Thank you VW for full size spare.

All I have to say is I love VW for using full size spares instead of the dreaded space savers. I am going to go as far to say the full size spare is a safety feature, it is dangerous to drive around on those stupid space savers that limit you to 50 mph.

Today my significant other got a flat tire on the Passat and called me for help because AAA was a joke. But we could not find the wheel lock key, so I called the dealership we purchased it through. The sales manager there went out of his way to call the service manager at home who then called me and told me how the wheel lock key is hidden in the tool pouch. Let me just say I was suprised the VW dealership helped me out like that when they could have told me "Read your owners manual".

I would also like to say how bad AAA was, they came out and left before I got there, they banged up the jack point pretty good, they lost two of the wheel bolt caps then apparently refused to tow it anywhere because it was not a mechanical failure. Hmmm ok AAA would you like me to drive the 10 miles or so on a flat tire?

Just wanted to give props to VW.

But note that VW roadside assistance is contracted out to AAA (who in turn contracts local shops to provide the actual tow truck services).

I would definitely consider it a safety feature, and one of the many reasons I bought a VW.

Sometimes being on the side of the road can lead to greater danger, glad to hear all is well. Heh, last time I needed a tow, I was on the side of I-17 a little south of Flagstaff. If you've ever driven there... The truck driver was pulling my 99 Escort (we were facing up a steep hill) onto the flat-bed when the cable/chain popped off, and the car started to roll back down the hill. About 50 yards would have put it over a bluff. Unfortunately, he had previously rolled down the driver's side window, so all he had to do was dive in and yank the e-brake. He looked scared ****less, but I coudln't stop laughing. All's well that ends well I guess.

-Nick

it is dangerous to drive around on those stupid space savers that limit you to 50 mph.

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A buddy of mine drove on a dougnut spare for 700 miles last summer at speeds of 80MPH. What an idiot.

I'm glad to hear VW has a real spare. I'm planning to pick up my TDI this evening.

Brian Elfert

it is dangerous to drive around on those stupid space savers that limit you to 50 mph.

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A buddy of mine drove on a dougnut spare for 700 miles last summer at speeds of 80MPH. What an idiot.

I'm glad to hear VW has a real spare. I'm planning to pick up my TDI this evening.

Brian Elfert

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Maybe he misread the label. Mine says 50 mph/80 km/h.

VW wasn't so generous with A3's.

Maybe he misread the label.

Mine says 50 mph/80 km/h.

VW wasn't so generous with A3's.

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His was a Dodge, but most doughnut spares say no more than 50 miles or so, not 700 miles. I'm suprised he did not blow out the spare.

Brian Elfert

Car and Driver did a test on space-saver spare tires with a Corvette some years ago...

The car actually lost surprisingly little of its abilities with the spare tire.

A far bigger problem is the debut of run-flat tires. Once you get off the freeway with a puncture, you have to replace it quickly and they are not repairable. So, a nail in the tire is going to cost you ~$150 instead of ~$10. And that's assuming you can find one that matches what's already on your car. And of course, it's gonna be new compared to the other three. So if you're a stickler, you're now looking at a whole new set of tires after a simple puncture.

I'd rather have a low tire pressure monitor than run-flat tires. That way if I have a consistant leak, I can get it fixed before needing the spare tire.

At the (Toronto) auto show this past January, I was looking for "short list" vehicles in case my current buggy gives up the ghost. My criteria were: small wagon, manual transmission, full-size spare, and able to use renewable fuel. Here's the entire list of cars on display that met the criteria:

Jetta wagon TDI

If I were to give up the "renewable fuel" bit, the list would expand - to all engine options in the Jetta wagon, and the Passat wagon.

One thing I'm surprised people don't think about is that vehicles with a space-saver usually have a spare tire well that's sized to fit it (I was lucky - Hyundai was too cheap to change hidden sheet metal when they went to space-savers, so I was able to get a full-sized spare. Suppose you're on a road trip, with the seats and luggage area full, and you get a flat. You install the space saver spare, but where do you put the full-size flat tire?

Note that not all VW products have full-size spares. The NB I saw at the auto show had a space saver, and the Touareg had one of the !@#$%^ "folded sidewall" spares (stored deflated). There's no way you could fit a full-sized spare in that space - and I thought SUVs were meant for off-roading, an environment which a space-saver can't survive.

Well at least its offered in most of the lineup (except the Passat W8).

As far as the AAA, VW roadside assistance is the one who sent them out. I was pretty surprised as I have always heard good things about AAA contractors and my dad has always had very good luck with AAA.

Speaking of chintzy tire change equipment, what's up with the foot-long tire iron? I suppose if the lug nuts are properly torqued at 80 or so ft-lbs, you only need to apply 80 lbs right at the end. But if there's any corrosion, or the shop's impact drill tightened things to 150, there can be real problems.

Ever since I got stuck in the boondocks with a full-sized spare, but no way to remove the flat, I've done what the AAA guy did that day: Use a regular tire iron ($5 at a junkyard) which fits as an extender in the tube of the stubby VW tool.

I broke a ball joint on my 85 Jetta, about noon on a beautifull 75 degree week-day. Called AAA, got the message, and waited while listening to some elevator music.... almost ten minutes before hanging up. Tried again, same thing. The police showed up by chance while I was calling again. They radioed the tow-truck company that they said was AAA (they happened to be right). I stayed on the phone because AAA obviously needed a piece of my mind. That third call lasted until my car was being towed away and still never got and answer. I would expect some delays on a 10 degree day or during a blizzard.

I called the next day, and asked what the MAJOR problem was the day before. Got some denials that I didn't get through for almost an hour. Finally got that moron to connect me to her boss, who informed me that someone screwed up switching their phone system from the after-hours answering service to the main office. She gave me her direct business number in case I ever had problems getting through again. I told her it would have been nice to have the day before, and that if they're not planning on getting the switchover right EVERY time, that all AAA customers need her number. She said that was not possible.

I did have good service through VW's roadside assistance last month, but I called VW, not AAA.

"except the Passat W8"

I can't believe that the most expen$ive Passat would leave out such an essential piece of safety equipment that is included in "most" other VWs. Why is that? What is different about the W8 Passat that would make a real spare tire impossible to fit?

"Speaking of chintzy tire change equipment, what's up with the foot-long tire iron? "

dqa, I think this is a VW "tradition" from the original air-cooled Beetle days: Uselessly cr@ppy emergency repair tools. My first optional equipment purchase for my 1982 diesel Rabbit was a 2-foot "breaker" bar so that I could remove even "Dealer-Installed" wheels. By the way, its not just VW dealers, it is most independant shops as well that use uncalibrated impact wrenches. Once I had a wheel stuck so tight on the Rabbit that the mechanic at the tire shop could not remove it even with his impact wrench. I lent him my 2-foot breaker bar, and that worked.

Once, when I had a mechanic do brake work on my 1974 Dasher, he put the wheels back on so tight that I could not get them off when I got home. (Just to be sure). I took the car back to the shop, and asked the mechanic to loosen my lug nuts. He grumbled and said he couldn't because he had just turned off his impact wrench for the day. I told him that I could not remove the lugs with my own lug wrench, and so the car is unsafe. What if I got a flat tire? What would I do? Grudgingly, with great effort, he loosened the wheel nuts.

Im pretty sure the W8 only has a space saver due to the larger 21 gal fuel tank (for the thirsty W8) and 4-Motion hardware.

Im pretty sure all automakers only give you the short tire iron, at least on my previous vehicles it was just a small one.

here is my question on the spare, i have about 33k miles. will it throw anything off if i run my never used spare tire on the front drive wheel. what do ya think? thanks

Im pretty sure all automakers only give you the short tire iron, at least on my previous vehicles it was just a small one.

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If you are on the side of the road changing a flat tire, you may have to stand on the end of the lug wrench to loosen the bolts (obviously, this should be done with the car on the ground, not on the jack).

I can't believe that the most expen$ive Passat would leave out such an essential piece of safety equipment that is included in "most" other VWs.

Why is that? What is different about the W8 Passat that would make a real spare tire impossible to fit?

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4Motion stuff intrudes into the trunk space?

BMW M3 cars don't have any spare tire -- just a can of flat-fix stuff.

His was a Dodge, but most doughnut spares say no more than 50 miles or so, not 700 miles. I'm suprised he did not blow out the spare.

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Especially since that spare tire may have been underinflated (lots of people don't check the pressure in their spare tires often enough).

4Motion stuff intrudes into the trunk space

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Maybe with the W8 but not with the V6. My 2002 4Motion has a full size spare.

here is my question on the spare, i have about 33k miles. will it throw anything off if i run my never used spare tire on the front drive wheel. what do ya think? thanks

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Depends a little bit on how worn the other tire is. In theory, you should run the spare on the right side of the car since that tire reportedly travels a bit more than the left. (I read it somewhere a long time ago...)

In any case, it would be better to use it now rather than mixing it with another brand or model of tire later.

I just check the air pressure in mine every oil change to make sure I can use it as a spare should the situation arise. I have no plan to use it as part of the normal rotation.

But there isn't any strong reason not to if you want to.

4Motion stuff intrudes into the trunk space

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Maybe with the W8 but not with the V6. My 2002 4Motion has a full size spare.

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My mom's Passat had V6, 4Motion... she said that the 4Motion system took about 4" out of the depth of the trunk. I'm not sure if this is true or just some BS the stealer gave her when she commented on how (really) useless the trunk is.

-Nick

they banged up the jack point pretty good

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tjl, speaking of jack points... you can order a set of 4 of the REAL VW jack bumpers from Impex. They pop into the holes that are already in your car. For some stupid reason, they figure that we don't need these in the US. Here's a pic of one of mine:

EDIT: They are called "lift pads".