No Spare Tire Included!

[sam am I]

Perhaps I'm the last to figure it out, BUT rental cars DON'T have to include a spare tire? Legally they don't have to, I checked ........

I reckon this has been going on for sometime now, but not sure how long?.......I've rented cars for many years now here and there and as resent as perhaps 2 years ago and I'm almost 100% certain they all had them,, but not the one I just rented. Nope, not missing, I checked, it's just not included!! WOW

I live in the west and we can travel loooooong distances w/o s**t for miles sometimes, no cell phone service, nothing.......NOT acceptable. I could be so SOL at 2 am 200 miles from anywhere and hit something and go to change the tire and WHAAAAT?

Sure, I can ask and make sure the next car I rent has one, and I will, but I was unaware they were doing this now, they never told me this ANYWHERE and I'm glad I just happened to want to use some space under the cover and saw no spare.

It's not a huge deal, esp if I can request and get the car with one (I think) and that I fricking know now, but they're not telling us this out right? WTF?

Just thought perhaps I'm not the very last and someone else doesn't really want their wife, g/f or daughters renting a car for some longer distant travel where there might not be cell service in remote places and not having a spare tire ISN'T an option, best be checking/asking for one now, don't assume cause they ain't telling...........

BTW, I use(d) Enterprise and this is a 2022 Jeep Compass.

 

[matt167]

Many cars do not come with a spare, and it does not suprise me that FCA decided to eliminate the spare on that.... For vehicles with normal tires, the excuse is that it saves weight for CAFE standards, but really it's about cost. The can of fix a flat and the inflator they sometimes give you instead costs much less.

In the case of vehicles with run flat tires, spares have been absent for a long time

 

[sam am I]

Many cars do not come with a spare, and it does not suprise me that FCA decided to eliminate the spare on that.... For vehicles with normal tires, the excuse is that it saves weight for CAFE standards, but really it's about cost. The can of fix a flat and the inflator they sometimes give you instead costs much less.

In the case of vehicles with run flat tires, spares have been absent for a long time

Interesting, well this has normal tires......Not much faith in, BUT no fix a flat, pump, no repair kit, no nothing. This seems to have just showed up here because I know not but a year or so back, the car I rented from the same company had one for sure and 99.9% sure every one before did too.

Again, not a world stopping issues, BUT making me (wife, g/f, daughter) aware that the car doesn't have one would have been nice........My(most ppl?) thought is(was) a fricking spare tire was standard equipment.....

 

[Lou C]

I don’t buy vehicles with no option for a full size spare. I spent a bit extra to add one to my wife’s 2017 Subaru Forester.

 

[sam am I]

Yeah just put a full size in my new to me truck and I won't be renting from anyone who doesn't at least provide a doughnut.......It's BS, esp. here in the west.

 

[Lou C]

Before this pandemic we used to take the 900 mile round trip from Long Island NY to Montreal QC for the Formula 1 race and from LI to Watkins Glen for the NASCAR race. There are parts of the Adirondack Northway that are very desolate with no cell service. I also take a 1/2 drive electric impact gun and torque wrench if I have to change a tire, and have a Viair 300P off road air compressor. Never needed it so far but nice to have!

 

[crazy charlie]

Many if not most new cars sold today come with an inflator instead of a spare tire as standard equipment.The spare is usually availbale as an option though.Suvs and pickup trucks seem to still be coming with some sort of spare.Charlie

 

[briangcc]

It probably has a lot more to due with theft than anything else. Take it out of the car and toss it on some beater they were offloading. Rental agency probably never came across it until the next poor soul actually needed it.

That or liability. Renter tosses spare tire on and leaves the flat behind, tools behind, and doesn't tighten the lugnuts properly so....poof....accident.


Some higher end cars don't include spares. My FIL's BMW (think its a Z4...who knows...no damn heart or soul in the twin turbo) doesn't have one at all.

 

[BWR1953]

My 2020 Kia Sportage didn't have a spare, just an inflator can with tools. Came that way brand new. I was surprised to find that out when I had a nail in a tire. Fortunately, I didn't have to use the inflator and drove it to a tire place and got it fixed.

 

[Scott Danforth]

many cars no longer have spare tires as indicated. in many cases, a small inflator, some sealer and instructions.

Rental companies dont really care if you are stuck on the side of the road needing a tow if you get a flat.

 

[dingbat]

Interesting, well this has normal tires......Not much faith in, BUT no fix a flat, pump, no repair kit, no nothing.

Where did you look?
Jeep says trim levels without spares tires come with a repair kit

 

[sam am I]

many cars no longer have spare tires as indicated. in many cases, a small inflator, some sealer and instructions.

And funny thing is in all my years and all my flat tires, maybe 20% of them a can of sealer MAYBE would have worked. The rest, I definitely needed the spare.

Rental companies dont really care if you are stuck on the side of the road needing a tow if you get a flat.

Wonder how many women are unaware that the car they're renting/driving have no spare? Maybe they don't care? Hmmmm

 

[sam am I]

Where did you look?
Jeep says trim levels without spares tires come with a repair kit

Under the cover in the back.......But a repair kit (missing?) isn't going to get me out of the woods(the west normal driving) 80% of the time. Almost useless IMO.

It's renter/buyer beware and I'm just surprised by this I guess, i was blissfully unaware perhaps assuming I'd continue to have one renting, we used to........not so long ago to and POOF!! Here's a can of glue and some rubber plugs??

Don't really care (esp G/F or daughters) to be w/o a real spare.....Could be asking for trouble.

 

[dingbat]

And funny thing is in all my years and all my flat tires, maybe 20% of them a can of sealer MAYBE would have worked. The rest, I definitely needed the spare.

Must be hard on tires.

Can’t remember the last time I had to change a tire on road. Guessing close to 25 years.

 

[sam am I]

Must be hard on tires.

Can’t remember the last time I had to change a tire on road. Guessing close to 25 years.

Yep, they don't call it the wild west for nut'n, we're all hell on wheels out here I guess (or is it, our wheels run in hell?) BUT even at 25 years, when you need a tire and have a can of glue, guess you're SOL!!

 

[matt167]

We have a general 'guess' in the shop, that if the spare is on when the vehicle rolls in, the tire is probably junk. 80% of the time that holds true.

As for the rental Jeep, it's probably within the terms of service somewhere that you are to call for roadside service ( BS ) in the event of a flat. They probably discard the flat repair kit for liability reasons.. Those kits are designed to get you to a service station, but it is a probibility that some people would turn a vehicle in with a plug repair fix or fix a flat and then it would go unnoticed.

 

[sam am I]

call for roadside service ( BS ) in the event of a flat.

And this is where the problem lays as I see it, there isn't always a way to make a call on a cell in a fair part of this side of the country. Even where main roads exists and are the only way to go, there are large area's, 100's of miles where there isn't ANY cell service.

You're now on your own, if you don't have a tire and need one, you are then waiting, sitting with your thumb in your ear for someone to drive by and stop for your "help".

Puts a bit of suspense in just what might be stopping by to give you a hand........

Anyway, lots of work arounds, satellite phones, ask for the rental that has a spare, go buy a spare, stay home and pout, fly, take a bus, yada yada yada....

Just let the old lady know she might not have a spare tire is the main point here.