My First Iq Puncture

[Guest]

A sad day today for our iQ. I was on my way to use the jet wash in Churchstoke -which is six miles away- and almost at the three mile point I heard an unsettling noise, followed by a rhythmic thump, thump, thump from the left rear tyre. I pulled up in a car park and checked the wheel; I had left the engine running as I guessed it was a puncture and thought I might get back home before full deflation. I heard a loud hissing but could not see what was causing it so moved forward a little more and discovered that chunk of metal in the tyre you see in the photos. I suppose I have been lucky for a while not getting a puncture for about 6 years or more. As you can see in the pics, the Slime I bought would not have made any difference to air leaking out of that tyre.

The upshot of the long 4 hour story is that Mr. RAC came out and we went to a tyre place in Welshpool where they fitted a Kumho tyre. I have had these before on an older car I once had and found them to be pretty good.

This Thursday, after a conversation with jack the parts man at my local Mr. T, I am collecting a steel wheel. Friday I return to Jacks Tyres in Welshpool -where the new one was purchased and fitted- and have another of the Kumho fitted to the right rear alloy. The very good tyre that is on there will then be fitted to the steel wheel. I also need to buy some straps (those you can tighten, as used on trucks but smaller) to keep the spare from moving around and becoming a killer in an accident, should there ever be one. I do not think that the gunge some of you have had inserted into your tyres would have kept that punctured tyre from deflating, however, it may have kept the air in for longer. Anyway, it's an expensive lesson and had I been further away from home it would have meant a longer wait, included free of charge would have been frustration, anger, and more I'm sure.

[Sensha]

That's the one thing about the iq (and the smart Passion) that we do not like. The spare tire inflation system is all well and good, but if you come down with a ripped up tire (or even a tyre), you are stuck. If you are remote (say a couple of hundred miles from home) and this happens, you are stuck until they get a replacement tire freighted in, Not the best thing to happen on an extended trip.

On the smart Passion, I rigged up a "Continental kit" spare, using an old spare mount combined with a trailer hitch. It worked well for extended trips (although I never had a blowout the whole time we owned the car). But, doing the same thing on an iQ would block the license plate mount. Bummer...

[korat102]

Yep. One of the first things I did was buy a space saver spare for my Verso.

When I had a brief look into the Rav4 last year, the salesman looked at me as if I was mad when I asked why they were selling cars without spares. He actually asked me how many flat tyres I'd had recently. Only one actually but that's completely beside the point. As I walked out, I pointed out that my house has never burned down but I still keep batteries in my smoke alarm.

A year later I bought a Verso, without a spare (grr), but at least I knew that the car had room for one. I'd never travel far in a car without a spare of some sort, even if it's just one of those awful space savers...still far far batter than a can of gunge that just leaves a mess on the road.

[johnan]

I always carry a spare, it is just too much hassle not to, both during the immediate trauma of the puncture and then later when you find no-one will repair it and you have to buy a new tyre.

[FROSTYBALLS]

I've had three punctures with my Auris this year - all caused by nails - one in the front offside, and two in the rear nearside (as the second was too close to the previous repair, had to have a new tyre). The last puncture we had in either car prior to this was around 7/8 years ago.

As regards Kumho's we had a set fitted to our Mazda 2, and the replacement Hyundai i20 came with Kumho's as OE, and we have found them to be fine. They are fitted as OE to some new Polos.

Still a bit of a let down when a puncture happens though.

[craggle]

Looks kind of similar to a puncture I picked up in one of my Bridgestones a couple of years ago. That too was a bit of metal and I wondered if it came from a truck carrying scrap steel. Some scrap yards have machines that shred the scrap metal into small pieces so it compacts better into trucks and is easier to handle when you come to melt it down again.

I now carry a spare in my car all the times I don't need a back seat which is pretty much all the time to be honest but when I need the space I remove the spare and take a chance.

Tyre sealants may well have slowed or even stopped this leak but the question is, would you want that? That slice of metal probably cut reinforcing threads as well as the rubber and if you had sealant installed you may not even know about the damage until the tyre broke apart at high speed.

Personally I'll never install tyre sealants as I like to know when my tyres are damaged so I can investigate and replace the tyre if it's damaged to a dangerous degree.

Craig.

[Xophe]

Hello,

When the tire is damaged by a nail, there is a cheap and excellent way to repair it properly :

just buy this type of kit :

http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00BQWV2Z8/ref=pe_386181_40444391_TE_item

http://www.amazon.fr/trousse-doutils-tubeless-ponction-r%C3%A9paration/dp/B008U0HFJG/ref=aag_m_pw_dp?ie=UTF8&m=A1QXJ8JQ1XG0TA

(the same thing must exist in Amazon UK)

you retrieve the nail, drill a nice hole with the supplied punch, then insert a rubber wire with the supplied needle (there is also some liquid sealing,

et voilà !

I always keep that kit in my cars. I can guaranty it is very efficient.

Right now there are 2 repairs with that kit in my IQ's tires, and it perfecltly works!

[korat102]

Glad it works. I carry something like that as well but never had an opportunity to use it.

I still prefer to carry a spare as well though, if the sidewall gets damaged, your only hope is a spare.

[Cyker]

Blimey, better watch out mate - It looks like someone was firing broadhead arrows at your iQ!!!

[bobkneale]

Only had one puncture after driving in UK for 20+ years ! had one every year in Africa !

[Cyker]

But you'll never know even if you do now because of the puncturesafe!

I normally get one every other year, around winter time :(

[Guest]

Thanks for the positive comments and advice from everyone. I have to agree now with those people choosing the 'get a spare tyre/tire' option. If I had one in the car at that point in my journey -as I will from Friday, some of the time, as my wife is already talking about the loss of space, which I agree with- my journey, potentially, could have continued in about 30 minutes or so, instead of what happened. Still, I was lucky it was a rear tyre/tire. The guy at the tyre/tire 'shop' said that the front tyre probably flipped the piece of metal/broadhead arrow up and the rear did an excellent job of catching it. It's all done with now, just a little more preparation to stop it happening in that way again.

[bobkneale]

I agree that the only way to be more "preventitive" and reduce the "Risk Factor"and the inconvience factor is to carry a spare !

Or perhaps pay for "Run Flat" Tyres that are expensive.

When I was looking to buy my IQ (Over a year ago) a did test drive a few that had "run flats" fitted.

If I get stuck waiting for a recovery to rescue me one day in my IQ I can only blame myself for not investing in a spare !

[sweet-dentist]

Hello,

When the tire is damaged by a nail, there is a cheap and excellent way to repair it properly :

just buy this type of kit :

http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00BQWV2Z8/ref=pe_386181_40444391_TE_item

http://www.amazon.fr/trousse-doutils-tubeless-ponction-réparation/dp/B008U0HFJG/ref=aag_m_pw_dp?ie=UTF8&m=A1QXJ8JQ1XG0TA

(the same thing must exist in Amazon UK)

you retrieve the nail, drill a nice hole with the supplied punch, then insert a rubber wire with the supplied needle (there is also some liquid sealing,

et voilà !

I always keep that kit in my cars. I can guaranty it is very efficient.

Right now there are 2 repairs with that kit in my IQ's tires, and it perfecltly works!

This is the same as the tyre kits they have for motorcycles... My BMW C1 has such a kit... it also has 3 little pressure tanks with CO2 and a part to fix on the tyre-ventile... You can easily bye these at a local Motorcycle-Shop...

[korat102]

Run flat tyres have some disadvantages as well: http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2012/05/run-flat-tires-why-you-should-or-shouldnt-buy-them.html

[Soeley]

Hello,

When the tire is damaged by a nail, there is a cheap and excellent way to repair it properly :

just buy this type of kit :

http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00BQWV2Z8/ref=pe_386181_40444391_TE_item

http://www.amazon.fr/trousse-doutils-tubeless-ponction-réparation/dp/B008U0HFJG/ref=aag_m_pw_dp?ie=UTF8&m=A1QXJ8JQ1XG0TA

(the same thing must exist in Amazon UK)

you retrieve the nail, drill a nice hole with the supplied punch, then insert a rubber wire with the supplied needle (there is also some liquid sealing,

et voilà !

I always keep that kit in my cars. I can guaranty it is very efficient.

Right now there are 2 repairs with that kit in my IQ's tires, and it perfecltly works!

This is the same as the tyre kits they have for motorcycles... My BMW C1 has such a kit... it also has 3 little pressure tanks with CO2 and a part to fix on the tyre-ventile... You can easily bye these at a local Motorcycle-Shop...

I also have one of those kits from my scootering days. Sold it when I knew I had to get a car (iQ).