KenZ Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 For those of you with a 2013 MKZ-Hybrid or newer – without the spare tire. I just had a flat and had to use Lincoln Roadside Assistance. It was pretty painless… Ifollowed the instrucitons in the handbook and I used the tire inflator kit - but it would not seal and inflate. As it turns out, it was a sidewall blowout which will not seal. As the handbook said, it would only seal punctures. So I called Lincoln RoadSide assistance. The automatic answering menu was easy, just two questions got me to the right person. She took down my VIN (last 8 digits), my problem and my location. She was extremely friendly and concerned about my safety. She put me on hold for a few seconds and came back with the name of the towing company and an ETA. It was going to be about 90 minutes for someone to get to me. She asked how I would like to be updated and I chose texting. Luckily there was a Starbucks nearby, so I went and had some iced coffee and used my iPad! About 30 minutes before the scheduled ETA, I got a robo-call letting me know the tow company had been delayed about 15 minutes. A few minutes after that, I got a text with a web-link to my incident on roadsideconnect.com (glad I have a smart phone with web access). That allowed me to see who the driver was, plus gave me a live map of his location, my location and the nearest Lincoln dealer (which was where I bought the car). It also had a live ETA and more information on the progress of my incident than I really needed! 10 minutes before the driver arrived, I got another text asking me to be sure I was with the car. At the scheduled time the driver arrived, I got another robo-call asking me if the driver was there and options of what to do if he was not there yet. Since he was there, the robo-call also asked me to be sure to complete a web-survey on the incident which I did after I got home. The driver arrived and apologized for running a bit late. I appreciated that. He drove the car on the flatbed, got me to the Lincoln dealer and drove it off. He had me sign a form that he had completed his job, shook my hand and went off to his next tow. Piece of cake. The good news is that the dealer did not have the tire in stock. So they gave me an identical MKZ except it is the 3.7L version – to use for a day. Quite a difference in acceleration. Was also funny to press the “On” button and actually have an engine come on. I am so used to that silent running. It has made me glad that I did not buy the 3.7L version, I could feel my old aggressive driving tendencies coming back while driving home. Will go out for a longer ride later today, I have 150 free miles to play with! Could not be happier with the roadside service. I have not had a flat tire or changed a flat tire since 1977, so I would not have even attempted to do it if I could. Was glad to have a number to call and have someone bail me out, plus it did not cost me anything to get me to the Lincoln dealer. Jim Ayres, BlackPano and michaelinokc 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveB_TX Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Great story... except for the flat tire part. :) Now the question is... what's it gonna cost to get the tire replaced? :future: :spend: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenZ Posted July 11, 2014 Author Share Posted July 11, 2014 An update on the flat tire and my Lincoln experience. There was no charge for the new tire and no charge for the new cartridge to put in the tire pump. The pic attached is what they found in the tire. It went thru the sidewall and I have no idea how it happened. You would think I would notice something like that and how would it have gone thru the sidewall? The 2014 MKZ - 3.7L loaner was fun to drive. I found some of my old aggressive driving habits coming back though. :) It really sucked down the gas when compared to my Hybrid. According to the dash, I was getting just under 18 MPG rather then the 42-44 I typically get with the MKZ-H. All in all, I can't complain. Having a flat was bad, but Lincoln made it easy for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark95man Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 An update on the flat tire and my Lincoln experience. There was no charge for the new tire and no charge for the new cartridge to put in the tire pump. The pic attached is what they found in the tire. It went thru the sidewall and I have no idea how it happened. You would think I would notice something like that and how would it have gone thru the sidewall? The 2014 MKZ - 3.7L loaner was fun to drive. I found some of my old aggressive driving habits coming back though. :) It really sucked down the gas when compared to my Hybrid. According to the dash, I was getting just under 18 MPG rather then the 42-44 I typically get with the MKZ-H. All in all, I can't complain. Having a flat was bad, but Lincoln made it easy for me. If Lincoln did this as a customer service with no cost to you, great! When we purchased my wife's 2014 MKZH, they attempted to push all sorts of costly insurance. There was tire replacement insurance, car replacement if totaled, car detailing, etc. All costly and not worth it + everything had to be done at the selling dealership. I did ask questions on the car replacement insurance--total waste as it didn't cover sales tax or transportation cost of the new car to the point of sale. The next time, we'll just walk out when they start this costly sales pitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StealthMKZ Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 My '14 MKZ does NOT have a tire inflator or sealant. I questioned my service advisor and he said they are being redesigned...check your trunk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAWMKZ Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 I see the thread is a little dated but question for Ken, did you get the tire replacement insurance at time of Lease? If not, then that was great customer service by Lincoln. I did not opt for the tire replacement insurance at time of lease and had a side blow out from hitting a pothole with my 19" tires. I too had a great experience with roadside assistance, but I also proactively purchased a spare tire prior to the blowout, which roadside assistance installed for me, freeing him up to assist others. Since my blowout was at night, the spare allowed me to drive home and deal with the situation in the morning. The dealership did not have the tire in stock when I called them, so I parked the car until they did to minimize any driving on the spare. Did the dealership replace the TPMS module when they replaced the tire, or have any issues cleaning the inside of the wheel due to you using the tire mobility kit? If yes, then I can see the spare I purchased paying for itself with time. I do not wish this upon anyone, but given the decay in the U.S. roads, I am glad your experience was as good as you state it was and we have piece of mind in roadside assistance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenZ Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 FWIW, I had purchased the car, not leased. No, I had not purchased tire insurance. I had not had a flat tire since 1977 or somewhere around that time, so it never occurred to me I needed it! Not exactly sure why they did not charge me for the tire. I did not ask or even complain. When I went in to pick up the car, I walked up to the desk where the service manager was, pulled out my wallet and said what do I owe you? He said something like - don't worry about it, I took care of it for you. I signed a service form that has $0 on it - and I went on my way. The only thing I could come up with is that my salesman had come out to meet me when he saw the car being hauled into the dealership. He was concerned about what was going on. He walked into the service area and hung out with me while I was waiting. He may have said something to the service manager since about a week or two earlier, I had ordered a 2015 MKC (traded in my Jeep Wrangler). Maybe they just decided I was a good customer or something. Whatever the case, they earned a whole lot of good will from me! Regarding TPMS or cleaning. I have no idea and did not even know to ask. I am probably not the best consumer since I have had little experience with car problems. For the last 10 or 15 years, my only trips in for service have been for scheduled maintenance and recall notices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bknymkz Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 FWIW, I had hit a pothole and ruptured a sidewall 2 weeks ago on my 2015 MKZ Hybrid. The tire handled the rupture VERY well, I made it to the exit and off to a safe place without it fully deflating or damaging the rim. Same thing with regard to the sealant (it was useless), and I had to wait 2 hours for a tow truck to show up. Wasn't as fortunate with regard to the free replacement, but the dealer here in NY had the tire in stock and was very nice and easy to deal with. In case anyone is curious the total cost to replace was $309 (installed, including NYC taxes). This weekend I picked up a screw in a different tire and while I had it patched at a local tire shop, I realized that a can of sealant simply is not adequate (at least not here in NYC). I agree that Lincoln's roadside assistance is top notch, but I guess I'm just not the wait for roadside asstance type of guy. What if I'd had that blow-out or gotten a flat which the sealant couldnt fill at night time? What if I had my kids in the car? And so on... Personal opinion, but I think its irresponsible of Ford to not include or even OFFER to sell a spare kit. The dealer I got the car from insisted that the batteries on the hybrid were in the way of placing a donut, but I lifed the carpted battery cover and removed the foam insert. There is clearly space for a spare in there. I am searching around for a donut from an earlier MKZ or other Ford with the same bolt pattern, and will update when I find one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hermans Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Your dealer is wrong. I put the doughnut spare and tool kit in mine right after I got it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drolds1 Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 I've raised that question numerous times. A can of sealant can't always help you. I doubted that story about about lack of room for a spare. I'm sure it was done for weight-saving so that they eke out max EPA ratings. I picked up some large random piece of steel in my LF tire recently. It was pouring and I didn't want to put the spare on. Fortunately, I was right near a gas station and was able to fill it up. That got me home where I could put theh spare on in the comfort of my own garage. After my experience with NYC potholes with my last MKZ I purchased the Lincoln tire and wheel insurance after negotiating the price down. They replaced the tire no questions asked so it's just about paid for itself already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAWMKZ Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 (edited) Following the advice from the fusion hybrid forums I bought a spare off ebay and it worked out when I had my blow out. Fits in the spot that they should have provided a spare to begin with??????? http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/8634-do-you-have-a-spare/ Edited May 8, 2015 by JAWMKZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimflutes Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 I did this for my 13 Z when I frist got it. The wheel assembly is T16"x4" ,132.00 at Tasca Ford on the net. The tire is T135/90R16 on tire rack at 110.00. I brought a lug wrench and scissor jack at a junk yard for 10.00 , $252.00 total. This is an oversized spare tire you can ride for a long distance safely. You will have to remove the insert in the wheel well to fit the spare.. Good luck , Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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