bolter said:
My owner's manual tells me to "Contact roadside assistance for help" when I have a flat. I am curious to know what to expect when I do that.
How long does it take for help to arrive? Can I expect anything better than being towed to a Chevy dealer, like on-the-spot repair of a repairable tire, or on-the-spot replacement of one that isn't?
As for how long, it'll take them to arrive, it depends on what towing/service company you call and how busy they are at the time you call. I use AAA; been a member for 50 years. I've generally had good experience w/them.
Recently had a dead battery and needed a jump in my MR2. Took about an hour for the truck to arrive. A couple of years ago, my truck w/a 4k# camper on it had ignition problems over 100 miles from home. Took a couple of hours for the flatbed trailer to arrive and drive me all the way home. The tow was free because I have an upgraded membership which included it. Over 10 years ago, I had a dead battery in a jeep I owned then and the person on the phone couldn't find the address, even though it was an clearly marked street address. In that case, I gave up on them and got the car started myself.
As for the repair of a tire, no service company that I know of will/can do an onsite tire repair. They will replace a tire/wheel if you have a spare or tow you to a place that can do the work. You can choose where to get towed: home, a tire shop or the Chevy dealer.
bolter said:
Do dealers normally have the correct replacement tires in stock? If not, how long might it take to get one? Should I consider buying one and keeping under the false floor in the cargo area so it will be available if needed?
The dealer may or may not have the required tire in stock. If not, how long it takes to get one will depend on availability generally. Could be a day or it could be a week. No way to know. Same thing applies to a tire shop. I'd expect to have better luck at a tire shop than at a Chevy dealer but before I get towed, I'd call around to dealers and tire shops while I'm waiting for the tow to see if I can find one that has the tire I need right then and there.
My BMW came w/run flat tires but I changed them to high performance tires that are not run flats. I (and many other BMW owners) choose to carry an emergency spare. It takes up most of my truck but I don't use it for anything else. So, it doesn't matter.
Pretty sure that full sized spare (nor an emergency spare) will not fit in either the lower compartment of the Bolt. You'd have to lower the back seats and carry it in the upper compartment on top of the false floor to do that, which wouldn't make much sense.
I chose to buy and carry a tire inflation and repair kit instead but I'd only use them if I couldn't reach a towing/road service company first.
If you're really worried, another option is to keep a full sized tire/wheel at home and if you have an unrepairable flat, get towed home where the wheel/tire can be replaced on the spot.
