem as the thread is in the floor pan of the van. Thankfully the tyre fitter I ended up going to fiddled with it for an hour and thankfully managed to rethreaded. I darent undo it again because I’m worried the thread won’t hold!

You could probably get it re-threaded using something like a helicoil

Jonney · Sep 24, 2022

Stu@rt said:
Please don't think it's humiliating to call for assistance. Especially if the vehicle isn't in a safe place. These guys have a vehicle that can be placed to protect yours and all the right tools for the job. If I found myself on the hardshoulder or worse on the verge of a busy A road, I think I'd wait an hour and let someone who does it for a day job show me just how good they are.

Could not agree more. I had a puncture the other day on the A21. Called our road side assistance number and they took about 30 mins.whilst waiting I tried ti do it myself.

Took me ages to get the spare wheel out. Neeeded u tube videos
Managed to Jack it up. I thought
Nearly got the bolts of, whilst trying to the camper wanting to tip off the Jack. Luckily when my Dad taught me how to change a tyre he taught me to put the spare under the car next ti the Jack so if it falls off no damage is done.
So when it tipped off. It was ok.
Was glad when the mechanic turned up with his Jack.
He then needed to use a large mallet to get the wheel off after all the bolts were off. I would never had done it without help.

I would never try and do it again, it’s not worth it. And I will always pay for AA (or equivalent) membership

Stu@rt · Sep 24, 2022

Jonney said:
Could not agree more. I had a puncture the other day on the A21. Called our road side assistance number and they took about 30 mins.whilst waiting I tried ti do it myself.

Took me ages to get the spare wheel out. Neeeded u tube videos
Managed to Jack it up. I thought
Nearly got the bolts of, whilst trying to the camper wanting to tip off the Jack. Luckily when my Dad taught me how to change a tyre he taught me to put the spare under the car next ti the Jack so if it falls off no damage is done.
So when it tipped off. It was ok.
Was glad when the mechanic turned up with his Jack.
He then needed to use a large mallet to get the wheel off after all the bolts were off. I would never had done it without help.

I would never try and do it again, it’s not worth it. And I will always pay for AA (or equivalent) membership

I'm glad your OK.