• Panicked phone from distant* elderly widowed neighbour.
    Touched (= hit) a kerb with front nearside wheel,
    steering went heavy and a loud unusual noise.
    She managed to get the car home.

    Could I pop round and change the damaged tyre for the spare for her?

    [* She lives across Ruislip Municipal golf course from me,
    and is the mother of a schoolmate with whom I am in regular contact.
    He resides in south west France].

    I have some chores to do, but roll up around 5pm,
    Tyre is wrecked, but remarkably little (noticeable) damage to wheel.

    Spare is full size, but the car is only a '13 reg Fabia so easily manhandled out of the spare rearwell along with the jack and wheel wrench.

    Fortunately wheelnuts have not been hammered in, and me standing on wrench loosens them. Jack up car and give the wheel the typical pull on the alloy spokes. It stays stubbornly in place. Try standing on one of the alloy spokes, the wheel still won't budge.

    Start wondering what else I can do, when I notice the jack had wandered a bit off vertical as I wound it up. Release the jack by a few revolutions, tyre makes contact with ground, then wheel, then the weight of the car overcomes the corrosion sticktion.

    Pop spare on, ensure wheelnuts are 'adequately' done up, by standing on wrench again. Rewarded with a coffee and chocolate biscuits.

    Car will be driven, in the morning to local tyre place for replacement tyre.

    Don't tell anyone I had no idea had to remove the corrosion stuck wheel until fiddling with the jack did it for me!

  • Good deed done for today. Well done!
    If you have a decent level of security with the jack or a jackstand you can always give a quick kick to a wheel whilst seated to try and break it free.

About