Firstly you want to choose the place where you change a tire very carefully. If there isn’t enough room on the shoulder, drive slowly to the next exit ramp so that you have enough space and are safe from other traffic. Your car needs to be on a flat solid surface to jack the car up safely. Switch on your four way flashers, place an emergency triangle behind your car if you have one and be aware of traffic around you.
Set your parking brake and if at all possible block the diagonally opposite wheel with a something heavy like a brick or stone as this will help to stop the car from rolling once it is jacked up. Assuming that your spare tire is inflated and in good condition, pry off the hub cap with a screwdriver, loosen the lugs with lug wrench, turning anti-clockwise until all lugs have been removed. You can store these in the hub cap for safe keeping.
Find the pinch flange on your vehicle. You may need to consult your owner’s manual to find this and most cars have a notch that fits the factory jack that came with your vehicle. This is the strongest part of the car for lifting purposes and using the wrong place on your car to raise the vehicle can damage the car and endanger your life; if it is not stable when in the air. Raise the vehicle, remove the tire, replace with the spare tire and finger tighten the lugs. Next lower the car down and tighten the lugs firmly with the lug wrench.
If you were involved in an accident, please call the Poughkeepsie accident attorneys of Denlea & Carton LLP., at (914) 331-0100 right away or contact us online today.