prberg
Well-known member
Quick story about my Friday morning. I hit a huge pothole on my way to work and blew out the front right tire. Bad start to the day. I was going to the trunk for the spare tire when I forgot that there is none. Doh! So I grabbed the tire pump with the fix-a-flat goop. Got it hooked up and tried to start the pump and it wouldn't start. Then I realized that I blew the auxiliary port fuse a few weeks earlier. Doh! But then I really looked at the tire, and I saw a large gash in the sidewall. I have a feeling that using the fix-a-flat goop would not have worked and probably would have gummed up my tire pressure sensor and cost me more money in the end. So maybe that was a good thing that the fuse was blown.
So I called roadside assistance and they sent a tow truck to haul me away. Took about an hour for them to get there (that seemed a bit long since I was in Los Angeles and near some major roads). Word of wise. If you do call roadside assistance, make sure you are sure you know where you want the car towed. The operator suggested the closest Nissan dealership and I said 'ok'. After I hung up, I then thought I should have asked to be taken to a tire shop that was next door to my work. Figured it would be cheaper there and I could walk over to work instead of waiting for the dealer shuttle. Unfortunately the tow truck driver would not let me change the destination address. He said that if they took me to a different address I would have to pay for the tow. That was annoying. He said something about the first address was approved and they weren't allowed to change it (since it was a pre-paid tow). Maybe if I forced the issue I could have got him to change it. Anyways I got to the dealership and lots of people were watching the LEAF arrive on the flatbed. They all asked what was wrong the car? Did I run out of juice? Nope.. just a flat tire.
The did not have the same tire in stock and it would take like 5 days to get it. So I went with a different Bridgestone tire (Turanza I think). Hopefully it won't effect my rolling efficiency. So it took most of the day to get the tire fixed. Unfortunately now the car pulls to the right. I'm not sure if it's because of the different tire (the psi is lower on that tire so I should match it to my front left tire) or if the alignment is screwed up now. Do I go back to the dealer or just go to a service shop and get a front alignment done?
Well that was my Friday. Definitely more difficult because of the lack of spare tire. Gotta watch out for those nasty LA potholes.
-Peter
So I called roadside assistance and they sent a tow truck to haul me away. Took about an hour for them to get there (that seemed a bit long since I was in Los Angeles and near some major roads). Word of wise. If you do call roadside assistance, make sure you are sure you know where you want the car towed. The operator suggested the closest Nissan dealership and I said 'ok'. After I hung up, I then thought I should have asked to be taken to a tire shop that was next door to my work. Figured it would be cheaper there and I could walk over to work instead of waiting for the dealer shuttle. Unfortunately the tow truck driver would not let me change the destination address. He said that if they took me to a different address I would have to pay for the tow. That was annoying. He said something about the first address was approved and they weren't allowed to change it (since it was a pre-paid tow). Maybe if I forced the issue I could have got him to change it. Anyways I got to the dealership and lots of people were watching the LEAF arrive on the flatbed. They all asked what was wrong the car? Did I run out of juice? Nope.. just a flat tire.
The did not have the same tire in stock and it would take like 5 days to get it. So I went with a different Bridgestone tire (Turanza I think). Hopefully it won't effect my rolling efficiency. So it took most of the day to get the tire fixed. Unfortunately now the car pulls to the right. I'm not sure if it's because of the different tire (the psi is lower on that tire so I should match it to my front left tire) or if the alignment is screwed up now. Do I go back to the dealer or just go to a service shop and get a front alignment done?
Well that was my Friday. Definitely more difficult because of the lack of spare tire. Gotta watch out for those nasty LA potholes.
-Peter