My first time using Toyota Roadside Assistance really sucks

I have a small 2.5 ton jack that just barely can lift one Prius wheel. I can lift that jack, but for now I travel with the scissor jack. I use my Makita 18v impact wrench to loosen the wheel lugs that were put on by the dealer's gorilla (and operate the scissor jack).

JeffD

 

Scissor jack with it's traditional crank handle will get it done too. This is something you do VERY sporadically, and you will be motivated.

If anything needs more air, a floor-standing bicycle pump can do that as well (usual disclaimer about motivation)

 

A piece of plastic or cardboard would do too.

 

Sitting on the ground seems rough, and getting up seems rougher, but you are correct to note that I'd be motivated.

Being realistic about what one can do seems central. One of the reasons for rotating my own wheels is just to know i can do it.

Pumping up a car tire with a bicycle pump sounds like something that would be written on a death certificate.

 

yeah, i could do it if i had to. last time was in my garage. bought a spare for the pip and wanted to make sure it fit.
took 3 days to recover, but at least i didn't wind up in the er

 

A Harbor Freight 3/8ths impact gun (Bauer) with a scissors jack will raise it off the ground in seconds (I've done it) and pop the lug nuts off. A pair of large c-clamp vise grips to break the bead. then a couple of bead levers to get the tire off. As long as you understand the purpose of a drop center rim it's not that hard and I will be 75 in a few months. Pop lived to 103. If you are physically unable then road side assistance can do the job or Uber to a tire shop. The issue is the tire. If I get a spare it can be made smaller with rope or string to collapse the sidewalls to get it smaller for a better fit in the spare tire well.

 

I have a Bauer tire inflator with a 5 AH battery that will inflate the tires easily, several times all 4 on a single charge. It runs my little cooling fan for pickleball for hours. Set it up to stop at the desired pressure. Anyone who tries to mount a tire with a hand pump is looking for a trip to the ER.

 

I've busted a tire manually once in my life when I was young. Not happening again. If I don't have the proper tool for the job (as it relates here) I go to the shop that does. YMMV

 

^ Same story here, once was enough, never want to do that again.

I guess one-man’s-ceiling…

 

It means I have that option.
Then it will never happen.

 

An unmounted, full-size tire, possibly bulkier than a ready-to-install, mounted, temp spare, isn’t likely to be too popular.

 

Lots of very affordable, plug into the cigarette lighter, pumps available too. They won't be the fastest, if they're really cheap, but they do the job. I got one for $20 on sale at Canadian tire and I use it to top off my tires when I do a seasonal change. Works well. Small and fits under the trunk's floor cover.

If you have a slow leak, or just need to top up a spare or something its fine.

The topic of the thread is roadside assistance though. And yeah... all the roadside assistance programs suck. Toyota's, CAA, whatever it is. They basically just have tow truck companies contracted, and they pay them for their time instead of you. You are at the mercy of whatever operator takes the call from their network at the time you need help. And the wait times are always long. They always have been. The most prompt service is always directly calling an independent, super local to you (within a close distance) shop/tow operator.

Also, at least where I live, if you are on a major freeway, the city or province (I can't remember which level of gov backstops this) will ensure a tow operator will arrive to move you asap. If you don't want to pay the fee to get to your preferred shop, then the tow truck will only move your car off the freeway to a safe location on a side street as a public service paid by the city/province. Cops can also help you off the freeway too. But there are also laws against how long a car can stay on the side of the freeway, so if you call a roadside assistance program like Toyota/CAA, they'll prioritize your vehicle anyway.

I can only assume that Paul was on a highway rather than a freeway, or maybe more rural in location if they let it take that long. Or maybe the laws in Alberta are different and they don't have something that enforces fast removal from freeways and programs set up to support it.

 

I've gambled and won, so far. No spare, but plug kit and inflator. Including on 13,500 mile road trip-- PA-AK-PA, which included the 135 mile Denali Highway which is mostly gravel. One flat on that trip and plug kit worked fine. Your experience may vary!

 

why don't they just make solid rubber tyres?

 

I vote for wood wrapped in iron.

 

i think you're on to something

 

someone had semi solid a tyre with a honeycomb design. not sure what happened to it