Tyre trouble... puncture repair (or not)

[CurranShelter]

TPMS light came on when I set off on the school run today, and I found the nearside front was deflated to about 22 PSI. Long story short - slow puncture, from something pretty tiny (looks a lot like a thorn) embedded in the inner edge, very close to the sidewall. I imagine that will rule out any long term repairs, which is a total p.i.t.a. as this is a Conti PremiumContact5 with plenty of life left in it.

Anyway, problem is, we have only one car and have another school run to do in the morning, and I'm looking at this bottle of goo that Toyota provide these days instead of a spare, and it has a warning on about using only if the puncture is in the tread - not for sidewall damage. Well I'd say this is pretty much on the boundary (and a tiny hole), so I'm wondering if I should just go ahead and use the sealant so we can get through tomorrow and hopefully have a replacement tyre fitted over the weekend.

I understand that repairs generally aren't done to sidewall damage because the sidewall has to withstand greater load and the repair process might weaken it. Presumably the sealant warning is for a similar reason, i.e. that it's hard to be sure whether the repair will hold given the forces involved? But given the nature of this puncture and the journey involved (about 10 mins at low to moderate speed) I wonder if it will be OK. Obviously don't want to take undue risks, but also reluctant to miss out on school when the kids are only just settling back in (and no buses at the right time and don't fancy getting a taxi at the moment).

So, if anyone has experience or views on how to interpret that warning and how cautious (or not) to be, I'd be grateful for your advice. Also, is the sealant just single-use, and if so, does anyone know whether it's best to get a replacement bottle from a dealership or are there more economical sources?

[flash22]

Leave the thorn in it fill tyre with air as required - replace tyre or fit the spare (if you have one) keep your speed down and you will be fine, just remember to get up a bit earlier to pump the tyre up

the can of gunk is a 1 shot use £8-15 a tin be aware it may foul the tpms sensor what are £50-100

 

[CurranShelter]

32 minutes ago, flash22 said:

the can of gunk is a 1 shot use £8-15 a tin be aware it may foul the tpms sensor what are £50-100

Oh eck, didn't think about that - thanks for the warning, bad enough having to replace a decent tyre without that cost on top! 😬

[CurranShelter]

On 9/3/2020 at 8:10 PM, flash22 said:

Leave the thorn in it fill tyre with air as required - replace tyre or fit the spare (if you have one) keep your speed down and you will be fine, just remember to get up a bit earlier to pump the tyre up

Well, got through yesterday OK on that basis, and having a replacement fitted today.

Meanwhile, I could have sworn I had a jack in the car but I can't find it, and am beginning to wonder if I'm thinking of the one I had with my old Corolla (which stowed neatly inside the full-size spare, as I recall). Seems to be some confusing/conflicting information on the forum in that regard, but anyway, I suppose you could say it makes sense for Toyota not to provide a jack with the (2013+ pre-facelift) Auris seeing as there's no spare wheel provided.

What I did notice when examining the tyre was some damage to the jacking point at the front - looks as though someone has jacked it up carelessly, which is highly suspicious as to my knowledge it's always been on a ramp for servicing and tyre replacement, so makes me wonder if someone was going for the cat and then gave up when they saw the Catloc. Unfortunately it has made a bit of a mess at the jack point though as the metal is bent, splayed and starting to rust. 😠

[flash22]

if you dont have a spare you don't get a jack iirc its worth investing in a space saver to get you out of trouble, anything more than a nail or screw and the can of gunk is useless

[CurranShelter]

Well, would you believe it. I'm reviving my own thread a year later because it's only gone and happened again. I noticed a tapping sound as I drove up the road, thought it might be stone lodged in a tyre groove but found a screw head protruding instead. Not from one of the old tyres, of course, but in the barely-worn new one (Conti PC6) that I bought last year (itself replacing a relatively new one). 😡

I have cautiously removed the screw - it is a short one and went into the tread rather than the groove, and the tyre does not appear to be losing pressure. It is also fairly central, but has left quite a hole in the tread. Pics attached.

I'm wondering if this can be repaired - we have a tyre place not far away, but am wondering if it's likely to be safe to drive there, with or without foreign object! I'm also mindful that if a replacement is needed, I'd rather order online as it's usually much better value.

Any thoughts on that, anyone?

And also, maybe I'm being dim but I'm never quite sure how these things get embedded like they do (assuming it's not deliberate sabotage)... surely if a screw or nail is dropped onto the road, chances are it would settle horizontally, but maybe the movement of the tyre over the screw head is enough to flip it vertically as the tyre goes over it. I wish people would keep their screws to themselves, however it happens. 😒

[Cyker]

It's a touch call as the screw is such a stubby length that it's borderline whether it's penetrated!

Can deffo be repaired; You could try and inject some tyre rubber cement into it, or maybe get a tyre place to stab through it and put in a tyre plug like it was an actual puncture being repaired.

 

[CurranShelter]

Well, tyre repair man (our hero!) has had a look and tells me that luckily it doesn't even need repairing!

The tyre lost no pressure overnight (with screw removed) and he did the old soapy water trick to confirm no leakage, and says because it's a short screw and there's plenty of tread left, it's not a problem. I said that's fine as long as it's still robust and he explained that it should be strong enough as there's several more mm of rubber beneath the tread, so it hadn't got near penetrating the liner. He said there's no point in doing a repair as he'd only have to puncture it anyway, so better to leave it.

I hope he's right, as I don't fancy a blowout when hurtling down the motorway! Tempted to do as you suggest @Cyker and fill it with something, but if the hole is say 3x8mm (very rough estimate!) then do you think tyre cement would do the job? Can't say I'm familiar with the stuff, but it seems to be the same thing as tyre glue or solution which seems to be aimed more at bonding than filling if you see what I mean (though maybe it could still form an effective plug if given long enough to cure?).

[Auris James]

That's really bad luck

If worried about a blow out, could you put the tyre on the rear? Less stress as no steering input/ braking.

James.

[Stivino]

You had an expert look at it, he gave you his expert opinion.

[Catlover]

Looking at the length of thread and the depth of the tread I would say you got away with no bad damage, just a bit of a hole.

[Cyker]

The stuff I was thinking of is literally a liquid rubber that dries into rubber - Not quite as hard as tyre rubber, but enough to stop anything getting trapped in the hole. You'd probably need to sacrifice a plastic syringe to inject it into the tiny hole, but if the tyre guy says it's only punched in as far as the level of the tyre grooves then it's probably not worth it.

If you have a missus who's into arts and crafts she might have a syringe of pinflair silicone glue that might also do - It's good for filling in gaps with a flexible silicone rubber. It sets pretty quick but can need a few days to properly cure so might not be practical!

 

[MichaelPC1]

On 9/28/2021 at 9:59 PM, Auris James said:

That's really bad luck

If worried about a blow out, could you put the tyre on the rear? Less stress as no steering input/ braking.

James.

Had to reply to this old post as the logic is, unfortunately, not correct. My background is as a tyre technical manager for a major tyre manufacturer, so I'd like to think I know what I'm talking about!

Firstly, if you're in any doubt about a tyres reliability change it!

Secondly, and the reason for the above comment, if you were to ever have a 'blow out' ('rapid deflation' for many in the trade😉) you'd really want it to be a front tyre as then you might, (if you're lucky!), still be able to steer the vehicle. A deflated rear wheel will steer you and you'll have virtually no control at all!

It's the same principle as why always fitting new/best tyres to the rear axle is recommended by all tyre manufacturers and virtually every car manufacturer. You can compensate for poor grip on the front axle by putting more steering in. Also the extra load on the front tyres under braking helps them grip better, so you can still rely on them to steer and stop you🤞. The rears however will lose load under braking and so grip goes down. Add to this that if you already have less tread on the rears you'd have less grip anyway, and you can see why this would mean you'd skid under heavy braking when you really don't want that at all. Hope that's clear enough without pictures 😁

[Mojo1010]

Good info above. 

Get a puncture repair kit and have a go yourself, watch YouTube videos for guidance. I have repaired puncture myself twice in the last 2 years, all good. 

Link to tyre plug thread Here

[Cyker]

Just fyi, in this case the tyre wasn't actually punctured - The screw was too short and just dug into the tread, but didn't actually puncture the tyre. They wanted to know if it could be repaired, or if it even needed to be repaired.

[Roy124]

Regarding a front or rear blowout, I had nearly both.  I was doing 85 along a superb road in Cyprus then I hit a large edge of road pothole.  The front went bang and the rear got the inside rim buckled but did not deflate. 

No dramas stopping but a knocking from the rear wheel.  In Limassol the tyre depot took the rear wheel off, laid it on the road against the curb and adjusted it with a sledge hammer.  They replaced the front.  With alloys I would have had a double puncture and a wheel replacement. 

 

[Derek.w]

If I have only a can for a tyre repair then dont use it uless you have to as once used the tyre itself cannot be repaired on top of that the tyre sensor pressor monitor will need to be replaced adr then some need reprograming to the car.

Best to ditch the can and carry a spare even if its a space saver plus a jack kit to change it over.

Then take tyre to a tyre fitter for a mushroom plug to be fitted from the inside of the tyre or if you run it flat for to long then its a new tyre.

Side wall damage is not repairable!.