Maybe OT Car Question

SWMBO has just gone shopping only to find when she got there that she has a puncture :o(. Of course this resulted in a frantic phone call home along the lines of "What do I do - shall I drive home?". "Yikes no, just fit the spare. The instructions are in the glove box" I reply. "I can't...". You can see where this is going.... sigh.

Anyway that's all a bit beside the point. By all accounts the puncture is quite small (the tyre is deflating slowly) can small punctures be repaired? If so how, how much for and where (if it's a pro job)? As you can probably tell I know next to nothing about cars. The tyre probably has 20,000 miles left in it so I seems a shame to scrap it.

Many Thanks

PS Why don't they teach basic car maintenance at school?

Reply to
doozer
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1) If the tyre has been driven on while deflated (even if not fully) it is probably damaged beyond repair. 2) If the puncture is not in certain areas, and is small, it *may* be repairable. But it may be a large hole, plugged mostly by the foreign object that caused it. 3) Most tyre dealers will do repairs, but you are in their hands as to how honest they are about whether it's repairable. 4) SWMBO has had numerous punctures over the years, none of them repairable except the one she had 3 weeks ago. The usual tyre dealer did a repair for 12.50.
Reply to
Bob Eager

If it's a simple puncture caused by something like a wood screw, it's in the tread and there isn't any other damage then it should be readily repairable (don't know how much it will cost, because I did it in a hire car, shouldn't be much though).

Reply to
Rob Morley

puncture

probably

Yes it can be repaired, depending on what has caused the puncture and were on the tyre it is, it is also a job for a 'pro' as the tyre will need to be removed from the rim - not a job most people want to do with modern tyres / wheels.

If it's been 'run flat' then most modern tyres will be scrap.

They used to, then came Thatcherism and the National curriculum and the thinking that bits of paper are more important than real life skills...

Reply to
:::Jerry::::

It depends on where the penetration - if any - is. In the main part of the tread, it can be repaired. Kwik-Fit, etc. If near the edge of the tread or in the side wall, no. Could be the seal between the rim and tyre is leaking and could be cured by cleaning. But you'll have to take the tyre repair place word for this.

Fit the spare and take the wheel only to the likes of Kwik-Fit. If you feel suspicious about their diagnosis, take it to another branch or different company. Unlike some, I've found them pretty good.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Not so sure about Kwik-Fit for a puncture repair.

The last time I took a punctured tyre to one of their depots (admittedly many years back) with a nail smack in the middle of the tread and on a tyre less than two weeks old (and bought from them) - even before they looked at it, I was told that I had to buy a new tyre!

Not happy with this, I took it to an independent tyre depot where they actually looked at it and carried out the simple repair within fifteen minutes - and all for a 'fiver'.

Up until that experience, I used to buy all my tyres from Kwik-Fit (and the old Montego tyres were b****y expensive then) but after that - zilch, I never used them again for tyres - and no longer use them, now full stop.

Brian G

Reply to
Brian G

Plenty of other posts on the repair of not of the puncture. It may be going down slowly ATM but is the object that caused it still in the hole? Driving on it noticeably flat for not very far at all may well have fupped the tyre anyway.

With a modern car what do you teach? I guess the just the real basics, like tyres, bulbs and fluid levels. Actually trying to teach how to top up anything more than washer resevior is a bit iffy as different cars have different fluids for the same job and some fluids don't get on with each other...

Changing a wheel is a possibilty but is a bit vehicle dependant. The things on the Disco are fing big and *very* heavy. I swapped front to back both sides and that taught me that getting the AA out do to a pucture swap any where other than on a quiet road in daylight, warm, dry, conditions is a much better idea. I might get the spare off the rear door and chock the relevant wheels and maybe loosen the wheel nuts but he can do the heavy grunt work groveling about on the ground.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

basics,

So you first teach the student to read and then you teach them to read the owners hand book !...

ground.

Oh well, when you are miles from anywhere, out of mobile range and there isn't another car in site what are you going to do then - do you carry blankets my any chance ?!

Reply to
:::Jerry::::

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" wrote

Only take the tyre to Kwik-fit and not your car!

If you take your car you will be told that you need a new exhaust, brakes and shocks :)

Reply to
Alan

AIUI staff training used to teach the monkeys that each corner of a car can be worth 100 quid to the company and some of that can be you bonus.....

Reply to
:::Jerry::::

All I can say is that I've had far better service - and honesty - from them than my main (BMW) dealer. In fact, I can't fault them. But that's the Balham branch. Can't say about others. With any large chain you're bound to get differences. As you will with 'independents'.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

In message , ":::Jerry::::" wrote

All the Kwik-fit TV advertising is now aimed at women - I wonder why?

Reply to
Alan

Why did you not go with her to evening classes to get her indoctrinated if she is such a sap?

I take it you find dealing with your wife as a human difficult except when you needed a shirt or pair of socks?

Go and grab hold of her by the nose and drag her outside and force her to change a tyre under your eagle eyed supervision.

Keep her there until she is adequate enough to merit a break long enough to fetch you a cuppa; then show her how to check the oil and top it up etc. You will soon have a fully competent skivvy for outdoor work as well as in.

Be careful she doesn't run off with her hairdresser when she's that good though; she'd be quite a catch!

Reply to
Michael Mcneil

As it happens I do almost all the washing, ironing and cleaning. IMO we have a very balanced relationship. We have developed skills that complement one another so I am not that fussed that once in a blue moon I need to wander off somewhere to fill in a gap in her skill set.

Done (including cuppa). Last month was changing windscreen wipers.

I don't think there is much danger of that.

Reply to
doozer

Thanks for the help. Fortunately the hole has been caused by a small nail going straight in at the centre of the tread so from what you have said it sounds like there's a good chance it can be repaired. I advised her to stay put so it wasn't driven on flat.

My faith in humanity was somewhat restored as well which is always nice. I couldn't get to the car to replace the tyre for about an hour and a half. I arrived to find some friendly biker had just finished helping to change it, in the pouring rain no less, as well as teach my better half how to do it in future.

Reply to
doozer

I have found service varies from branch to branch. We live 100yds from one branch that is ****. Ten miles away there is another that is always cheaper than the local branch and much more helpful. The ten mile away one has lots of local competition, the 100yds one doesn't, so that may be a factor.

Reply to
mike

advised

Be careful... that 'friendly biker' was the hairdresser that Mr Mcneil warned you about... ;)

Mathew

Reply to
Mathew J. Newton

As others have said it can PROBABLY be repaired. Some main dealers offer tyres, but main dealers rarely repair them, independant dealers like Southampton Car Supermarket do repair (and fit repaired runners of unknown history, inc some quite dangerous ones....Guess how I know that!).

Look for an independant tyre dealer and try them, but some tyres that appear to be repairable when removed from the rim are either beyond repair or like some of the latest michies designed to be impossible to repair.

The higher the speed rating the harder to repair safely, though some can be sent for a major repair to a specialist centre I wouldn't bother unless its a really expensive tyre to replace, major repairs can cause balance problems on high speed vehicles.

Badger.

Reply to
Badger

Thanks for that. I'm in Southampton so I will give them a try.

Reply to
doozer

M & P tyres Hedge End, opposite the RS trade counter, very helpful and good prices!

Reply to
Badger

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