If you drive a car, it’s possible that you may have to deal with changing a wheel at some stage in your motoring life. This step-by-step guide will give you the confidence to complete the task on your own and will show you how being prepared will save you time and expense.
Items you will need:
In order to change a car wheel, you will need the following:
- A spare wheel
- A Jack
- Wheel Brace
It is also useful to have:
- A warning triangle
- A flashlight
- A piece of carpet / board
- Gloves and cloth
- Kneeling mat
Preliminary checks:
If you have just purchased your car or are about to go on a long journey, it is wise to make some checks. Do you have all the necessary tools to deal with a flat tyre? Are they in working order?
Check the Spare Wheel – make sure the tyre is properly inflated and that it is easily accessible in the car’s spare compartment.
Check that the Jack is in good working order and is right for your car.
Check that the Brace sockets fit the wheel nuts.
Find a safe place: If you suspect you have a puncture while you are driving, try to locate a safe place to park as soon as possible. Driving on a flat tyre can cause considerable damage to the tyre and the wheel.
Try to find:
- A firm, level area so that you can safely park to jack up the car. Avoid inclines or muddy areas.
- An area where you can pull over safely, out of the way of traffic and other hazards. Avoid parking on bends where other drivers would find it difficult to see you.
Prepare to change the wheel:
Once you have found a safe place to change the wheel, carry out the following:
- Display the red warning triangle and switch on hazard warning lights to alert other motorists.
- Make sure the parking brake is on.
- Put manual transmission cars into first gear or automatic transmission cars into `park’.
- For additional safety, place a brick or something you can use as a chock, in front of the opposite wheel to prevent the car from moving forwards.
- If the ground happens to be slightly soft, use the board / piece of carpet under the jack to prevent it sinking in the ground under the car’s weight.
- Spread out the kneeling mat to give you a clean place to kneel.
- Use the flashlight if it is dark.
- Have all the tools and spare wheel at hand.
If you have passengers in the car, it is better to find somewhere safe for them to wait while you are changing the wheel.
Jack up the car:
Find the appropriate Jack Point on the car. This is usually near to the wheel and will feel like a slight groove or hole. Clear out any debris on the Jack Point with a cloth. Position the jack.
Before you jack the car up, take the wheel trim off the punctured tyre and slacken the wheel nuts using the Wheel Brace. Unscrew in an anti-clockwise direction. You may need to use your foot or a brick on the brace if the nuts are tight.
Slowly jack up the car. If the car or jack shows signs of instability, lower and reposition the jack. Jack up the car until the wheel is raised high enough to change it. Make sure there is enough room to fit a fully inflated tyre.
Do not use the jack to place yourself under the car to undertake any other work. The jack should only be used to change a wheel.
Change the wheel:
Once you have securely jacked up the car, you can now easily remove the already loosened wheel nuts with the wheel brace. Put the nuts in a safe place where they won’t roll away.
Carefully remove the wheel and replace with the fully inflated spare wheel, sliding it on to the wheel shafts until it is properly positioned. Now replace the wheel nuts with the wheel brace using moderate pressure. Tighten the wheel nuts clockwise.
Now, you can lower the Jack. Tighten one wheel nut securely, using the wheelbrace, and then tighten one diagonally or nearly diagonally opposite. Tighten the other one, two or three nuts in a similar way, and then refit the wheel trim, if applicable.
Pack up and be ready to go:
Once the car is lowered, the jack can be safely removed and folded away.
Place the old wheel into the space where the spare is housed. Make it a priority to get the tyre repaired as soon as possible.
Put away tools and you are ready to go!
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