Busy people sometimes don’t know holidays. Most of them even go to work on Christmas Eve. They believed it was the practical thing to do, especially in these financially difficult times. A bit gloomy but that’s the reality. Leave it to them, they still celebrate Christmas with all their hearts.
If you are one of those workaholics who will be spending Christmas Eve at the office, trying to organize everything before the holidays, make sure you don’t miss Christmas dinner with your family. Remember that the unexpected and unwanted things happen when you are on schedule. Like when you have to take a long drive to get dinner but on your way home you have a flat tire and worst case scenario, you don’t know how to fix a flat tire, you don’t have a car manual and you can’t find a car service.
The challenge now is how to learn to do it. So as early as now, learn. Well, it has to start with getting out of your comfort zone. Then, let your hands or yourself get dirty. And finally, follow these guidelines so you can hit the road one more time and return in time for dinner.
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Parking. As much as possible, park your car away from the road and on a flat area and don’t forget to apply the emergency brake. If you are on the side of the road, put up some emergency signs to avoid another accident.
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Tool. To get started, you will need your spare tire, jack and wheel lock. If you have other tools to help you make your job easier, then that’s fine.
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Dop and the nut. To have access to the lug nuts, you will need to remove the hubcaps. When you gain access to the nut, just loosen it.
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Jack. Now that the lug nuts are loose, put the jack in the right place, lift and remove the lug nuts. Once the nuts are removed, you can remove the flat tire and wheel.
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Spare tire. You can now install the spare and the wheel and make sure you have screwed in and tightened the lug nuts securely before removing the jack.
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Wrap. Lower the jack and when the wheel is firmly planted in the ground, lock the wheel nuts to maximum tightness.
So you did and now you are ready to go and attend Christmas dinner! Well, sometimes being a mechanic yourself can be satisfying, especially when you’re in a hurry and far from available car service. More importantly, Christmas dinner with family is so special that you shouldn’t miss it.
It’s interesting to note that changing a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, with no one to help you is not an easy job. It’s like dealing with drilling tool and that actually takes power and mastery. However, it becomes much easier when you know the basics of the job and do it right.
