Aldo, that sounds like a terrible experience. Sorry to hear that.Aldo said:Well, I believe my situation is well documented by now, but let me provide the first response to kick this off:
I have owned five SRT vehicles (i.e., 2005, 2006 and 2007 300C SRT8, a 2006 Magnum SRT8, and a 2012 Challenger 392 now). The lack of a spare tire has always been in the back of my mind, especially because I drive long distances to Vancouver, Canada from Los Angeles, and back, in good and bad weather conditions.
But it wasn't until I blew a tire on my Challenger last month, out of wireless range, and discovered that, apparently, Chrysler Roadside Assistance does not cover flats (there is still disagreement on this). that I finally decided enough is enough.
After much soul searching and looking at my options --including getting rid of the car altogether, I decided to strip out those cheap subwoofers under the trunk floor and mount a spare tire kit --go to thread for more details http://www.allpar.com/forums/topic/149600-mounting-a-spare-tire-on-a-srt/#entry11342419
Since this incident, I have been finding out that a growing number of new vehicles are dispensing of the spare tire altogether --i.e., Mustangs with the Brembo brake package, certain Prius models (Prius Plug-In and Prius C, apparently), Civic Hybrid, Acura TSX wagon, etc., etc.
Personally, I feel driving without a spare tire is just absurd. People tell me "Oh, but I have AAA", or "I haven't had a flat in 10 years". That may be the case, but this is still no guarantee you won't have a flat tomorrow, or that you will be able to reach AAA. If it happens, hopefully you are in an urban area with wireless reception and a Starbucks nearby so you can sip a latté while you wait for the tow truck. Otherwise, what is your Plan B?
We started down this slippery slope years ago and have come to the point where some customers don't even care if their new car carries a spare or not. Now automakers are looking for ways to dispense of the spare tire in more vehicles as a means to deal with increasing fuel economy standards, find a place to store larger batteries, or provide higher performance. And OEMs seem to be under the impression that customers do not care and have given their permission to continue dispensing of spare tires. I would argue this incorrect.
Now that you've piqued my curiosity, how'd you get out of that without wireless reception? Hoping/guessing you were stranded by a place within walking distance?
