Changing the tire - they sure don't make it easy

[Neil]

So yesterday afternoon, while I was about 30 miles from home I get the 'Low Tire Pressure' warning.  I pulled over and got out the handy little compressor with integrated Fix-a-flat canister[however empty - different story]  and the tire held the pressure the rest of the way home.  This morning the tire was completely flat, so I decided to take it to a tire shop to have it repaired.  1st problem - no jack.  2nd problem - no lug wrench.  Luckily, as the owner of multiple crappy cars ( 3 teenage drivers in my house right now) I have a decent supply of repair tools.  The next problem is locating the proper jack point to lift the car.  Typically there is a placard in the trunk showing the lift points, however in the FFE, the placard only shows how to add the can of fix-a-flat. Not much help, but was at least done in both Spanish and English :) .  I assumed it couldn't be much different than the regular Fusion, so I searched the Internet and found where the jack points are.  

 

So, problem solved - the jack points on the FFE are marked on the lower rocker panel with a small 'arrow'  behind the front tire and in front of the rear tire. (see pic).  The actual jack point is behind the arrow mark - do not put the jack on the arrow - it's plastic.  You will see the metal ridge behind it which is the correct spot. I jacked the car up, placed a jack stand on the lower control arm.  Using a lug wrench from another car, I removed the tire and found the reason for the leak.  I had a nail in the tire (see pic).  i had a bunch of errands to run this morning, so I put the tire in my son's car and took it to a repair shop and dropped it off  (shout out to BJ's Warehouse Tire bay - WOOT WOOT awesome job).  I ran my errands and came back 30 minutes later and picked up the repaired (and re-balanced) tire - $15.  Can't beat that.  

 

Now...for those that say 'Why didn't you just call the free roadside assistance?' .  I thought about that, I didn't want to wait for the tow truck, and was pretty sure the dealership would want to replace the tire.  Also, I have rotated these tires regularly since the car was new, and all four tires have the same tread wear.  I didn't want to 1 - have to spend $200 on a new tire, and 2 - throw off my rotation.  Plus I wouldn't replace just one tire, so it would be closer to $400.  I also didn't want to be without my car for the entire day (or longer).  This way, my total cost was $15, and the job was completely done in a little over an hour.  

 

What I would do differently - The jack I used was a rolling hydraulic shop jack. The problem with it was the front end of the jack stuck out too far, blocking a place on the frame which would have been a better place for the Jack Stand.  if I have to do it again, I will place the floor jack at an angle that allows the jack stand to be placed on the frame rather than the lower control arm.  There is nothing wrong with using the lower control arm to hold the car, I just prefer using the frame.  

 

Edited August 28, 2015 at 05:31 PM by Neil

[Russael]

The jack points are actually the pinch welds.  They do make jack adapters so all of the pressure is placed on the body, or is spread over many inches of the pinch so you don't crush it.

 

http://www.amazon.com/ZL1-Addons-1087-Pinch-Magnetic/dp/B00H3UWGVG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440787122&sr=8-1&keywords=pinch+weld+adapter

[ls973800]

So why was the can of "fix-a-flat" empty?

[Hybridbear]

Thanks for the nice explanation & pics. Idk if you have Discount Tire in your area, but they will fix flat tires for free, even if you didn't buy your tires from them. They also rotate your tires for free. We've always been happy with Discount Tire & I always recommend them.

 

They fixed a flat on our Focus Electric for no charge & have rotated tires on both our cars a number of times at no charge.

Edited August 29, 2015 at 12:31 PM by Hybridbear

[Neil]

So why was the can of "fix-a-flat" empty?

Well..... as I said, I have several crappy cars that I maintain for my kids, and last spring I was topping off the tire pressure in my daughter's car and my compressor broke.  She was about to drive to VA Tech (4.5 hours) so I got the compressor out of the Energi and hooked it up to her tire and....pushed the wrong button.  Once the tire goo starts shooting out, you're done.  Tough lesson to learn about which button is for Air only and which button releases the tire goo.  Guess I should have read the handy placard in the trunk conveniently written in both English and Spanish.   :happy feet:

Edited August 29, 2015 at 02:24 PM by Neil

[ls973800]

Thanks for the explanation about the button.  I have used the compressor once. Fortunately I had read the information label and  pushed the correct button for air only.

[Johnny Mo]

Or you can have the issue like I did and run over a 4mm Allen Key and find that the hole created is too big for the fix a flat to work and then have Roadside tow it to the dealership that is now closed (after 5pm on a Saturday) and will be closed the following day (Sunday) - and then you lug your own hydraulic floor jack, jack stands and lug wrench to the dealership and change it yourself - thankfully a small local gas station was able to plug the tire.