So I have been wondering something ever since I had 4 new DriveGuards put on Pepper last week... Why do I have an emergency jack kit under the panel in my trunk if I don't have a spare tire? I'd much rather have a puncture repair kit and a 12V air pump since I have run flats. Anyone wanna throw in their two cents?

 

It's a lot easier to locate and repair a puncture with a plug kit if you take the wheel off first.

 

Joint AAA and let them do the work. Motor on.

 

My '07 didn't come with one, so I purchased one a few years later. I presume that they either changed their minds, accepted that not everybody uses roadside assistance for punctures, your dealer messed up, or there's some obscure state regulation.

 

I will second that taking the wheel off to find and repair the puncture is the best way to do it! That is also my guess on why they include the jack.

 

Many standard jacks will not fit under the mini with a flat tire....
And back n 2005 when I bought my car, many shops could not put my mini on a lift...it was too short, and shops had not all bought the extensions to lift it using the shop lifts with the pads...
So in some cases, you might need to use an OEM jack...
My gen1 had runflats, no spare, but had a jack...was useful, and at the OEM level, bet they only cost mini $20 or so....

 

Quite true.
Also, if you have summer and winter tires, a jack in the MINI makes it
a hell of a lot easier to swap them twice a year at home.
Also, if you have summer and winter tires, you have 4 full size spares,
although you may have to get someone at home to fetch them for you if
you get a flat.

 

Or just fold the rear seat down, toss one of the out of season tires in a bag, strap it in, and you have it if you don't need both rear seats....kept one in the back like that for about 2 years...kept the trunk open, and the other seat was narrowed, but good enough for a booster seat...that that is a r53...so bet a bigger mini would be fine...especially for a longer road trip!!