Honey is that our wheel?

We wish we had a camera focused on us when the DW and I looked at each other saying "That's weird, what the **** is that … that looks like one of our tires … oh ***!, it is!"

This was one of those Oh S*** moments. We were going through the far right EZPASS lane at 5 MPH. While braking, we see a tire rolling by us that looks an awful lot like one of the tires from our car trailer!

The tire rolled in front of the RV, then hit the barrier, rolled through the toll booth and came to rest against the barrier.

"Oh crap, that's one of our tires." First quick glance at the backup camera showed the spare was still mounted … not good. We rolled through the toll, pulled into the breakdown lane and sure enough, the drivers side rear tire sheared off at the hub – all 5 lug nuts still in place.

This was about 400 miles into our trip tonight. We were pulling through the toll on I-90 NY heading towards Niagara Falls. We had our campsite reserved at the KOA.

The "Oh S***" moment was quickly followed by some critical thinking. First, check all the other wheel lug nuts – they were all tight. Check the trailer and the Tiguan for damage – all good. So it was just the one hub that failed.

Next, we had to get the spare from underneath the trailer. This was the first time we'd used the spare, and it was secured underneath with a cable and winch system. Got the spare out and mounted — all while in the breakdown lane of the New York Thruway toll plaza.

About 45 minutes later we were back on the road, heading towards Niagara Falls. We made it to the KOA at about midnight, checked in (they had our reservation and the gate code waiting for us), found our site and set up for the night.

Lesson learned: Always carry a spare tire, always check your lug nuts, and always have the right tools. And when something goes wrong — stay calm and work the problem.

… and no, we didn't go back for the old tire. 😂