Puncture Repair Problems!

[tw95]

I know there have been other posts recently but I've picked up a screw in my tyre. Fortunately it is very, very slowly losing pressure so was able to get home.

KwikFit and other local places that are open on a Sunday all say they can't repair the acoustic tyres that come with the M3.

Formula 1 autocentre have said they can repair it and will just cut out a small piece of the foam which is where my tyre currently is.

Has anyone had any experiences with repairs, especially emergency repairs or roadside repairs?

I've got jack pads in the boot and was looking at a dynaplug repair kit but I can't imagine those are particularly useful at the roadside without any way of jacking the car or removing the wheel.

Will be interesting to here your experiences and advice!

 

[Adopado]

There are multiple reports on the forum of successful tyre repairs with acoustic foam tyres. It just depends on the repairer being prepared to spend the extra 5 minutes cutting out a section of the foam. A good idea to have an AA/RAC/StartRescue membership if you are not carrying a suitable jack (like most of us). You may just strike lucky and be able to use a plug kit in an accessible position but it's fairly unlikely. Those kits are mostly useful when plugging a screw hole ... but you're best leaving the scew in situ if the tyre will hold enough air to enable you to drive home or to a repairer. You would need tools to remove the screw in most cases and then there's no guarantee that your repair will hold so leaving you stranded anyway.

 

[Js1977]

No need to take the tyre out or jack it up with a plug kit. Just turn all the way in or out (whatever gives best access) and roll it until you see what you need to plug. If the screw/nail is thiner than the plug its all good since you have to oversize the hole/puncture in general. You either have to be brave or confident when removing the said nail/screw

 

[M3noob]

No need to take the tyre out or jack it up with a plug kit. Just turn all the way in or out (whatever gives best access) and roll it until you see what you need to plug. If the screw/nail is thiner than the plug its all good since you have to oversize the hole/puncture in general. You either have to be brave or confident when removing the said nail/screw

There are multiple reports on the forum of successful tyre repairs with acoustic foam tyres..

As my learned friend suggests, seek and ye shall find. Using the SEARCH function helps improve the signal to noise ratio within this valuable resource.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

The official repair guide for acoustic tyres says remove a small patch of foam so it can be done following the usual rules of proximity to the tyre wall etc.

I’ve used plug kits, both dynaplug and the much cheaper but more brutal kits that look like a big needle. Firstly, trying by the roadside should only be tried if you’re desperate. Blowing up and limping home if you can gets the vote every time.

At home you can roll the car to get access, front easier than rear as you can put steering lock on, rears expect to get dirty laying on the floor.

The dynaplug I found harder - they may have a steel tip but a small leak and it’s really hard to get the thing through. The needle type kit usually have a file/punch type tool that opens the hole up to the right size. Trouble is that’s a one way trip as a slow leak will become pretty much an instant flat when you do. The sticky strip however works well. Both methods require some force to do (and I’m pretty strong). That said, if you manage it then the repairs last well. They recommend getting the repair fixed properly but I’ve had a needle type repair last about a 1000 miles as I didn’t bother doing anything as I knew the tyres were coming up to be replaced.

 

[roblab]

I used plug type repairs on my business trucks for years, never did any other patches, never removed tires, and they lasted until the tires were replaced, months and sometimes years later. I felt that all the push for pulling the tire off the wheel and "patching" the leak was to garner profit for the local tire guy, who took days to repair my tire, and was totally unnecessary. Some of my trucks needed two plugs in the same hole, but that worked well also. Of course, these punctures were in the tread, not on the sidewall, but that was almost exclusively the kind of punctures we had. The trucks were used on and near construction sites and picked up nails on a routine basis. Usually, I could pull the nail and poke the plug into the hole without losing much air at all, so I pumped up the tire to 40 or 50 lbs, pulled the nail, plugged it, and often needed to let air out after the procedure.

The time wasted by having to deliver the trucks to the tire shop or dealer, pulling the wheel, removing the tire and patching it was my major concern, when I could just pump the tire up at the warehouse office and plug it in minutes, and the trucks and crew were on their way to the job site.