Ex Honda Accord convert...

[John Laidlaw]

I'm unfortunately a member of this 'club' and it plays on my mind....

I've stopped worrying- it's pointless!

 

[Frosty149]

I've stopped worrying- it's pointless!

You're probably right, John...
Then again, what's gonna get me up sooo early?!

 

[Flyinspanner]

I owned a 94L plate Honda Accord Estate SE back in the mid 90s, it was a great car, only had one fault in 7 years ownership! ABS pump, which was a super simple swap job, none of the bolts had any corrosion on!

 

[Neil B]

Thanks to all for welcome & replies / suggestions.... All taken on-board......Im currently speaking to Vresdestein as I think they do an "Inflatable space saver" so maybe that will suffice?...........also, speaking to MB as I think they do one? but if not luck will leave to chance & hope MB cover is good in Republic of Ireland later this year!!

Ive not read the handbook through yet (its 2.5" thick!!) so I assume that if any breakdown / puncture occurs I just a) press the service help button on the car or b) ring the phone number?......advice?

PS...how do I programme the radio so it mutes when the sat nav lady says a direction?

PPS... what mpg should I really expect from this car / gearbox / engine?...........I do approx. 7000 miles a year mostly shortish journeys?

PPPS... As my 2012 Accord had a DPF & I presume this 2016 MB has as well......I used to use a full DPF cleaner once every 3 months & 1/4 Redex every other fill up...........never had any DPF issues & with 53000 ont clock it ran like a dream. Can I do this with the MB?

Sorry for the long winded queries but any advice is welcomed..thanks.

 

[LostKiwi]

I'm unfortunately a member of this 'club' and it plays on my mind....

I've had a Smart Roadster 4 years. Its been to France three times including a trip to Chamonix and a trip to the Med (Narbonne). The Roadster cannot carry a spare - there just isn't the room anywhere in the car unless I kick the wife out.
At first it worried me but U carry goo, a compressor and a tyre repair kit (for a hole goo won't fix). Unless the tyre falls aaprt or rips a hole in a sidewall I think I'm pretty well covered. Certainly never gave it a thought on the last trip (to the Med) and even though we did get a puncture it was all of 5 minutes work to fix (and most of that was inflating the tyre). Didn't even need to remove the wheel (couldn't anyway - there's no jack!). So not only did it not take any longer it was also cleaner (no brake dust on the hands) and I didn't have to empty the boot contents all over the road to get to the spare.

 

[John Laidlaw]

Thanks to all for welcome & replies / suggestions.... All taken on-board......Im currently speaking to Vresdestein as I think they do an "Inflatable space saver" so maybe that will suffice?...........also, speaking to MB as I think they do one? but if not luck will leave to chance & hope MB cover is good in Republic of Ireland later this year!!

Ive not read the handbook through yet (its 2.5" thick!!) so I assume that if any breakdown / puncture occurs I just a) press the service help button on the car or b) ring the phone number?......advice?
Either/both

PS...how do I programme the radio so it mutes when the sat nav lady says a direction?
You can't completely mute as such, but next time your sat nav lady talks, turn up the volume, then that will be louder than the radio. Whatever is 'playing' at the time can be turned up, then it defaults to that volume next time. That goes for TA too....

PPS... what mpg should I really expect from this car / gearbox / engine?...........I do approx. 7000 miles a year mostly shortish journeys?
Need someone else to advise who has that model sorry....
PPPS... As my 2012 Accord had a DPF & I presume this 2016 MB has as well......I used to use a full DPF cleaner once every 3 months & 1/4 Redex every other fill up...........never had any DPF issues & with 53000 ont clock it ran like a dream. Can I do this with the MB?
Yes it will have a DPF and no reason at all not to treat it as you did the Honda...

Sorry for the long winded queries but any advice is welcomed..thanks.

 

[John Laidlaw]

Neil- sorry I embedded answers in your post, then failed to highlight them!
My answers are blow your questions though!

 

[Naraic]

Neil- sorry I embedded answers in your post, then failed to highlight them!
My answers are blow your questions though!

I've edited with the bold.

 

[John Laidlaw]

I've edited with the bold.

Thank you Ciaran !

 

[Yugguy]

My Clio 172 when new in 2004 had a proper full size alloy wheel as a spare, same as was on the actual wheels if you know what I mean. Must have knocked 0.1s off the 0-60.

Personally I wouldn't rely on just a spray can. Not much use if you shred your tyre in the middle of nowhere and yes, breakdown rescue will come eventually but I'd rather swap and get out of danger quickly, even if just to a spacesaver.

 

[Frosty149]

My Clio 172 when new in 2004 had a proper full size alloy wheel as a spare, same as was on the actual wheels if you know what I mean. Must have knocked 0.1s off the 0-60.

Personally I wouldn't rely on just a spray can. Not much use if you shred your tyre in the middle of nowhere and yes, breakdown rescue will come eventually but I'd rather swap and get out of danger quickly, even if just to a spacesaver.

I know you mean, but the last time I had that situation was 15 years ago!

 

[LostKiwi]

I know you mean, but the last time I had that situation was 15 years ago!

Indeed. That type of failure is pretty rare. My last total tyre failure was in 1983 and that was down to a failed balljoint so even a spare wheel would have been no use!

 

[John Laidlaw]

I know you mean, but the last time I had that situation was 15 years ago!

Ditto, my last 'similar' failure was a right off of 2 tyres and one wheel hitting a pothole in my Honda Prelude V Tech and that was in 1997 or 1998...
And having a single spare was of no earthly good to me at that time. Also where I was 'parked' I certainly wouldn't have been working next to the car with a tyre brace and a jack unless I had a death wish!

 

[triumphstag]

It's worse on the SL...... You have a cunning folding spare in the boot which you can put on the car and be on your way...... BUT...... What about the wheel you just took off?..... Even flat... It won't fit in the space the spare came out of!!!!!!!! (Guess how I know).

Roof down, original wheel stuffed behind the driver's seat.... Stinky and making the leather dirty.... Well done Mercedes

 

[LostKiwi]

It's worse on the SL...... You have a cunning folding spare in the boot which you can put on the car and be on your way...... BUT...... What about the wheel you just took off?..... Even flat... It won't fit in the space the spare came out of!!!!!!!! (Guess how I know).

Roof down, original wheel stuffed behind the driver's seat.... Stinky and making the leather dirty.... Well done Mercedes

Standard issue with any space saver spare. They never go back where the spare came from and if you're on holiday and have a boot full of stuff you're screwed.

 

[triumphstag]

Standard issue with any space saver spare. They never go back where the spare came from and if you're on holiday and have a boot full of stuff you're screwed.

Yep, so I carry an old sheet around now in case it ever needs to go in the cabin again.

 

[LostKiwi]

I've always held the view a spacesaver is next to pointless.

 

[Yugguy]

Not at all. I had a nail through my tyre recently. I needed to leave the wheel with the repairer as I did not have time to wait. My space saver let me get to work and back. How would a can of goo helped in this situation?

I had a shredded tyre 5 years back when a spring broke and ripped through the sidewall. Again, a can of goo would have been no use.

 

[kid-jensen]

There still seems to be a lot of 1950's thinking when it comes to carrying a spare wheel.

My first car never left me stranded with a flat tyre in 7 years of ownership, but I did blow up 3 engines. Should i have carried a spare engine around?

Tyre flats obviously do happen, but not as often as you might think, there are loads of other mecaanical or electrical devices which are far more likely to leave you stranded than a flat tyre.

Drive your new car and enjoy it, you can't carry spares for everything, why carry a whole spare wheel with all that unnesccessary weight? It all has to be accelerated...

An areosol tyre inflator will get you home in 95% of flat tyre situations.......so relax!

 

[Neil B]

Thanks John.