Hit something in the road and it took out my tire and rim. When I tried to remove the spare from the bottom, I couldn't. It was rusted and wouldn't budge. I'm not sure if there was supposed to be an extension to the little crowbar you use to spin the lock mechanism but didn't see anything about it in the book. So everyone should probably take a look and make sure they can get their spare out if they need to. Luckily I was in the Bronx when this happened and got a fitting spare and tire for $40. Took it in to the dealer and a replacement is going to cost $345 for the rim and $109 for the tire. Hopefully the tire I bought will fit in the spare spot and I can keep a full size spare.

 

Ouch - I think I would have tried ebay or any other online source before paying that. For example, the tires are here for $70 I think

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....um=37TR6TRACV2

and someone is always selling rims. $345 for a new one? Insane.....

 

Now I'm glad I took out the warranty on my tires, which includes road hazards, for $155. Running over nails and junk at work isn't just a possibility, but an eventuality for me.

 

You bought a tire warranty for $38 per tire????

 

There's an '07 rim on eBay now for $85, #120093634458.

 

It was an add-on to the 75K mile extended warranty that I purchased on the car, not a separate warranty.

 

That fits with a piece of advise from my father on such things. I always run the spare up and down from the lift every season or so.

 

Should be able to grease up the parts involved, no?

 

I haven't looked at mine yet, but if it works anything like the one on my Blazer or my mom's PT Cruiser did, there's no easy way to grease it without disassembling the mechanism. Fortunately I never really had a problem with the Blazer's spare tire, and the few times that I had to lower it, so I could get under more easily to work on the gas tank, it came loose easily thanks to the ~18" racheting handle.

 

Lube the threads with anit-seize compound. use a baggie as a glove so it won't get on yer hand. I use it to also lube my lug bolts. It makes torquing the lug nuts easier and more even. get the grey compound. cheap too.