The good: 1st service was FREE; kudo's to my dealer; nice surprise
Had the senior tech drive the 9 speed/SH-AWD/TLX, to feel the "hard shift"
He concurred, but said that no known solution exists; he thinks that Acura & ZX, will eventually, come up with a software update.
The bad: When I told my Sales Manager, that I was never informed, about the lack of a spare tire in a $45,000 vehicle, she was dumbfounded.
I told her that I would not have closed the deal, unless they provided at least a doughnut.
She's calling me today, to work out a solution; fingers XXXXX
So far they've treated me great; hopefully, a solution is forthcoming
Riding around without a spare is totally unacceptable; no matter what the manufacturers think
If you get a blowout, you're done; especially far from home

 

actually..... its common practice now a days to save weight.


a smart consumer is a knowledgeable consumer and the weight falls on you, not the dealership.

 

don't new Acuras come with Acura Roadside Protection? The no spare has been discussed to death all over AZ and it's not even on the TLX, the ILX doesn't have it either. Some research/due diligence would have helped you there. (Open trunk, look for what's inside (or in this case, missing).

 

^even high end cars dont come with spares......

this trend started way back in 2010. may even be earlier

 

plus, this is why we all have insurance.

sure, its an inconvenience, but until auto manufactures figure out a way to save weight in other avenues, the spare is pretty much gone the way of the Do-Do bird

 

But the BMW did have run-flats to be fair..


I can see why new owners are a bit disgruntled but again, it's not news that they stopped including them.


Also spare tire seems to run about 500 bucks according to the numerous threads that have been popping up recently.. If the dealer is providing you a free one, I'd say you jump on it and you better keep your business with them.

I expect a "discounted" spare at the tune of maybe $250?

 

^my 2010 Challenger SRT did not come with a spare or run flats.
the thought was that if i did get a flat, i'd ride the rim until i got some where safe.
it did come with an electric air pump, tho.


in my TL, when I go on road trips, I make sure to bring a full sized tire and full sized aluminium light weight jack.

 

Wonder what they will get rid of next to reduce weight and save them money? I mean save us money.

Maybe the trunk will be optional since I don't really use it that much.

 

As far as I'm concerned, a spare tire is an ABSOLUTE necessity, not a luxury.
what're you supposed to do if you blow a tire?
guess pray

 

Jesus will take the wheel, no worries


I'm not disagreeing with you, i'm just pre-empting you to be realistic when the manager inevitably comes back with something less than 'free spare tire' and hope you don't get your hopes up is all

 

its not a necessity, hence why auto manus. took them AWAY.


if you blow a tire; call your insurance.
most policies have free road side assistance.
they'll get you back up and running.

its not as convenient as changing the tire yourself....but hey! when life gives you lemons.....

 

Surprised that the dealer didn't try to sell it to you with all of the other accessories

 

Granted these are the sport models, and not the volume sellers, but my 2007 RS4 has no spare, and did not come with run flats.

The E39 M5's came out in 2000 equipped the same way; nothing but an inflator, and a can of fix-a-flat goop which most would never use.

So many rely on roadside assistance nowadays, and the dealers don't mind as they get some more business that way, so I see this trend becoming more, and more common as they look to cut every pound of weight that they can in order to increase mpgs.

I too am surprised that the dealer didn't show you the accessories/options list, because it is definitely listed as one of them.

 

I thought TLX comes with RunFlats? I think it comes with an inflator and a can of goop too? I could be wrong.

 

The nitwit service advisor at my dealership, told me I had run-flats as well; WRONG!
We do get a can of Goop; but a blow-out will never be repaired.

 

My salesman tried to tell me my car has run-flats. I didn't bother correcting him. thanks to A-Zine, I knew more about the TLX than most at the dealer did

 

I knew ahead of time there was no spare but it was an option and I decided to forgo it initially. At around 450 miles, I had my mind changed and I had to buy a new tire because of a cut in the sidewall. I later bought the spare just as insurance but I hope to never need it. It's now a practice that I don't really agree with, but it's going to continue and for ref. my 2008 CTS didn't come with a spare but mine had the optional tire included.

I did get my total package for under $300, but I have a contact at AHM.

The weight savings isn't substantial and honestly, I think the MPG is identical before and after spare tire, but it sounds nice.

 

^it's not supposed to affect 1 vehicle, if you tally it up across the ENTIRE fleet, there will be a significant gas mileage increase, appealing to CAFE(Corporate Average Fuel Economy) regulations.

 

the sales goal of the TLX is set pretty high at 60,000 units per year.

if each individual car gained .3 MPG due to weight savings......

well, you can do the simple math.


that also saves money as they DONT have to include a spare.

 

and if most people are buying the not included spare....well, there's profit in there some where.

 

I have experienced two blow outs (and 2 ruined rims) in my RLX. The second one took Acura Roadside Asst. 3 hrs to ge a tow truck to me. Called in at 8p, truck arrived 11p, car delivered to delearship at 1a.

 

^wow.

 

I really doubt the claim that they dropped the spare for weight/mpg savings.

Its just like how cigarette lighters became a separate option. Money grab (I dont smoke nor do I condone it, but I get annoyed when auto makers take out stupid small stuff and charge you if you want it)

As far as Im concerned every car should come with at least a donut. It could be an issue of safety.....imagine being broken down on the side of a highway...do you sit in the car for 3 hours for roadside assistance or attempt to walk along the highway to somewhere safe? Either of those options arent the safest bets.

 

ride the rim to a safe location. ^^

 

Other savings (weight and $) for the mfr, no car jack and lug wrench are provided. I scratched my head when the sales guy told me that I could call roadside assistance if I have a blow out and they will be there within an hour. WTF, do I look stupid to you?

 

Then you get to buy a new rim from them on top of saving them the $$$ of not including a spare.

Its a vicious cycle, I say.

 

Then buy the spare kit. Complaining that they don't have it as a stock item will do no good. It IS the trend.

I spent the money for kit. The car is a bargain for what I got so coughing up about $400 for the kit was no big deal.

 

My first car without a spare was a 2008 corvette but it did have run flats. Although a spare wasn't an option in that car, I never had a tire issue and honestly would've rather had regular tires due to run flat handling/noise.

In terms of the TLX and spare tire kit cost, I look at it as $400 is cheaper than replacing 4 run flats.

 

Glad my 2013 came with a real spare.

 

Wonder if I should be stocking my trunk with a bottle of windshield washer fluid, some antifreeze, a rad hose, fan belt, some spare wiper blades, and of course a good toolkit. You never know when they might be needed.

 

Better yet, just don't drive your car. Be a hermit, stay in the house forever. The world is a scary place

 

Windshield washer fluid will be an option you need to pay extra for.

After all, its YOUR issue if you take the car out where the windshield might get dirty, not Acuras.

 

I realize that this comment is sarcasm, but a good toolkit is a MUST for me. I always keep a nice kit with the basics in all my vehicles. I would also add that a good pair of gloves, some ratchet tie straps, and some rags or blanket help in some unplanned situations (cue Weather talking about the blanket ).

What's more amazing to me is that these days it seems like almost no one carries jumper cables. I do keep a good set in my car and many, many times I've gotten them for others to use. That won't make up for the lack of a spare tire, but it would be a nice touch if a set was OEM.

 

I have not owned jumper cables for more than 15 years and had not used them in the last 17 or 18 years except when my new TLX battery died. No plans to get a set.

 

Isn't choice a great freedom?

I haven't needed my auto insurance in 20+ years, but I decided to opt for it as well as the jumper cables and spare.

The choice is yours. Go for your choice and don't whine.

 

Hell, even my 2007 Miata never came with a spare tire. Nor run flats.

 

I haven't needed jumper cables for a long time but I keep them around to help others if they need them. At my workplace last winter there were 3 times when someone's car had a dead battery and no one else had cables. I lent mine out and it got someone else home without having to call for help. Honestly, with the electronics on modern cars I'm a little hesitant to use jumpers, but I still believe in having them in case.

As for the spare, I needed one and didn't have it. Now that I have one, I hope I never need it.

 

Added weight + the cost of adding parts that most people don't use even once during the lifetime of the car is the reason, but my feelings are mixed on this trend because I had a sidewall blow out a few years ago when the heat index was 100+F. I was able to change the tire within minutes and be on my way, that definitely would not have happened with roadside assistance and in my busy area, that would probably have taken hours.

Yes, calling for roadside assistance is an option...as long as you are not in the middle of nowhere and have cell service. There are many very desolate areas in our worlds and I have been known to travel, and I could only imagine what it would be like to get a flat in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night in an area with no cell service...