 Considerations for changing wheels
Every six months, the ADAC in Germany reports on the topic of tire changes, in October and at Easter, so you don't forget. One wonders what else they can come up with to
keep drivers tied to the repair shop. This time, they have something special.
A fictitious journey is assumed in which the wheels, in this case the summer wheels, are to be taken to the workshop. As these tires continue to grow, they can no longer be
placed side by side, even with the rear seat folded down.
This means that the ones on top can become a projectile when braking. This means that the ones on top can become a projectile when braking. The fines mentioned for inadequate load
securing or an accident caused by this are also correct.
The threat of fines has always been a popular tactic here. Unfortunately, this often assumed a general ban on driving with summer tires in winter, which doesn't actually exist. Fines are only possible in
appropriate weather conditions.
The entire article is written as if it were encouraging car owners to change tires themselves. We read it on t-online. In the rush to write it, even the explicit reference to the necessary torque wrench was
omitted.
Perhaps the driver should realize this for themselves when the text mentions a 'specific torque' that can be found in the owner's manual. But by then it's already too late, because the old wheels have been
removed and the new ones haven't been properly installed yet.
What do these scribbers think they're doing, that everyone has a second car to buy a torque wrench? The car manufacturers are doing the rest. Of course, the appropriate jacks and wheel wrenches have
since been rationalized away.
So the report doesn't really help you take matters into your own hands. It's not meant that way, either, because everyone except the driver has an interest in ensuring that enough potential customers come
to the workshop regularly. These are crucial weeks for revenue.
Quite a few workshops have the nerve to offer additional, unnecessary work, such as rebalancing, even though nothing has changed on the wheels and no defects in this regard are apparent. You can guess
what else is being offered to buy here for your car.
| However, there's still a catch to these DIY tips. |
Anyone who thinks they can avoid a visit to the garage by changing the wheels themselves on a modern car might be wrong, because the days of simply checking pressure by comparing wheel speeds
seem to be over.
No, the sensors in the wheels were changed when the wheels were switched, and the connection needs to be re-established. The advice to change the wheels yourself should therefore have been given only
after the electronic requirements had been explained.
And then maybe list the costs for all the tools, otherwise the whole thing seems a bit dishonest, or perhaps even advertising the opposite. What wasn't mentioned is that anyone without a garage has to lug
the bikes, which are quite heavy these days, down to the basement and back up again.
There are still the difficulties of leasing, which is becoming increasingly common even among private customers. The winter wheels are usually a cost factor, because in the end they are worth almost
nothing. Choosing all-season tires is difficult because they're neither fish nor meat.
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