My wife were on our way to dinner on our anniversary, and I drove through the edge of a construction zone. We have had several rounds of bad weather in the past couple of weeks, and several inches of snow/ice had just melted. I hit a hidden pothole (filled with water), but it wasn't bad and I didn't give it much thought until a tire pressure warning popped up about 1/2 mile later. As we looked for a safe place to stop, I could see the tire pressure on the right front tire counting down.

When I got out to inspect it, there were at least two small holes in the sidewall -- I could hear and feel the air escaping. Apparently, I either clipped something sharp, or pinched the sidewall in a way that ruptured it. Within a few minutes, the tire was flat. I dug out the pump and connected it, then turned it on. The pressure gauge shows 90 lbs, but that's normal until the sealant is delivered. But, the pressure never dropped. And I could see a small amount of sealant leaking from the fixture where the canister is mounted.

At this point, I have to point out: I didn't have my reading glasses and was trying to read the manual with limited light. You are supposed to connect a separate clear tube to the tire, not the black air-only hose. The manual really needs to make the distinction there are two different hoses, at the start of the instructions. If the pump had started to dispense the sealant onto the ground, I would have figured out the problem. But, that never happened. And even if it had, there's a good chance it wouldn't have plugged the leak, as the manual explicitly warns it may not work on the sidewall.

So, I called Acura Roadside Assistance, waited for about 20 minutes, got disconnected, called again and waited another 10 minutes. With all the weather issues across the nation, they were busy last night. When someone finally answered, they dispatched a flat-bed truck to pick us up. Meanwhile, my wife walked across the street to Chipotle and we celebrated our anniversary by eating dinner in the car while waiting for the truck.

Now, my wife doesn't want to drive the car without a spare tire. The dealer has a replacement tire (about $400), but they have to order the spare tire kit (about $500 -- includes wheel, tire, jack, and a new insert to replace the toolbox under the trunk mat).

 

These cars at this level of luxury should caome with a spare tire - period. Sorry to heat about your accident but sounds like your wife took it in stride. Acura Roadside Asst needs revamping in my opinion. When AAA can beat ARA to the site then there is a probelm (my own experience)..

 

Sorry to hear that.

Look at the bright side, you and your wife were able to spend your anniversary together, even if at Chipolte.

Agree on the spare tire (my TSX wagon doesn't haven one either).

As far as roadside, I don't know about Acura's (haven't had to use mine), but when I have used my Lexus roadside service, they sublet the work out to the local AAA type trucks.

 

With the roomy back seat of the RLX, I can think of things to do with my wife while waiting for ARA to arrive - that is what the side and rear shades are for isn't it??

Kidding aside, I'm old school and will probably add a spare tire to my RLX Sport Hybrid if/when I ever get one (apparently they can be found in numbers at the end of every rainbow).

 

2011 wagons still have the spare tire

 

Yeah when I was shopping all local to me were 2012 and 2013.

I have to get a spare tire kit.

 

Acura RA called a local firm. I chatted with the driver on the way to the dealer: their "depot" was only blocks from where we were parked. But, he had been busy all day, and was on his way back from another call when dispatched. So, we had to wait about an hour.

BTW, Acura RA is apparently based in Canada. I got an automated callback to confirm the truck was on the way, and it originated from area code 705 in Ontario, CA.

 

No shades on our Tech Package. I think it's included with the Advance Package?

I had them on my 2005 RL. I will probably miss them during the Texas summer.

 

Makes sense that they dispatched local driver.

Is ARA based in Canada? Or their call center is out of Canada?

I have gotten survey calls that show up as Philly or Atlanta, but are really in India

 

You were fortunate to be in an area where you could walk across the street and get something to eat.

Several years ago, back when my wife still loved and bought Cadillacs, we were on a trip when her DTS left us stranded in the big fat middle of the New Mexico desert. We did manage to get a call through on OnStar, but after waiting in vain for several hours for help, I finally managed to get the car started again and we beat a hasty retreat.

It was a bad computer module that rendered the car inoperable, but after multiple attempts, it finally let me start the car.

Another time, we had the good fortune to have a battery die in my Infiniti on the parking lot of an In-n-Out.

I've worried a little about a blowout way out somewhere in the middle of nowhere, but in reality the odds of that happening are really slim.

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I wasn't worried about it either. The last time I had to switch in a spare tire was about 40 years ago. But after what happened last night, my wife doesn't want to drive the car without one. She's fully capable of changing a tire, but is concerned about being stuck somewhere, unable to contact roadside assistance.

 

Her concerns are valid. I didnt have a single tire issue in the last 15 years. Driving 25K+miles a year.

In the last 18 months, I had 3 sidewall punctures on 3 different cars. Thanks to the glorious 405 construction zone. Needed 3 new tires. SIGH. All 3 cars had no spares. Annoying as heck.

 

It's interesting you wrote that.... We were adjacent to Interstate 35E reconstruction. It was a small section of temporary road, and it looked like the ground had subsided underneath it.

I went by the spot today in the daylight, when the road was dry. It's not even very big. And my wife said: yeah, it's been there for a few days (she drives through there almost every day).

 

Sorry to hear about your blowout. A couple of weeks ago I hit a pothole that was at least 100 feet deep in my Sport Hybrid. Blew the tire and bent the rim. Made me realize what good decisions I made when I bought the car: a spare tire kit and a tire/rim warranty. I got RA (long wait, lots of weather) and they put on my spare (local service, just like AAA except RA at least knows your location), I drove to my dealer and left in a TLX loaner. Picked up my car the next day and paid nothing. All in all, the best outcome I could think of short of not hitting the pothole. I felt bad for my wonderful RLXh. I agree with your wife. I won't drive a car without a spare. The inflation kit is great for a tread puncture but does nothing for a sidewalk injury. At least the RLX has space for a spare. What will we do when that goes away, too? The potholes in Boston this winter are the worst I have ever seen; they are hard to miss. Again, sorry about your experience.

 

So what's the little red doojigger beside your screen name?




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^^^^
That's an experience award.

Below the title of this thread, you will see a toolbar starting with "Settings". Later in that row is "Experience". Click that and you will see the experience awards, among other things.

 

Yeah, thanks to constructions!!

 

Since someone else brought up "doing things with your wife in your RLX to pass the time" above, maybe my "experiences" in life now have relegated to be a wagon driver

 

This precisely why when my kids are able to drive they should be in a two seat car. If they can get lucky in it then good for them. I am not giving them a wagon where they can stretch out....

 

Wihtout taking this off topic...and having driven two seaters since I was 16 till now exclusively..

One can easily get lucky in a 2007 AP2 S2000, or even a 1991 CRX Si (pop the sunroof open). If you do those things, result is you are forced to drive a wagon, and polish your two seaters in the garage

From a CPA's perspective, giving them a wagon at 16, would save you the hassle of buying them a wagon later in life.

 

Dammit! I'm screwed as a parent! There is always a bicycle or walking shoes.

 

Defines all of our lives as parents

 

My tire and rim warranty only covered up to $300/tire and $500/rim. Dealer rim was $945 (I bitched like a woman at a cabaret) and tire was $379. Dealer markup is attrocious.

 

ya know that kids do it any where and every where, right?
most likely at a party.

lock your kids up and dont let them out of the house.

 

In the world of the internet and kids, there are few protections. In the outside world of bullies, sexting, cable TV, and XM/Siri radio, kids are exposed to stimuli that when we were growing up was soft porn. Shoot the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition and the Victoria Secret catalog was a close to that as you could get with the exception of late night HBO. I was in the grocery store the other day with my youngest and he saw the SI cover with the chick tugging on her tiny bikini which just barely covered herself. Don't get me wrong that girl is super hot, but for an 8 year old in the check out line, he was giddy while knowing he shouldn't be looking at that as it is intended for adults. Now this stimuli so available and pervasive that kids think it is normal and accepted to behave inappropriately. Kids as young as 10 and 11 are "active" to the point that pediatricians are recommending HPV shots! If I can somehow protect my kids in any way possible from "getting into trouble" as it was described when I was young, then I will do it. Even if it is a lost cause, I will at least try. I know what I tried to get away with in a two seat car and I made that work. I don't want to make it easy for them and get a conversion van with a queen size bed already installed. I know I sound altruistic and a prude, and can't keep them in a bubble, but unless you have kids in this current world we live in, it is hard to explain and even harder to protect them from the temptations (electronic, drug and sex). Sorry for straying off topic.

 

Then they do it with each other. See Utah or Alabama for proof

Or they will Columbine or Newton you

 

A final followup:

The tire was replaced, and the dealer gave me a new air pump. They didn't have the spare tire kit, so it was ordered.

I didn't get a callback, so I called to inquire about 2 weeks later. The parts dept. said they had the kit, so I scheduled an appointment to install it, along with the headlight recall.

Unfortunately, they had ordered the wrong spare tire kit (the RLX and RLX Hybrid versions are different). So, I had to wait one more day, but since I had a loaner MDX, I didn't mind.

I also felt that the steering/alignment was a bit "wonky", so I paid the fee to have the alignment checked. Both right-side wheels were outside the acceptable limits. Now, the handling is much better at highway speeds.

I had to give up some trunk storage space, but my wife is much happier now that we have a real spare.

 

I bought a spare tire last winter after wrecking a tire on curb under the snow. I hope I never have to use the spare, but I know it is there.