if i had a spare, at least i could change it!

i had my day all planned. i was going to get some things for our angel tree family and make a quick grocery stop. well, when i went to my car, i was very frustrated.

flat.

so i pulled out the manual, shifted things around in the trunk and looked for the spare, only to realize that when i lifted the "trap door" there were some lug nuts and the lug-key, and some strange looking tool and a screw driver...but no spare! then there was this box-like thing and a canister. hmm...so i pulled it all out and began to look through it. well, utila came without a spare. there is a tire kit. so i had to figure out all of the steps because you get one step with this canister.

this is the mini air compressor with the sealant canister

so i had to connect hoses, and connect the thing to the power outlet, and turn the car on to get the thing to start to pump the tire up enough to get down to the tire shop to get it taken care of.
 it's a little troubling when you see the warning before getting ready to switch on the 'go' button!

when i got there, it was of course drizzling. i went to the same one i went last time-AA tire. $10 patch! woo hoo!

when the young man was taking the tire off, i was watching, and there it was-the little spiky thing that made it's way into my tire. on the canister of sealant (the yellow thing with the hose), you can only use it once, then you're supposed to get a new one to replace it. well, i went to oreilly auto parts, and the guy looked at the canister and asked me what it was. then after i explained it, he said he'd never heard of it, and took it to ask his manager. while he was off talking, another guy asked what the deal was and i explained. he said, " i never heard of a car that didn't come with a spare. you should go into the dealership and see if it isn't hidden in there somewhere." really? in that little bitty thing? where they gonna hide a tire? well, the kid came back and they had no clue, so i guess my option is to go to the dealership.

i tried to go online to the website on the hose, but it was all in german. yes, it was the correct website, but i couldn't read it, so i kept looking for information and there were a few interesting sites, but mostly people who were talking about getting mini spares. hmm.

it still had some  of the sealant juice leaking out of the hose, and i think i may have a new stain on the seat. boo.

when i finally got the tire changed, i felt much better. hopefully the patch is a good one, because if air leaks out, i no longer have the capability of filling the tire. i made my way to the store to get what i had originally started out to get.

angel tree child shirt and jeans-shoes didn't make the picture.

and when i got home i grabbed some treats and set my mind to it. i decided that this time it was do or die, and the boys were somewhat compliant. they did a pretty good job (in the sample pics, i did not include the pics where they were moving around and fighting, and looking off, and just trying to annoy). if you didn't see them earlier, please go to the link and leave me a comment to help me choose! thanks to those of you who did earlier! i will make a decision so that i can go get some pics to make holiday cards.

feeling flat? deal with it!
julie