Puncture Repair
There are many ways to repair a puncture. Some involve far more work than others but have a huge added safety element which in these days of high pressures and high speeds really has to come first always.
Temporary repair
This is a repair piece inserted into the crown (top) of the tyre only, twisted then withdrawn forming a seal. This is a makeshift repair at best, but is economic but is used incorrectly in a lot of places from our experience.
Puncture Repair Sprays
Again a temporary repair as it’s designed to get you to a tyre service centre by re inflating the tyre and sealing the hole. Generally these sprays are oil/chemical based and leave a residue inside the tyre which is not fully removable and so restricts a patches ability to adhere to the tyre so the tyre then has to be replaced.
Run Flat Tyres
Now adopted by an ever increasing number of car manufacturers. No spare tyre/rim required or included. These are designed to again get you to your nearest tyre service centre where the tyre has to be removed, examined and according to the tyre manufacturer may be repaired in some cases but more often than not, replaced.
Patch repair
The tyre has to be removed from the vehicle and from the wheel rim. The tyre is visually inspected to ensure it is safe to go back into service. A reinforced repair patch is then bonded into place. This is currently the most popular repair method.
Mushroom plug/patch
This is the most labour intensive method of tyre repair and also the safest and the best. It ticks all the right boxes and ensures a long tyre life. It fills the original hole and reinforces the damaged area. It is the only safe method suitable for the repair of motorbike tyres especially.
With all of these repair methods we recommend the wheel is rebalanced before being put back into service. This is not a “more profit “opportunity but because the tyre has been removed from the rim the two will be out of synch and uncomfortable to drive on.