Once, many years ago, I got a flat and was trying to change it by myself. After jacking up the car and trying to loosen the lug nuts while the wheel was off the ground - a sequence that was NOT working out for obvious reasons - someone took pity on me and did it for me. Actually, that’s the only time I’ve ever HAD a flat tire. At least flat enough that it needed changing. If I’ve ever seen my tires going low, I’ve had enough time to fill them with air until I could get a new one. Or, in one other case, a husband who was with me. And a semi truck driver who was kind enough to pull over because the husband was useless when it came to stuff like that. He’s also an ex.
I voted I used to but don’t anymore but the main reason I don’t is I haven’t had a flat in decades. Are tires getting better? I never drove on bald tires when I did get flats - my father would have kicked my butt.
I haven’t had a flat tire in ages, but I answered “it depends on my mood” because I’d change one in some circumstances and call AAA in others. (For example, the last one I had the sidewall was clearly punctured and hell, I had AAA - I just had them tow it to the tire place, it seemed easier.) If I had, say, a nail and I wanted it repaired and it was in my own driveway, I’d take the tire off myself. Middle of the night on a deserted road, lock the doors and wait for AAA. Side of a busy highway, hello AAA. So it depends. I have no problem changing my own tires, though - my dad made me do it when I was a teenager before he’d teach me how to drive.
I always have, and currently do when necessary. It seems to most often happen in winter for some reason, and I remember getting a flat on the way to work in January, when the temperature was about 10 degrees F above zero. Miserable time.
The last time was when I hit the curb on a turn, bent the rim, and blew out the tire. Changed it, and ran on the spare for some weeks until I get it replaced.
But I have no problem changing my own flats at all.
If you stand there and look at a flat tire instead of just changing it you “look like a victim”. It could be hours before anyone from AAA, etc comes to help you. There are some “strange” people running around out there. Change the tire and be on your way in a few minutes. Sounds a little odd, but practice it once so you appear confident.
I voted “Other”. I certainly used to. But a couple of years ago, having passed 70, I decided it wasn’t for me. Besides CAA membership was included in my insurance. So when I got a flat while driving on Route 122 is central Mass., I called AAA (which CAA has a reciprocity agreement with). So I got into a voice mail system that asked what state I was in. “Massachusetts”, I answered. “Did you say Massachusetts?” “Yes.” “What city?” “Barre” (pronounced “Barry”). “Did you say [something incomprehensible]?” “No.” Repeat. Finally I said “Boston” and actually got a human operator who transferred me to the correct region (which turns out to have been Southern New England) where I got another (barely) human. She asked where I was. “Route 122, about 13 miles north of Barre.” She could find neither Route 122 nor Barre on her maps. (You can find them in 5 seconds on Google maps.) Finally, she found something and said that someone would call within 45 minutes. No one did and I began to change the tire myself. I had to stand on the wrench to loosen the lug nuts, but that went okay. But then I had to jack up the car. Honda provides a very nice scissors jack, but no real jack handle. Incidentally, I have since tried to buy jack handles and cannot find them without a jack. What you were supposed to was insert the wrench, an L-shaped affair with a hook on the short leg, into the jack, turn 180 degrees. Pull out the wrench and reinsert in the opposite orientation. Repeat 100 times. So I started doing this, when Mass. State Patrolman Driskell [sic] stopped by and asked if he could help. To make a long story short, he stayed until he finished the job for me. He jacked it up, changed the tire jacked it down (same effort as up) and even tightened the lugs. He said his parents were my age and if they got in trouble, he hoped someone would come along and help them out. Almost restored my faith in cops. Four hours later, a service station called and asked if I still needed service. So much for AAA.
So the answer is that I still can and certainly used to, but I’d rather not.
My insurance company (Farmers) has a free 800 number I can call and they fix tires or tow you to the nearest shop for other repairs.
If I were not in a hurry, I would call them.
If I were out in the middle of nowhere and didn’t want to wait, I would (and can) do it myself.
I just bought a 2012 Ford Mustang. No spare. It apparently has a canister of fix-a-flat, and a small compressor, to (theoretically) get you back up and moving if you get a flat.
My father’s prerequisites for letting me getting my driver’s license and use of the car were that I could change a tire, change the oil, and perform a tune-up on my own. I’ve continued to do all three ever since.
I’d make at least a token effort at putting on the spare, but I have no problem with calling CAA. I think that’s what I did last time, when I had trouble getting getting the flat off (the lug nuts came off, but it was stuck to the hub).
I said I had two flats. The first was on the side of a freeway. The nuts were two-piece. That is, there are shiny caps that are part of the nuts. I don’t know why. I do know that the nut came apart. That’s when I found out about the existence of two-piece nuts, and also that I had two-piece nuts. Then I called AAA.
The second time was in my driveway. I tried for a little bit before even getting the jack out, but the nuts weren’t budging. Since I was home, I didn’t try as hard as I might have, but watching the AAA guy, it wouldn’t have mattered.
ETA:
Not sure whether to believe this explanation, or to believe that you followed him home because you liked his butt.
Know how to do it, have done it in the past, have no intention of doing it again if AAA is within a half hour of the incident. I pay them good money every year. They can earn it.
I’ve mostly changed my own flats. AAA isn’t an option here in Panama, or most of the places I travel. Every once in a while a campesino passes by and offers to help, and I’m happy to throw him a few bucks for the labor. At my age, I’m not too fond anymore of jacking up an SUV and wrestling tires on and off in the tropical sun.
I had a memorable trip to Venezuela once when I got five flats in a 10 day trip. The first flat (on my rental car) was on a winding mountain road with scarcely any room to pull off. When I hauled the spare out of the trunk, it turned out to be flat (even though it had looked OK when I rented the car.) I had to hitch 20 miles with the tire on my shoulder to the nearest garage, and then hitch back again after it was fixed. And then drive back to the garage to get the spare fixed.
I got another two flats driving on an extremely potholed road in the Llanos after dark. I hit a deep pothole at full speed and got one flat. The bump also bent the rim of another tire so it got a slow leak, but it fortunately held out long enough until I got to my lodge where I could get it fixed.
I’ve always intended to change my own- but I’ve only actually done it once. Every other time some random guy’s stopped and helped me out. First time was an older guy, who seemed so utterloy thrilled to be ‘rescuing’ me, that I hadn’t the heart to say I was fine. Second one was at work when I was fruitpicking- the tractor driver changed it without asking me, as he was bored. Third was in the dark, and a teenage boy stopped and changed it, I did have to flag a passerby down, as my torch batteries had gone.
The only time I had to do it was when I was giving a guy a free lift to a juggling convention. He didn’t have a clue.
Come to think of it, the tyre then wasn’t actually flat, it was spectacularly deformed, and looked to be on the point of exploding- I actually stopped because another one had a very slow leak, and kept going a tiny bit flat. I’ve paid a bit more attention to my tyres since then.
It’s never occurred to me to phone the AA for help.
I know how to change a flat, and have done it a couple of times in the past. A big thanks to my ex-boyfriend for teaching me how to do that. Last time I had a flat tire, it was a bitterly cold morning and icy under my car and I realized that I had CAA for just that kind of thing.
Huh? Your new car doesn’t have a spare?