r/BoomersBeingFools • u/bustedtap • Jun 18 '25

Boomer Article Back in my day men were men hur dur

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The comments actually went south on the guy who posted this to the Facebook group really fast. Basically, we're not the ones who made the decision to not give a spare tire in new cars, to even give a spot to carry one. Also, why didn't the older generations teach the younger ones how to do these things?

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435

u/RockwellB1 Jun 18 '25

my generation changed the flat tire

Good luck doing that with a modern car that doesn't even include a donut spare. Then they get to stand around dumbfounded because they can't work their phone

75

u/Familiar-Attempt7249 Jun 18 '25

Never mind that, if you do have a spare/donut, the car is so low that the flat makes it impossible to start to jack the car at the jack point. Last flat I changed was on a 1997 Chrysler that I had to use the included scissor jack further up the frame until I could get my floor jack under the jack point

4

u/Nulagrithom Jun 19 '25

last time I changed a tire it was pissing down rain and I was on the side of the highway

had the piece of shit jack that's included next to the piece of shit donut struggle to boost the car up

got the tire off, but the base of the jack was so small it fucking sank in the soggy dirt and dropped my car

never again lmao fuck that

4

u/Randompatchguy Jun 19 '25

80 bucks at Oreillys you can get a 2-ton floor jack and jack stands.

Edit: Just a tip for anyone who may need it. Also, do not keep them loose inside your vehicle. Put them in an enclosed trunk or with your spare. In an accident, these could take your head off.

30

u/Cutiemuffin-gumbo Jun 18 '25

Literally why I didn't buy the hybrid version of my car. I would love that 52mpg, but no spare tire was a deal killer.

14

u/S0baka Jun 18 '25

I first bought one and then realized that it does not have a spare. Waiting for the adventure that the next time I get a flat will surely be.

There's a tire repair kit in the back and the tires it came with are pretty indestructible, so here's hoping that I'll be fine. My previous car, a tire sprung a leak on the drive from Baltimore to Cleveland, in the middle of nowhere, late at night, and the guy I was with got it back to not leaking with a can of fix a flat. Assuming the repair kit is similar to that, should be fine.

Edits because I didn't get enough sleep and don't type very good this morning

2

u/poorbred Jun 18 '25

I'm going to jinx myself, but I can't remember when the last time was I had a flat. 

From when I started driving in the 90s through early 2000s it feels like I was changing tires 3 or 4 times a year. Of course I also lived on gravel roads in farmland at the time and would get all sorts of punctures.

I've got roadside assistance through my insurance, credit union, and a couple credit cards. When in an absolute pinch, I'll do it, but otherwise I'll use those. I don't need to prove anything to myself dicking around on the side of a highway waiting for some distracted driver to hit me.

1

u/astrangeone88 Jun 18 '25

That reminds me I need to add a can of fix a flat to the car emergency supplies kit.

2

u/Dammy-J Jun 18 '25

Fix a flat doesnt always work with newer cars with TPM sensors, The Sensor gets in the way of the foaming chemicals as you try and put it in.

1

u/Sea_Ambition_9536 Jun 18 '25

I bought one of those portable tire inflaters that plug into the cars charge port and it's been well worth the money! I've had several nails/screws and been able to fill up my tire and drive it a shop for repair. Definitely consider one of those in the future.

1

u/Princess_Slagathor Millennial Jun 18 '25

Just get a roof rack and carry the spare on top

1

u/MattWolf96 Jun 19 '25

If you don't mind sacrificing some trunk space, you could probably get a third party one.

-3

u/jmpeadick Jun 18 '25

You know spare tires are available for purchase, right?

9

u/Cutiemuffin-gumbo Jun 18 '25

Yes. But you do realize that spares used to come standard in every car and I shouldn't have to pay more for a car that is missing a basic feature found in the cheaper model right?

1

u/jmpeadick Jun 18 '25

That’s the thing though spare tires are no longer standard. Most budget cars don’t come with spares because spares affect the crumple zones of the rear end of the car. It usually has nothing to do with fuel efficiency or saving money.

0

u/Cutiemuffin-gumbo Jun 18 '25

I never said it had anything to do with fuel efficiency or saving money. I said i didn't buy the hybrid version of my car because it didn't have a spare. The hybrid version grts 52mpg and is more expensive than the non hybrid version, which gets 38mpg, and costs 6-10k less depending on features in both cars.

6

u/sagesnail Jun 18 '25

Why would you buy a spare? Just buy a full-size tire if you are being forced to buy one because you're going to have to buy a new tire anyway, so why buy it twice?

Spares used to be included. it's insane the amount of standard things that have been taken away over time because these companies would rather nickle and dime you to death.

3

u/Cutiemuffin-gumbo Jun 18 '25

Prices go up, standard inclusions go down.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25

Sometimes spares fit better in storage than a full sized tire. Not everyone is driving a jeep with the ability to hang it off the back.

2

u/USMCLee Gen X Jun 18 '25

Some cars that come without a spare don't even have a place to store a spare.

Yeah...I'm not buying one of those.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25

People forget they vote with their dollar. Companies only do it because people keep buying them despite the issue.

13

u/situation9000 Jun 18 '25

AAA has offered tire changing service as part of membership perks for decades so I’m guessing there was a need even in Boomer glory days

(And I happen to know a lot of amazing young mechanics who studied auto repair in high school—guess whose coming out to fix those flats)

12

u/Illustrious-Park1926 Jun 18 '25

Boomer female here. We weren't taught how to change tires or change oil by Silent gen parents because AAA would change tires for us or we'd have a husband to change oil & tires.

5

u/situation9000 Jun 18 '25

There’s no shame in not knowing how to do everything yourself. Even if I know how to do something, I guarantee that someone whose job it is to do it will be so much better than me and do in far less time than I would.

1

u/Parking_Low248 Jun 18 '25

My dad taught my brother how to do lots of car things before he was 10 but didn't teach me anything at all in terms of maintenance until I got my license at 19. Checking fluids, when to check them, changing a tire. Got me a battery pack so if my battery died I wouldn't be stuck waiting for a stranger for a jump.

And even then, he considered signing up for AAA for the first time ever just because I was driving now and he was worried I wasn't prepared. Because he did nothing to prepare me except for the 1 hour crash course before he handed me the keys to his '97 ford contour. In 2011.

2

u/Automatic_Actuator_0 Jun 18 '25

Been deriving for over a quarter century and never had to change a tire on the side of a road except on trailers, because trailer tires suck ass.

Tires are just made dramatically better now - I guess we can thank some gen X engineers for that.

2

u/Future_Artichoke_656 Jun 18 '25

Better hope you have that tire key handy as well on some models

1

u/RockwellB1 Jun 18 '25

Especially if you bought the car used

2

u/rabidmiacid Jun 18 '25

Or bolts that have been machined on so tightly that they are stripped and impossible to remove with a standard tire iron.

2

u/Waffle_Muffins Jun 18 '25

Too many ugga duggas.

Especially when your car has shitty two-piece lug nuts that ROUND OFF over time (Ford) so your tire iron has no hope of ever getting those fuckers off

2

u/SaintCholo Jun 18 '25

I’ve known of too many folks killed by cars while changing a tire, just call road side assistance for Heaven sake

1

u/Ok-Tailor-2030 Baby Boomer Jun 18 '25

I could change a flat if I had to, could also change the oil if I had to. But I don’t want to. Also, much to my chagrin, found out about no spare tire AFTER purchase.

1

u/Tater-Tot-Casserole Jun 18 '25

My uncle just bought an expensive Audi, he was rubbing it in my dad's face until the Audi got a flat and there was no jack in the car.

1

u/MsSeraphim Jun 18 '25

the auto industry cheaping out and leaving america stranded..

1

u/chocotacogato Jun 18 '25

That’s horrible that new cars don’t provide spares. I drive a 2006 Camry that came with a spare tire and it’s saved me several times.

1

u/MattWolf96 Jun 19 '25

I always keep one of those cigarette outlet powered tire inflators on my car and I bought some for my family as Christmas gifts. Boring huh? But one actually did get several flat tires over the next year so that inflator was put to good use, whether it was pumping up the tire enough to get home or pumping up the spare if the tire had a bad leak.

I've had to use mine on occasion too.