SUV Adventure

Ofcourse being the hot blood that you are, you must be on a road trip cruising through the lanes and then the tyres burst and then the adrenaline gush. you somehow manage to control the SUV. Great Job! Now what? After my article on handling a tyre burst situation- as in, how to handle the car. Now I present to you, how to get out of the dammed place you are stuck in.

Car Parked:
As per the last article, you would’ve parked the car to the side of the road. Make sure that it’s not on any such place where it may be of a hindrance to other cars- like a turning, blind spot, for instance. Don’t worry, in a slow speed your car will drag a few feet without damage… although only a few feet. Don’t over-do it please.
Emergency lights:
Again, if you’ve read the last article, these are already on.

S.O.S.:
If you have a spare tyre, change it or else… Call for help. And I don’t mean start shouting, I mean take out your phone and actually call. Although if you’re in a really deserted place you may want to give shouting a shot as well !!

If you don’t have any towing vehicle’s contact number with you, call “justdial” and get the number of a nearest towing facility. If that doesn’t help, try asking people around (be careful about the ready-to-help dhaba owners and toll personnel because they will have a share in the money you give for towing and you will end up paying more). If nothing works, you can always call the police. Don’t worry they won’t arrest you for asking them to help you, just make sure you are polite and inform them that you have tried everything else.

If it was a village where you were stuck, try asking for a tow-lift from one of the passing Mahindra Jeeps (they are sturdy enough to do the job) to get you to a nearest mechanic.

Towing:
Now you have a tow vehicle’s contact number. This is the part where you will get cheated, if not careful. They may tell you it will cost you around Rs. 2500 to tow the car but wherever you are stuck there will be a mechanic in a 5-6 kilometre radius. And for that don’t pay more than Rs. 800-1000. Do not forget to negotiate with the towing guys. You are bound to panic in such a situation and would agree to whatever costs the towing guys put on you. But remember that there is never one towing company around, there are many. And the worst case scenario if you don’t get any other towing company you can always agree to the costs they mentioned in the first place. So don’t be in a hurry to fix everything. The tyre, depending on the company will cost differently. What company you choose is up to you, just try keeping all four tyres of the same company and if purchasing a new one- make sure you have the warranty card with it. If purchasing a second-hand tyre (to get you to a more trustable place), check it thoroughly for tear, baldness and weak spots.

Move on and be careful next time:
You may never accept it but, unless you were driving in 50° heat on a long stretch of highway in the afternoon, the tyre burst has happened because of your fault. So you’ve learnt your lesson… I sure have!
· Periodically service your car.
· Always check your tyres before you go out, especially on long trips.
· If they show signs of weakness, change them.
· In fact even if they don’t, change them when their age/k.m. approaches (specified when you purchase them).
· Keep the correct air pressure in them. Both, less and excess air can cause a burst.
· Keep spare tyre ready.
· Have the jack and tommy with you.
· Do not speed more than what your car/tyre/law can handle.
· Love your car, love your life, and stay safe.

Changing tyres is usually neglected due the leak it will cause to your wallets. But then you need to decide are a few thousands more important than you and your family’s life?

In the next article I will tell you some layman techniques to notice problems in your tyre