Thanks David - Will be aware when following one of these SUV/minivans.
Last week one of the ladies on my commuter bus had a scare when a step
ladder fell off the back of a pick up in front of her - luckily it landed
length wise and she was able to just ride over it in her brand new BMW Z3 .
Just scraped up the underside a bit. Now if I had hit it with the
GT..........!!!
Rick
David Deutsch wrote:
> There is a bumper sticker that reads something like ' the parts falling
> off this car are made with the finest British Craftsmanship' that I have
> found amusing. There is something happening on a regular basis these
> days that is not amusing however and it's going to increase dramaticly
> as time goes on. I'm talking about spares, as in spare tires, dropping
> out from under mini vans and SUVs. I believe it was Chrysler who began
> placing the spares under the rear of their mini vans back in the early
> / mid-80's. Now almost ever mini van and SUV uses this method of
> storage. A spooled cable raises and lowers the spare. The problem is the
> cables are wearing and breaking.
>
> As a tow truck driver / roadside assistance provider I have gone out to
> at least a dozen tire change calls where the spares are missing and only
> a frayed cable end is under the vehicle. In most cases the owner had no
> idea that it was missing and in few cases, that this was even where the
> spare was supposed to be. This passed week I was called to an accident
> site where a driver lost control after hitting a spare that dropped out
> of the vehicle in front of them. Guess what? the vehicle did not stop
> and probably didn't know that it had lost it's spare. Luckly it was a
> donut spare that caused this accident. The all wheel drives are required
> to use full size spares. I don't even care to think about the havic that
> is going to be wreaked when the 17" wheels start dropping out of
> Navigators and the like.
>
> So if you happen to own a vehicle with a cable secured spare under it
> please check the condition of the mounting, especially in older models.
> Additionally if you happen to be traveling behind one of these vehicles
> please be aware of this hazard.
>
> Safety Fast (but not to close),
> David Deutsch
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