Warning: Check Your Spare Mounting Hardware Now

[Kundinge]

FYI: I just got a flat, bad enough, but the real nasty suprise was that the factory cross threaded the hold down for the spare and I was unable to get it out of the trunk. It is just a piece of plastic that should turn by hand. I tried everything including vice grips and could not loosen.

In the end, I had to have the car towed...

Check yours out in the garage rather than find out on the side of the road in a snowstorm like I did.

Regards,

[2003 MIB]

I've got this too. I tried to take the spare off at the track and gave up- I thought it was my own ineptitude and forgot about it until now. Thanks for the tip.

[woaface]

I took mine off the other day along with a bunch of other crap in the trunk. It was a tiny bit difficult to get off but it's been done once or twice before so it came off easily. Mine is kept greezed though.

[BillyGman]

I had a BIG wrestling match w/that lousey spare tire thing too guys, but when I finally got it off after a half hour of aggrivation, here's what I learned about it:

There's only two pieces to this assembly. The metal bolt that's in the shape of a "J" hook on one end, and on the other end it's straight and threaded. The only other piece to this assembly is a long black plastic piece w/a hole in the center of it in which the metal threaded bolt screws into. The reason why this can be a hassle to remove is because of the shape of the big plastic piece. On the bottom end of it where it extends below the mag rim of the spare tire when the tire is resting on it's side in your trunk, this plastic piece is shaped like a big hex nut which can give you the impression that you need to hold on to it to stop it from turning while you turn the top end of it which sticks out of the hole on the tire rim. it gives you the impression that this big plastic piece is a two part assembly in itself, and therefore when you grab onto both ends of it, it doesn't want to seem to come apart. But the reason why it doesn't come aprt is because this big black plastic piece IS infact all one piece. So all is you have to do is keep turning it from which ever end is convenient for you to do so, and w/out holding on to the other end to stop it from spinning.

[67435animal]

When I messed with my subwoofer enclosure I had to remove the spare. It was a bit of a PITA but after a while, I had it out. The hold down piece is not user friendly.

Bob

[vegasmarauder]

I have found the spare comes loose and then you get this rattle over bumps, so it's not a bad idea to check it every so often anyway.

[FordNut]

It's been discussed before, but here goes again... The easiest way to get the spare out of a '03 300A (full size spare) is to reach under the tire and turn the hold-down nut thingie. It is very difficult to access from the top due to clearance.

Also, to fix the constant loosening and re-tightening place a piece of semi-rigid foam (like the packing material in boxes) under the front of the tire up next to the seat. The '03 300B cars have the jack bag up there and it keeps the spare wedged in place, but I prefer the location over to the side like the '03 300A so you can get it out without having to remove the spare.

[CRUZTAKER]

^^^What they ALL said^^^


It was a challenge the first time, now it's just a face-off