Tyre puncture repair or replace on winter tyre

[anotherv60]

Originally Posted by scbamber

Does the panel think that the diameter of the skinny spare in the OP's photo is nothing short of extraordinary? It would surely make driving even 10 miles to the nearest tyre depot a weird and truly hazardous experience. Is it even legal? As the vehicle is an XC, the lopsidedness will be even more pronounced than on a standard V40.

It put me off so much that I put the summer wheel on rather than drive on it so I don't know how the vehicle handles with the space saver on. The boot floor is deep enough that the full-size tyre will fit under the boot floor - although it is a tight fit! You lose the under floor storage but in future - especially when towing I'll be doing that.

Originally Posted by scbamber

Out of interest I have just looked for offerings on the internet for a 2020 XC40. TMS Motor group, the Volvo dealers in the Midlands, offer the following 125/80/R18 which they say is the same equivalent to that specified and supplied for new cars from the factory. Link here

Q: was this spare really the one supplied by the Volvo dealer?!!

It is the factory supplied space saver supplied by Volvo. It is the same dimensions as the one you list above from TMS.

[Tannaton]

Originally Posted by scbamber

Does the panel think that the diameter of the skinny spare in the OP's photo is nothing short of extraordinary? It would surely make driving even 10 miles to the nearest tyre depot a weird and truly hazardous experience. Is it even legal? As the vehicle is an XC, the lopsidedness will be even more pronounced than on a standard V40.

Yes they are 100% legal on the basis of speed restricted, temporary use only.

I once drove my 2017MY XC60 2WD about 250 miles on a space saver when I got a puncture when the car was 1 week old and KwikFit struggled to obtain a matching tyre - took them 3 days. It was absolutely fine if driven with mechanical sympathy - I would rather drive home with a space saver than a punctured tyre part full of hairspray.

The spacesaver is softer rubber than a normal tyre (hence short 1,500 mile life) so the differences in grip are not as marked as you might think. We even have one member who towed his caravan home to Essex from Scotland with a spacesaver on the front of his V70.

[Tannaton]

Originally Posted by anotherv60

I decided to get it repaired today, took about 20 mins at national (They didn't realise it was a directional tyre and put it back on the wrong way - easy fix at a tyre place tho!)

That should be a written warning for the chap concerned, that's as bad as an electrician wiring a plug and getting the N & L the wrong way round....

[Ian21401]

Originally Posted by anotherv60

Thanks for the posts. I decided to get it repaired today, took about 20 mins at national (They didn't realise it was a directional tyre and put it back on the wrong way - easy fix at a tyre place tho!)

Thanks for the voucher was very reasonable repair with that!

An elementary mistake by that tyre fitter. Not good.

[anotherv60]

Originally Posted by Tannaton

We even have one member who towed his caravan home to Essex from Scotland with a spacesaver on the front of his V70.

I thought that space savers had to go on the rear axle only, but checking the manual online again and there is no mention of this. There is some interesting points however:

1.Never drive faster than 80 km/h (50 mph) with a spare wheel fitted on the car.
2.The car must never be driven fitted with more than one "Temporary Spare" wheel.
3.The car may have different driving characteristics while driving with the spare wheel.
4.The spare wheel must be replaced with a normal wheel as soon as possible.
5.The spare wheel is smaller than the normal wheel, which affects the car's ground clearance. Look out for high kerbs and do not machine-wash the car.
Follow the manufacturer's recommended tyre pressure for the spare wheel.
6.On all-wheel drive cars, the drive on the rear axle can be disengaged.
7.If the spare wheel is fitted to the front axle then it is not possible to use snow chains at the same time.
8.The spare wheel must not be repaired.

Important:
The car must not be driven with tyres of different sizes or with a spare tyre other than the one supplied with the car. Using different-sized wheels can cause serious damage to the car's transmission.

I've looked into point 6. There is no other mention of this in the manual or any menu option in the car to disable power to the rear wheels. The AWD is always on up to speeds of 25mph. Also the warning at the bottom seems at odds with the space saver size differences.

[Bonefishblues]

RE space savers. Check the pressure annually - they get forgotten, and when you need to use them, they're flatter than a flat thing.

[Tannaton]

Originally Posted by anotherv60

I've looked into point 6. There is no other mention of this in the manual or any menu option in the car to disable power to the rear wheels. The AWD is always on up to speeds of 25mph. Also the warning at the bottom seems at odds with the space saver size differences.

The AWD system on all post MY2003 (i.e. Haldex based systems) Volvo's are fine with space savers, it won't damage them at all.

The only car I've ever driven where you can disengage the rear wheels was a (Very) old Fiat Panda 4x4.

[HDAV]

What was the cost of the “free repair” with fitting and balancing?

My local tyre place is £15 all in had my winter repaired last year it was due a to a screw it’s no big deal….

[anotherv60]

Originally Posted by HDAV

What was the cost of the “free repair” with fitting and balancing?

My local tyre place is £15 all in had my winter repaired last year it was due a to a screw it’s no big deal….

It cost £10 for balancing and fitting with the free repair voucher.

[anotherv60]

Originally Posted by Tannaton

The AWD system on all post MY2003 (i.e. Haldex based systems) Volvo's are fine with space savers, it won't damage them at all.

The only car I've ever driven where you can disengage the rear wheels was a (Very) old Fiat Panda 4x4.

I wonder if it’s one of those statements that has been in Volvo manuals for years and hasn’t been updated as the latest tech doesn’t let you disengage the rear drive manually.