On the subject of the spare tire, dismount from the rim and apply a camel product called Bead Sealer to the rim, any large tire shop should have some and then remount the tire on the rim. It is a thick rubbery product that helps seal the tire bead. It doesn't need to be balanced. On the subject of what to do with the flat there are several choices, 1 leave tire 2 leave passenger 3 leave tire and passenger 4 place tire on engine cover and bungee cord the rear louvre It is good to keep a towel or large plastic bag in your emergency kit to place the tire in. If you have a luggage rack it would be a good time to use it. David Teitelbaum vin 10757 --- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxx, "Daniel P. Saulnier" <dps@xxxx> wrote: > I got a flat tire last night and would like to share some insights: > 1) The spare is very old. It looked great, and when I put it on the car > and lowered the jack, everything seemed fine. After driving 3 feet, > however, all the pressure leaked out. Bummer at midnight on a work night. > 2) No amount of coaxing will enable a rear tire to fit into the trunk. The > only place it will fit is the passenger seat. If you get a flat, you have > to choose whether to abandon your tire or your passenger. Fortunately, I > didn't have a passenger. But I did have a large towel (which I recommend > for everyone's 'emergency tools' kit) to protect my NEW leather seats from > the tire. > 3) AAA is a wonderful service, and if you ask, they will send a flatbed. > The driver stopped off for a disposable camera, and used up all the film on > my car. > > I also have some questions. Does anyone know if the spare can be fixed? > May it just need to be pulled from the rim and remounted? If so, can any > tire place do this? Also, when I got home it looked like the alignment > between the rear fascia and the stainless quarter panels had shifted > (although it was dark, and I was tired, so I could be wrong). Has anyone > experienced this after towing? > > Dan. > VIN:05804 > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]