Originally Posted by
bat2323
Hi Gary,
I've made reservation for Auto car (Open Insignia and similair) in Sixt Munich Airport and two issues really bother me:
Spare wheel - I don't know how do use "repair kit" in case of a problem with the tire . In my car at home I have a spare wheel. Is it possible to get one? I'm just afraid of getting stuck somewhere in Alps without knowing what to do.
Brakes - how can I make sure the brakes are good? Do all your cars not more than 6 month old? I'm going to do all the way down from Seefeld in Tirol (or similair) every day for 3 weeks and might use the brakes a lot.
See correspondence here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/sixt/...right-car.html
I see no need to worry at all.
Besides what Gemma said earlier about the cars being mostly brand new and very well kept (which, from experience, I can confirm), there is also a couple of things you might want to consider.
First, the Alps are not the desert; if you get stranded, most probably you will get help / helped - fast. I could see issues only if you get stranded in the middle of the night during a winter storm - and even then, if in real and urgent need, a call from your mobile to the 112 (standard distress number in Europe) would bring the whole local police and army and whatnot looking for you.
Second, it is getting common these days that you get either run-flat tires or a low-pressure indicator in the dash, moreover so in an automatic-full size category as you mention. So no fiddling yourself with changing tires - you may just be able to get to the nearest garage even with a problematic tire.
Lastly, for brakes - just drive carefully and wisely, and don't put too much pressure on braking in particular if it is warm!! I'm yet to understand how a recent car, even automatic, can have a brake issue if driven carefully. If you are not doing a rally descent, your automatic gear management and brake controllers should be more than able to do a fine job, and alert you largely in advance in case of any unusual heat / loss of braking power that builds up. Full size automatics that I've driven recently have amazed me for their ability to discern and use engine braking whenever needed (in particular from SIXT, for operating mostly german - read very well engineered - cars). This is compounded by the inherent engine braking of diesel engines (I'm pretty sure you'll be getting a diesel). Just don't let yourself go, take your time doing the descent (that is, moderate to low speed) and above all try not to be slamming all the time on the brakes, to then rev up and get speed, to immediately hit the brakes - I hope you get the idea of how it should not be done.
Cheers, and worry not. And enjoy the breathtaking scenery!!!