I can’t think of regular car drivers who have not encountered a flat tire in their first couple of years. It is equally astonishing how many of the drivers, who have been driving for decades, alone in the city and the highway, do not know how to replace a tire.
But then not everyone gets excited at the site of wrenches and a tool box. Nor does getting dirty slacks or greasy, dusty hands enthuse all of us. But if you ask me, a flat tire can strike you anywhere anytime and replacing a flat tire is the one thing every driver must learn. I learned this early, observing the tire shop mechanic, and it has helped me get out of a tight spot many a times. Years ago, on my trip across the Maharashtra state, in the middle of the day when my car tire was torn into by a piece of iron. And recently late into the night on a visit to a local club.
There are many reasons your vehicle may fail on your next road trip – I do sincerely hope it does not. But there are a few common reasons why you will need roadside assistance. So for those reasons that can be solved without the need to tow your vehicle to the garage, Walt Brinker brings you this excellent guide: Roadside Survival: Low-tech Solutions to Automobile Breakdowns.
Walt Brinker has been doing a laudable public service by assisting people facing vehicle breakdowns first across I-10 and now up I-95. He is a graduate of Military Academy at West Point and has seen combat in Vietnam. For the last 30 years, Walt Brinker is providing free-of-charge roadside assistance as a hobby to hapless travelers on the highway.
Roadside Survival: Low-tech Solutions to Automobile Breakdowns
Paperback: 108 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (March 19, 2014)
ISBN-10: 1493786814, 978-1493786817
You may not be the DIY kind, but if you love traveling in your car across the country, changing a flat tire is one thing that you cannot pass on. Walter Brinker walks you in a step-by-step manner on removing the flat tire rim and replacing it with your spare tire – you do have one, right?
He gives all the tips you need to avoid cuts and bruises and makes sure you don’t forget that critical step and have to do things all over again.
One of the dangers of getting a flat tire on a highway is to move away from the traffic and find a safe place to do your thing. In Roadside Survival, the author ensures that you take all the safety precautions to keep you and your family safe. With images and explanation, the author shows you how use the Warning red triangle signs facing the oncoming traffic to warn other motorists of a vehicle breakdown.
Of course, there are other reasons than a flat tire that could cause a vehicle breakdown. One of the other common reasons are a drained battery or being locked out. In Engine Cuts Off and Will Not Re-start, the author talks about different jumper cables and how to connect them to another vehicle to get a boost for the battery and discusses other battery related issues that you can check and fix on your own.
Now getting locked out is pure sloppy. But I too am guilty of this one. Luckily, my old car had a horrible lock system and I had the opportunity to look at how it worked from the inside. Knowing how it worked meant I could use a thin metal scale to locate and push the exact lever to open the car lock.
The modern electronic locks are not that easy. The author shares tips and shows you how you can get out of these situations by preparing in advance and using different accessories to make sure you can always open your car doors.
You don’t have to learn things the hard way by trial-and-error. I suggest that every motorist who frequently travels on the highway buy a paper copy of the book and put it in glove box along with the car manual. Paper copy because your electronic devices can fail, too.