LogFAQs > #986785219

Cruddy_horse posted...

change a tire, oil, or other critical function on one.

Are those really critical functions, though? In the decade I've been driving, I've had two flats. In one case, it was a double blowout and a spare wouldn't have helped. In another, it was a slow leak and I was able to keep it pumped up (first with a bike pump, then I went and bought a compressor) until I got it in to be checked out (turned out it was corrosion on the rim, which was an easy fix). Neither case actually required me to change a tire, and even if it had, it wouldn't exactly be hard to find instructions if I needed them (not that I actually have a spare tire, but that's beside the point), and if I don't mind waiting, I can call CAA to either do it for me or tow it to a shop at no additional cost.

I don't not know how to change a tire, in that I'm loosely familiar with the process (loosen the lug nuts, jack it up, remove the nuts, remove the wheel, mount the replacement, tighten, jack down, finish tightening), but it's not a skill I've ever put into practice. It's also not a skill I particularly need to put into practice. It's a skill I could develop just in case I need it, but that possibility is pretty remote and I've got alternatives available. So does it really matter?

Sure, seasonal tire changes are more common, and oil changes get lumped in there as well, but then it's less a question of "if you can't do this on demand, you can't drive safely" (which are what I'd describe as "critical functions") and more "you can pay somebody else to do this if you can't/don't want to." Learning how will save you money, but that's about the extent of it, and even then it's not a huge amount (and having a shop check the vehicle out annually while doing an oil change isn't a bad idea anyway).