A while back, I unfortunately had a puncture in a tyre and it took forever to change the wheel. This was due to the poorly designed jack handle.

However, I saw a Range Rover jack handle, LR079616 and have just used it and I have to say it’s really good. I removed the wheel in a couple of minutes so that I could check the condition of my brake pads.

Anybody else swapped over to this one?

A picture of said jack handle would be helpful

I looked the part number up on eBay and it looked like the one I have.

It has flexible joint have way up
And a white plastic handle

I had, just yesterday, a puncture whilst in the outside lane of the M3 - a new "smart" motorway - near the junction with the M25. I realised I had a problem when there was a "Bong" and a red warning light appeared on the dashboard (Height sensor?). I do not have tyre pressure sensors on my RRS but this is the second time this warning has advised me of an issue and I have been able to save the wheel (although not the tyre) and also it may well have saved me and others from serious injury.

So, now "safe" in one of those smart motorway emergency refuge areas, I prepared for the unenviable task of changing the offside rear wheel. I noticed that the sign in the refuge said that I must call them on the supplied phone, so I did. The bad news is that even with the volume up full (its not clear but pushing the big green tick button raises the volume on the handset) it is all but impossible to hear what they are saying on the phone - there are 4 lanes of traffic thundering past. However they then called me on my mobile which was a bit better as I could sit in the car (not ideal but there you go). They offered to send a Traffic Officer to help protect me from the traffic - time until he arrived was suggested at about 10 minutes. The alternative was the breakdown truck. I opted for the traffic officer. Ten minutes later he was with me and whilst my wife stood on the other side of the barrier fretting about my head being so near the traffic, the officer switched on all his flashing hazard lights and parked his vehicle in the refuge but further back and nearer the live traffic lane for added protection. He also reduce the speed of our side of the motorway (all lanes) to 40mph!

Knowing that the LR scissor jack is not the most trustworthy item I also carry around a small (4 ton) bottle jack. In addition I invested in a battery powered impact driver and socket for the road wheel nuts as they can be very trough to remove. Trying the bottle jack first, the traffic officer suggested that I put the car in off road mode so that I could get the bottle jack under the chassis. That was a good call but it would not raise the car high enough to remove the wheel. So I used the scissor jack under the suspension to raise the wheel that bit more. That got the punctured wheel off but then I needed even more height to get the spare wheel on! (I have also invested in the twin wheel fitting guide nuts which used to be available thought this forum which help immensely in aligning the wheel with the bolt holes - similar things seem to be available on eBay). This meant the LR jack had to take the weight of the car whilst I repositioned the bottle jack. OK, so now the problem really starts as LR, in their infinite wisdom think that a good way to raise the corner of a 2.5 ton car is to use a scissor jack operated by a flimsy bar and a slot in the handle of the wheel brace. Trying to raise the car even just as little resulted in the slotted hole in the wheel brace becoming 'rounded' and no longer would it turn the shaft to raise the jack. The car needed to be an inch higher, so the bottle jack was reemployed with a boost to its height provided by the traffic officer who found a plastic sled they use for sliding seized cars off the road which gave the bottle jack its needed extra inch of lift. Replacement wheel on and we were back on the road.

So what is this post all about I hear you say? Well, its it is to make others here aware and for them to consider if its worth investing in those wheel guides to keep in the boot for when the punctures come, consider the need to carry a decent jack or at least a decent jack winding tool - this forum has helped me source an LR079616 which looks a better design than the one with my car and should hopefully should give me a bit more confidence using the scissor jack (which I notice is rated up to 1900kg and so should be fine once I get my new tool). Lastly and mainly to sing the praises of the traffic officer (who's name I didn't get) for all his patience and advice. Every time I got down to go under the car he was standing next to me nearer to the live lanes watching the traffic. And, if it doesn't create too much controversy, to say that I felt safer in that emergency refuge than I would have done on a traditional hard shoulder. Robin
2008 Range Rover Sport TDV8
Gone:
Jaguar S-Type V8 4.2 Sport
MGZTT 190 2.5

I have a block of wood to go under the bottle jack.

It’s never seams to be enough though!

And the sequel? Well I'm still waiting for a new jack to arrive. But the wheel winch has seized so I'll be ordering a new one of those to replace the one I put on 5 years ago and has probably only had a handful of uses! Robin
2008 Range Rover Sport TDV8
Gone:
Jaguar S-Type V8 4.2 Sport
MGZTT 190 2.5