There’s no sound as disheartening to a driver than the flop flop of a flat tyre. They always seem to come at inconvenient times, too. But to someone who knows how to change a flat, that flopping noise is a chance to display their self-sufficiency.

Just like knowing how to jumpstart a car, knowing how to change a flat tyre is a skill everyone should possess. It will save your own butt when you’re out on some lonely stretch of highway. Follow these steps and you’ll back on the road in no time.

Tools needed: Spare tyre, jack, tyre iron/wheel brace.

1. Park your car on a flat surface. If you get a flat tyre while on the road, pull your car as far away from traffic as possible . Make sure to put on the hand brake.

2. Remove the hubcap. If your car has a hubcap, remove it so you can get to the wheel nuts. You can use the hubcap to hold the nuts.

3. Loosen the wheel nuts. Grab your tyre iron/wheel brace and place it on the flat tyre’s wheel nuts. Loosen them up by turning them counterclockwise. The nuts are probably on there really tight. You’ll have to use all your strength to unscrew them. Loosen the nuts a few turns, but don’t take any of them off yet!

4. Place the jack underneath your car. Check your owner’s manual for the correct placement of the jack. Turn the hand crank at the end of the jack to raise the jack until it comes into contact with your car’s frame. Make sure it’s touching a sturdy spot.

5. Jack it up. Start cranking the jack until the wheel is high enough above the ground to remove the tire.

6. Remove the flat. Remove the wheel nuts from the wheel. You should be able to do it by hand because you’ve already loosened them. Remove the flat tyre and lay it flat.

7. Put on your spare. Take your spare tyre and line up the wheel studs, or bolts, with the holes in the wheel and slide the wheel all the way on. Once the wheel is on, take your wheel nuts and tighten them by hand until you meet firm resistance.

8. Lower the car. Lower the jack until the wheel is firmly on the ground.

9. Finish tightening your wheel nuts. These babies must be on super tight so the wheel doesn’t come flying off while driving to the tire shop to get the flat fixed. So you need to unleash the super power of the star pattern to get those wheel nuts tight. Use this tightening pattern if you have five bolts on your wheel. Start with any wheel nut and then follow this pattern.

If your car has four, use this pattern:

10. Replace hubcap. Place the hubcap on, the flat tyre jack and tools back in the boot and there you have it Job done!