Not even a space saver any more?

[JOEPRO]

I was checking for emergency equipment in my new to me 2017 W205 Merc daily driver and noted this:



Cars used to come with a full sized spare wheel or alloy in boot. Then they moved to space saver wheels which still work of course but limit your speed, can live with that. But now manufacturers are providing only a jar of liquid and inflater(?) Seems like the industry is going backwards.

Most likely in the name of cost savings for manufacturers, curb weight reduction = better emissions on paper and clueless consumers.

Speaking of which, the previous owner of my car must have used the one time liquid puncture repair and been driving around with nothing for who knows how long. (There should be an MB tyre inflater and puncture bottle in there but it's missing)

I will sort this today with provisions to not get caught out! I will also go to a local MB parts yard soon and see if I can get a spare full size alloy wheel or at least a space saver that I can throw in the boot for long journeys such as Cork which is a 550 mile round trip we do a couple times a year. A damaged sidewall or cracked alloy would leave you stranded even with a bottle of smoo it won't fix that!

 

[Pete.]

Its nothing new. My dad's new car had that and he's been dead 15 years.

 

[RWD3M]

I was checking for emergency equipment in my new to me 2017 W205 Merc daily driver and noted this:

View attachment 472918

Cars used to come with a full sized spare wheel or alloy in boot. Then they moved to space saver wheels which still work of course but limit your speed, can live with that. But now manufacturers are providing only a jar of liquid and inflater(?) Seems like the industry is going backwards.

Most likely in the name of cost savings for manufacturers, curb weight reduction = better emissions on paper and clueless consumers.

Speaking of which, the previous owner of my car must have used the one time liquid puncture repair and been driving around with nothing for who knows how long. (There should be an MB tyre inflater and puncture bottle in there but it's missing)

I will sort this today with provisions to not get caught out! I will also go to a local MB parts yard soon and see if I can get a spare full size alloy wheel or at least a space saver that I can throw in the boot for long journeys such as Cork which is a 550 mile round trip we do a couple times a year. A damaged sidewall or cracked alloy would leave you stranded even with a bottle of smoo it won't fix that!

I can't comment for your specific car, but three of my most recent cars have all come with the same set up (a 2017 Jag and 2 x Mk7.5 Fiestas), but I have since replaced all with spare wheels (space saver in the Jag and full size in the Fiestas). A spare is a cost option on most cars these days but spare wheels and the foam + jack etc are usually available if was indeed offered as an option. I found mine (including a boot floor for the Jag - they're different!) on the bay of evil.

Edit: From your picture, it looks as though there is space there for a wheel of some sorts.

 

[JOEPRO]

Its nothing new. My dad's new car had that and he's been dead 15 years.

Well Cars didn't come with puncture kits 20 or 30 years ago did they....

This is progression in the industry, clear to see.

 

[JOEPRO]

I can't comment for your specific car, but three of my most recent cars have all come with the same set up (a 2017 Jag and 2 x Mk7.5 Fiestas), but I have since replaced all with spare wheels (space saver in the Jag and full size in the Fiestas). A spare is a cost option on most cars but spare wheels and the foam + jack etc are usually available if was indeed offered as an option.

A spare tyre isn't an option on this car. Why?

Damn engineers!

 

[Migmac]

I refuse to have a car with no spare wheel. When i buy a car it tends to be from a garage, if there no spare wheel I ask for one to be included. I’ll walk if they won’t put one in.

 

[JOEPRO]

I refuse to have a car with no spare wheel. When i buy a car it tends to be from a garage, if there no spare wheel I ask for one to be included. I’ll walk if they won’t put one in.

That's a bit extreme now, but OK.

 

[colnerov]

Of course, a bunch of electronics is much more useful than a spare wheel.

 

[Mark 5]

I was checking for emergency equipment in my new to me 2017 W205 Merc daily driver and noted this:

Cars used to come with a full sized spare wheel or alloy in boot. Then they moved to space saver wheels which still work of course but limit your speed, can live with that. But now manufacturers are providing only a jar of liquid and inflater(?) Seems like the industry is going backwards.

Most likely in the name of cost savings for manufacturers, curb weight reduction = better emissions on paper and clueless consumers.

Been like this for 15-20 years.

Many cars come without a spare, not even a wheel saver.

My Yeti from new came only with a canister of gunk, a mini tow bar, locking wheel nut, jack and a tyre inflator, that's it.

No room for any spare, to do that and keep it undercover I would have to gut the boot, it's doable and I really ought to.

Hate driving without a spare but would go for full size not a wheel saver.

Tyre gunk ruins what might be a perfectly good tyre.

 

[Migmac]

That's a bit extreme now, but OK.

It’s not really, the roads round here are full of pot holes. A can of gloop won’t seal a split in a side wall

 

[JOEPRO]

Been like this for 15-20 years.

Many cars come without a spare, not even a wheel saver.

It depends on the car manufacturer really.

For example a w204 C class up until 2014 year all came with spare wheels inside the boot.

This w205 c class from 2015 onwards was the first to come without a spare wheel.

So with Mercedes having no spare wheel is a 10 year thing not 15 or 20 but granted they had already started to move to space savers 15 or 20 years ago.

 

[Mark 5]

It depends on the car manufacturer really.

It does, before my Yeti I don't think I ever owned a vehicle without a spare.

No one was more surprised then I it didn't and didn't find that out for a couple of months after purchasing it.

 

[Nomad]

BMW convertibles come with spare wheel well in the boot floor, a shame the space is filled with the pumps and control units for the folding roof and the front & rear wheels are different widths (wide and extra-wide) so 1 spare wheel almost fills the boot.
The can of tyre inflation foam they supply instead of a spare really isn't the same

A chap I worked with bought a Lotus Elise when they were fairly new, they come with tyre foam instead of a spare wheel to reduce weight & improve the power / weight ratio (they say cost is not the reason)

 

[voipio]

A proper spare wheel has proved its worth a good many times over the years and, on a fair number of those occasions, tyre gunk alone wouldn't have been able to "fix" the punctures. I would never buy a car without a proper spare wheel.

 

[Robotstar5]

Mrs Robo's car came without a spare, I got one from ebay.

 

[dieselsamurai]

my old Belingio van 2008 just had tyre foam and a pump, just bought a Mazda CX5 for the missus and it has a subwoofer in a spare wheel well thats getting junked a spare tyre much more use !

 

[Cobbler]

I refuse to have a car with no spare wheel. When i buy a car it tends to be from a garage, if there no spare wheel I ask for one to be included. I’ll walk if they won’t put one in.

That’s what I did when I bought my Skoda, salesman soon found one out of another sale car, they ended up with the tin of goo!

 

[JOEPRO]

Sorted a few things to start with today:

Rechargeable torch with strobe function. (If stuck on dark road at night)



New Ring 12v tyre inflater with gauge. Slime with valve tool and safe for tyre pressure sensors it claims which my car has. Tow rope, spare fob battery, gloves, MB wheel brace, tubeless tyre repair kit & small powerful starter jump pack. (Jump pack & tow rope for my car or other people's cars too!)



I will sort a spare wheel & jack for it in the next few days all being well. Won't need that in the car all the time but for any long trips I can chuck it in and have a proper spare wheel on hand as preference.

 

[Mark 5]

Sorted a few things to start with today:


New Ring 12v tyre inflater with gauge.

I have the Ring, perfectly good although I purchased a cable extension for it.

Slime with valve tool and safe for tyre pressure sensors it claims which my car has.

But what is this, my Yeti has sensors, why does gunk require a valve tool?

 

[pedrobedro]

We bought a 2017 Vitara earlier this year and it had a space saver wheel but no jack or wheel brace . It has them now. I have that tyre inflator and it works well.