Changed my first Maverick tire today

[Tim d]

S

What a nightmare! 66 year old widowed grandma with severely arthritic hands here. I picked up a nail in the front passenger side tire yesterday and woke up to a very flat tire this morning. I did some quick research and, being a visual learner, found a YouTube video that made it seem quite straightforward.

I easily lowered the spare but removing the cone to release the tire from the cable was ridiculously difficult. I actually ended up breaking it as it was not flexible enough. So there's that I'll have to deal with.

On to the lug nuts. Despite all my efforts I could only loosen two of the five. After an hour of some seriously disgusting cursing* at the Ford service tech who battened them down to the nth degree, I texted my awesome neighbors. Now Dan can fix anything. He is a retired welder who restores cars and can manufacture just about anything. It took him 30 minutes to get those three &$#*@#s off and less than two minutes to put the spare on.

It's been a good 30 years since I changed a tire and it was on my '68 VW Baja. Dad taught me the basics of car maintenance which came in handy with two husbands over 45 years - one lazy AF and the other who couldn't get his hands dirty.

I'm rethinking my all my life choices now. Every muscle in my old bod hurts like a, well, you know. But the tire is repaired, back on 'Fern', and I'm off to the Y's heated pool to sooth my muscles, soul, and sanity.

2025 XL, FWD w/spare, Hybrid, Eruption green, with a bumper sticker that says "Póg Mo Thóin". Which purty much sums up what I'd like to say to the Ford tech who rotated my wheels.

*14 years dealing with inmates will do that to a person

Sry you had such a bad experience! I am also 66 years old. The last time I changed a tire was back in the 70,s. Took 10 minutes. I hear ford's lug nuts are not very user friendly.

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[Chilipepper]

What a nightmare! 66 year old widowed grandma with severely arthritic hands here. I picked up a nail in the front passenger side tire yesterday and woke up to a very flat tire this morning. I did some quick research and, being a visual learner, found a YouTube video that made it seem quite straightforward.

I easily lowered the spare but removing the cone to release the tire from the cable was ridiculously difficult. I actually ended up breaking it as it was not flexible enough. So there's that I'll have to deal with.

On to the lug nuts. Despite all my efforts I could only loosen two of the five. After an hour of some seriously disgusting cursing* at the Ford service tech who battened them down to the nth degree, I texted my awesome neighbors. Now Dan can fix anything. He is a retired welder who restores cars and can manufacture just about anything. It took him 30 minutes to get those three &$#*@#s off and less than two minutes to put the spare on.

It's been a good 30 years since I changed a tire and it was on my '68 VW Baja. Dad taught me the basics of car maintenance which came in handy with two husbands over 45 years - one lazy AF and the other who couldn't get his hands dirty.

I'm rethinking my all my life choices now. Every muscle in my old bod hurts like a, well, you know. But the tire is repaired, back on 'Fern', and I'm off to the Y's heated pool to sooth my muscles, soul, and sanity.

2025 XL, FWD w/spare, Hybrid, Eruption green, with a bumper sticker that says "Póg Mo Thóin". Which purty much sums up what I'd like to say to the Ford tech who rotated my wheels.

*14 years dealing with inmates will do that to a person

I rolled over a piece of metal in a rain storm and it popped a hole into the side wall of the tire. I only had about 2 thousand miles on the the maverick. I used the ford app and requested the tire service. They sent a truck out in about 25 minutes and the tire was changed at no charge and we stayed dry. I had purchased the tire warranty from my local Goodyear tire dealer for a $109 bucks and it covered the entire replacement cost of the tire because puncture on the side wall.
I recommend checking with the local tire shop to see if they offer the warranty. Unfortunately the ford dealership doesn’t offer it.

 

[B2000]

Changed a few in my time but the only way I would do it now is if I got stuck someplace with no cell coverage. I try to avoid those areas.

Has anyone used a consumer grade 1/2" impact wrench to loosen lugs?

 

[Jeffr4JC]

I really like my craftsman tools. This is the "smarter not harder" tool I use. Some might say a bit pricey, but I have a 20volt collection and got this for free when I bought 2 batteries.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-...s-Impact-Wrench-1-Battery-Included/1000578229

 

[tpollauf]

To the OP. Kudos to you for attempting to change this tire yourself. We need more women like you who aren't afraid to get dirty and perform a bit of physical work. Plus the gratification of fixing things yourself. Career wise .... any of you out there in law enforcement or related fields, you all are UNDERPAID and you couldn't get me to work in any of those roles. The s h i t you have to deal with on a daily basis and other strict requirements needed to do your job .. no thanks. I skate against some of the police/fire guys and have done some games/tournaments with them too. The stories they tell are chilling! Anyways I appreciate all of you out there whose careers are in law enforcement.

As far as the changing of a Maverick tire goes, well I had to do this just over a month ago. I was driving one of the Fleet vehicles when I hit some ice and swerved onto railroad tracks and did some subframe damage AND destroyed the tire/rim combo. Headed to my shop to get floor jack & cordless impact tool with 19mm socket and proceeded to take the tire off the vehicle. The most difficult part of this for me was the removal of the spare tire. Overall it wasn't too bad. Oh at 67 I'm in the same "retirement" boat as many of you here! Stay active & live longer

 

[pigsareus]

What a nightmare! 66 year old widowed grandma with severely arthritic hands here. I picked up a nail in the front passenger side tire yesterday and woke up to a very flat tire this morning. I did some quick research and, being a visual learner, found a YouTube video that made it seem quite straightforward.

I easily lowered the spare but removing the cone to release the tire from the cable was ridiculously difficult. I actually ended up breaking it as it was not flexible enough. So there's that I'll have to deal with.

On to the lug nuts. Despite all my efforts I could only loosen two of the five. After an hour of some seriously disgusting cursing* at the Ford service tech who battened them down to the nth degree, I texted my awesome neighbors. Now Dan can fix anything. He is a retired welder who restores cars and can manufacture just about anything. It took him 30 minutes to get those three &$#*@#s off and less than two minutes to put the spare on.

It's been a good 30 years since I changed a tire and it was on my '68 VW Baja. Dad taught me the basics of car maintenance which came in handy with two husbands over 45 years - one lazy AF and the other who couldn't get his hands dirty.

I'm rethinking my all my life choices now. Every muscle in my old bod hurts like a, well, you know. But the tire is repaired, back on 'Fern', and I'm off to the Y's heated pool to sooth my muscles, soul, and sanity.

2025 XL, FWD w/spare, Hybrid, Eruption green, with a bumper sticker that says "Póg Mo Thóin". Which purty much sums up what I'd like to say to the Ford tech who rotated my wheels.

*14 years dealing with inmates will do that to a person

buy a tire repair kit - remove the nail, insert the plug with glue goop on it, pull out the tool, inflate the tire and you're good to go. In a pinch it is a lot easier than swapping out the tire.

 

[pigsareus]

AAA. ?
Post #7 is a better answer.

buying a tire repair kit is at least equal to that. You can fix a nail in the tire in 10 minutes...just carry around a flathead screwdriver and a pair of pliers and a 10 dollar kit and of course an inflator.

 

[TJAY]

I'm rather an independent person, for sure. Since I was at home with no real plans for the day I decided to try this 'on my own' because one never knows. I'm so thankful it happened this way as I definitely learned it's something I won't be able to do by myself. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Deleted member 39169]

You can put the lug wrench on a lug nut, and put the jack under the handle. Just raise the jack and it will turn the lug nut free. You may have to roll the truck forward or backward a little bit to get the wrench level. I'm in my 70's and that works for me. It's a slow process but it's better than straining something that will hurt for a week or more.

 

[UTAlumnus]

buying a tire repair kit is at least equal to that. You can fix a nail in the tire in 10 minutes...just carry around a flathead screwdriver and a pair of pliers and a 10 dollar kit and of course an inflator.

What's the flathead for?
The rest is basic tools to keep in the vehicle.

 

[pigsareus]

What's the flathead for?
The rest is basic tools to keep in the vehicle.

get under the nail head to start popping it out

 

[CajunMick]

I carry a long breaker bar. I have a 12 vdc impact wrench. It is in a case, to big to carry in the truck. Not a powerful impact tool, but useful to rapidly remove or installlug nuts, and snug them up tight, then use torque wrench.

 

[TJAY]

To the OP. Kudos to you for attempting to change this tire yourself. We need more women like you who aren't afraid to get dirty and perform a bit of physical work. Plus the gratification of fixing things yourself. Career wise .... any of you out there in law enforcement or related fields, you all are UNDERPAID and you couldn't get me to work in any of those roles. The s h i t you have to deal with on a daily basis and other strict requirements needed to do your job .. no thanks. I skate against some of the police/fire guys and have done some games/tournaments with them too. The stories they tell are chilling! Anyways I appreciate all of you out there whose careers are in law enforcement.

As far as the changing of a Maverick tire goes, well I had to do this just over a month ago. I was driving one of the Fleet vehicles when I hit some ice and swerved onto railroad tracks and did some subframe damage AND destroyed the tire/rim combo. Headed to my shop to get floor jack & cordless impact tool with 19mm socket and proceeded to take the tire off the vehicle. The most difficult part of this for me was the removal of the spare tire. Overall it wasn't too bad. Oh at 67 I'm in the same "retirement" boat as many of you here! Stay active & live longer

Thank you much!

 

[UTAlumnus]

get under the nail head to start popping it out

Ah. All mine have worn the head off.

 

[pigsareus]

Ah. All mine have worn the head off.

cart along a spare nail and drive the existing one into the tire

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