If you’ve ever driven a car or any vehicle on the road, you’ve bound to have had a puncture. You’ll often find a flat tyre on your vehicle at the most inconvenient time. A tyre puncture may either deflate your car tyre quickly, or be a very slow puncture.
The slow puncture is often the hardest to find or know about, but there are certain driving symptoms which will let you know that you have a puncture and you need to get it fixed.
Often a slow puncture in a front tyre will cause your steering to become difficult, or your car may pull to the right or left. Slow punctures in the rear tyres can often make your car feel unstable, particularly when you drive around a bend in the road. Sometimes, if the nail or screw that caused the puncture is still stuck in the tyre, there will be a slight ticking sound as the wheel rotates and the head of the nail or screw touches the tarmac road surface.
Here at 2U Tyres in Petersfield we only repair punctures in car or van tyres that are safe to do so. Not all punctures in tyres can be repaired safely. Our tyre repair experts follow the requirements for puncture repairs that are laid out in British Standard BSAU159. This standard defines what part of the structure of the car tyre can be repaired.
This means that we can only repair car & van tyres that are punctured within the central ¾ width of the tyre tread, which is the minor repair area. If your puncture is outside of this area or in the sidewall, it’s not safe to carry out a puncture repair to this area. Here, a new tyre is your only option.
If you think you have a puncture and are searching for “tyre puncture repair near me”, why not call us on 01730 233399 and book in for a tyre puncture repair & free tyre safety check?
One of our expert tyre fitters will assess your punctured tyre and advise you if it can be repaired or needs a replacement tyre. We’ll also take the time to check all of your other tyres tread depth, their wear and condition, then adjust your tyre pressures to recommended levels before sending you safely on your way. If you need a car tyre puncture repair, the cost is £19.80 per tyre. This also includes a new tyre valve and wheel balancing.
Yes, puncture repairs to car and van tyres are safe, as long as we carry them out in accordance with BSAU159. This British Standard defines how we repair the puncture, as well as the location of the repair, and the number of previous repairs already carried out to the tyre.
Because of this we will only repair a puncture in a car or van tyre that is within the central ¾ width of the tyre tread, and is not more than 6mm in diameter. We cannot repair rips or tears to a tyre’s tread, nor can we repair damage to the tyre’s reinforced sidewall.
To repair a puncture in a car tyre properly, our tyre experts need to see the inside of the tyre as part of our tyre assessment. Because of this we do not use the ‘string repair’ method. Although this may be a quicker method to repair a car tyre puncture, as it does not involve removing the tyre to complete, it’s not deemed a safe tyre puncture repair in BSAU159.
Deciding if your punctured tyre is repairable with a tyre repair patch depends on 4 major criteria: Where is the puncture? How big is the hole? What is the overall condition of the tyre needing repair? And, what’s the speed rating of the tyre?
If you’ve got a puncture in your car tyre and you’ve damaged, or distorted, the tyre sidewall by driving your vehicle with a deflated tyre, it may not be repairable. If your punctured tyre has a speed rating of ‘V’ or above, BSAU159 states that for your own safety that tyre should only be repaired once in its lifetime.
If on inspection your tyre shows signs of excessive wear, sidewall damage, metal protruding from the rubber, or bead wear the tyre should be replaced rather than repaired. Even if the puncture falls within the central ¾ width of the tread.
Looking after your car tyres is the best way to minimise the amount of punctures you may get. Many people never check the condition of their car or van tyres, or leave them to be checked at servicing time. But this is a false economy when you are trying to maximise your tyre’s life.
Keeping your tyres set to the recommended air pressure will increase the tyres resistance to punctures. You should also visually inspect your tyres regularly for wear and damage, and replace them before they let you down with a puncture.
You should avoid driving on roads with sharp gravel or rocks that can cut the tyre’s tread and sidewalls. Bumping up kerb stones also damages car tyres, especially the sidewalls of the tyre which is a lot thinner than the tyre tread.
Overloading your vehicle, using tyres with the wrong load capacity, and running on tyres that are under inflated also causes premature wear, as well as punctures. You should always make sure that the tyres you use on your vehicle are suited to the job you’re asking them to do.
For all of your slow puncture repairs, and blowouts, in Petersfield, 2U Tyres is your No.1 choice for all vehicle tyres and repairs. Our automotive specialists will keep your vehicle in tip-top condition, and running reliably.