How to fit a spare wheel

Changing a wheel at the side of the road isn't hard- if you know how :-

1. Make sure the car is on flat, hard, level ground

 As you’re going to be jacking the car up, you’ll want to first make sure that it’s safe to do so without the car falling off the jack. Check to see that the car is on a patch of ground that’s relatively level, without any lumps or bumps that might upset the car when two of its wheels are lifted off the ground. You’ll also need to check that the ground is firm and will support the weight of the car when it’s lifted – if it’s on soft ground, for example mud or sand, the weight of the car could push the jack into the ground when you try to jack it up, causing the jack to get stuck underneath the car.

2. Check you have the key for your locking wheel nuts

If your car is fitted with locking wheel nuts, you’ll need to find your locking wheel nut key first. This will usually be located in the glove compartment, in one of the side pockets, or near to the spare wheel. It will look a little like a socket from a socket set, but on the end that slots over the nut or bolt, you’ll notice an unusual pattern that fits into your wheel nut.

3. Check the manual

If you have your car’s user manual with you, this will be a great help. It will tell you where you can find your car’s jack and wheel brace, how to use them properly, and where to position the jack in order to lift the car without damaging it. It will also tell you where your spare wheel is located and how to remove it from that location.  

4. Make sure the car won't move

The last thing you want is for your car to roll away while you’re trying to change a wheel, and there are two ways to make sure that doesn't happen, in addition to putting the handbrake on.
First, select first or reverse gear, with the engine turned off. Or, if your car is an automatic, put it in ‘Park’ or ‘P’. This is because the handbrake only operates on two wheels – usually the rears – and if you put the car in gear with the engine off, it has the effect of locking the driven wheels – usually the fronts.

5. Loosen your wheel nuts

It’s important to loosen the nuts or bolts that hold the wheel you want to change in place before you jack the car up. This is because they will be extremely tight, and once the wheel is in the air, it will probably just spin freely when you try to loosen them.
Find your car’s wheel brace, connect it to one of the nuts/bolts, and turn. It’s likely that you will need to position the wheel brace in such a way that you can push its handle with your foot, or even stand on it, using your body weight to turn it. Once the nut/bolt starts to move, you should then be able to turn the wheel brace by hand to loosen it further.
However, make sure you don’t remove the nuts completely just yet – you will need the wheel to stay loosely attached to the car until you’ve jacked it up.

6. Find your car’s jack

The jack for your car will usually be located in the boot, either in or mounted to one of the side panels, or beneath the boot floor. On some cars, you might find it under the bonnet. Once you’ve found it, remove it from the car.

7. Find your car’s spare wheel

Now is a good time to get your spare wheel out and place it on the ground next to the car, so that you don’t have to disturb the car when it’s up in the air. Most spare wheels these days are kept in a compartment below the boot floor. That being the case, if you pull at the edge of the carpet, or look for a handle, it should lift up. On some older cars you may have to turn a bolt in the boot floor, again located below the carpet which will release a spare wheel holder from beneath the car. Refer to your owner’s manual if you’re in any doubt. 

8. Position the jack beneath the car

You’ll need to check your car’s manual for this part. It will tell you where you need to position the jack. Usually, this will be beneath the front or rear window, either just behind the front wheel arch, or just in front of the rear one, depending on whether it’s a front or rear wheel that needs to be changed.

9. Jack the car up

Following the instructions in the user manual, wind the jack up. You may need to connect the wheel brace to a nut on the jack itself, or the jack may have a built-in handle which you can use. Keep winding until the wheel you want to change is clear of the ground – you don’t need to use the full extent of the jack’s travel. If the car feels like it’s going to slip at any point, or the jack starts to lean over, stop jacking and wind the jack back in the other direction.

10. Remove the wheel with the punctured tyre

The time has now come to take the wheel off the hub it’s attached to. Using the wheel brace, unwind the wheel nuts/bolts until they come off completely. Then slide the wheel off the hub. Be careful with this, as it’ll be heavier than you think – it’s worth bracing yourself first so that you don’t hurt your back.