puncture

rear tyres are more likely than front to get punctures since the front tyres run over and stand up the nails etc. and then the rear tyre runs it over. only inspection can say if it is repairable. mark the side of the tyre to show where the puncture is and pull the bit out to get a better idea. tyre places may earn more from a puncture repair than selling a new tyre.

jacks often leak a little from the pump seal, when it has leaked a lot the lift height will be reduced.

Less likely, but not impossible.

You did right.

No. It will become round again when inflated. As long as it hasn't been driven on while flat, it sould be OK.

Tell them you want the puncture repairing. If it's beyond repair, they should show you why. If they refuse and give no convincing reason, take it somewhere else.

It's a message to make sure it's right way up.

Steve

In message , Fred writes

Before I remove an object causing a puncture I draw a chalk line on the tyre wall. Better advice will follow from elsewhere. ;-)

I just leave the offending item in situ. Works for me. ;-)

Tim

Hello,

The other night I took the wheel off in the dark and fitted the spare. I telephoned around a couple of places and found the price of a repair is £12-£18. However, I have since been outside and seen the tyre in the daylight for the first time.

This is the puncture; it is too wide for a normal nail; could it be something like a cut clasp nail? I removed it out of curiosity and it must be at least 2 inches long, perhaps slightly longer. Half of it was inside the tyre and half was outside.

I now worry that the tyre has been driven on whilst flat. The surface of the nail is bent and shiny from rubbing against the tarmac; of particular concern to me is that there is a black ring around the side wall of the tyre, which I assume is from the rim pressing on the tyre.

I haven't had chance before now, due to work, to go anywhere but I will take it to an expert tomorrow for their opinion.

By the way, where should I have put the space saver? It's a FWD car and the puncture was on the rear. Should I have put it on the rear or would it have been better to move a wide tyre to the back and fit the space saver to the front, and why?

TIA

That's the only sensible option. No one here can fully assess the tyre damage. FWIW, unless the sidewalks are damaged, I would expect it to be repairable.

Just drive carefully (and within the required speed limits for the spacesaver) until you get it fixed. If you can't manage that for as long as it takes to get it repaired or replaced, god help us all!

(Theoretically, it would be safer on the front as it'll be less likely to induce uncontrollable oversteer if you drive like a loon)

Tim

Given it's entirely to their advantage to refuse to repair it if they wi= ll =

it's probably as safe as any other tyre you get with a 2nd hand vehicle.=

the sidewall damage may preclude repair.

That was my worry when I saw the marks on the tyre wall for the first time. Other replies here suggested it's not so much what the outside looks like but what the inside looks like. I took it to a reputable garage today and they said it looked ok inside. They didn't show me the inside but if they had, I wouldn't have known what I was looking for. They have repaired it. Time will tell if that was the best action.

Thanks again.

I hadn't thought of it like that before, thanks. When buying a 2nd hand car I might change the oil and filters etc. pretty soon as a precaution but I have never thought to change the tyres until now. Thanks.

Yes, I have read several discussions here debating whether new tyres should go on the front or back, and I was wondering whether the same logic applies that the space saver should go on the front. The original tyre is back on but if there is a next time, I'll put the space saver on the front.

Thanks again.

I used the jack again today to remove the space saver and fit the repaired wheel. Mr C said that if too much oil leaked, the lift height would be reduced. I didn't notice that. My worry was more that the jack might fail in use causing the car to fall (but I suppose the reply to that is: that's what axle stands are for).

I didn't wipe the jack last time, so although there was some oil on it today, it could have been there from before. This time I have cleaned it so we will see what it is like next time I use it.

I was interested in your comment about keeping it the right way up. When the case is stowed with the hand up, the jack is actually on its side. I will now try and store it so that the jack is lying as it would in use. I hadn't realised they had to be stored in a particular orientation.

Thanks again.

the reservoir has to be vented to atmosphere or the jack will not work, logically the vent is at the highest point when the jack is in its normal orientation, so on its side or upside down it is very likely to leak.