Safe Puncture Repairs

The first thing to do is to is to replace the flat tyre. You will need to do this by removing the punctured tyre (if there is one) and fitting your spare safely out of the way of any traffic. Driving on a flat tyre is not only dangerous, but it makes it far more likely that you’ll need to replace the tyre. So if you get a flat, pull over. Replace it with your spare tyre and bring it in to Megatyre as soon as you can for repair.

It is very important to have the punctured tyre repaired as soon as possible. This is especially the case if your vehicle’s spare tyre is a space saver (or speed limited). Megatyre, Browns Bay, North Shore, Auckland performs puncture repairs and can advise you if your tyre is repairable. Do not attempt to repair tyre punctures yourself.

Never drive on a flat or partially deflated tyre

The area of the tyre where the puncture occurs will determine if the tyre is repairable. Generally tyres with punctures in the tread area are repairable; tyres with holes in the sidewall or too close to it need to be replaced.  Another consideration is whether the tyres construction has been damaged by heat build up or abrasion due to being run flat or with low air pressure. Once again, the Megatyre team know what to look for and will let you know if your tyre can not be repaired. Naturally any tyre being repaired has to comply with New Zealand warrant of fitness standards.

A flat tyre is generally caused by a puncture to a tubeless tyre’s casing, allowing air to escape and causing the tyre to deflate. Punctures are usually caused by sharp objects like small nails and screws. These objects tend to cause punctures less than 5mm in diameter. If they occur within the tread area of the tyre, a repair can usually be made to the tyre. Sometimes the puncture is caused by a faulty or loose valve or valve stem which will require the tyre be removed from the rim so a new valve stem can be fitted.

Tyres can often be beyond repair and will need replacement if there are sizable punctures to the tread or punctures to the tyre’s shoulder or sidewall areas.

The function of a puncture repair is to seal the tyre’s casing to prevent the entry of moisture, dirt, stones or all materials that lead to premature deterioration of the casing and belts. The tyre must be removed from the rim to perform a correct puncture repair. This allows for a complete inspection of the damage and ensures the mushroom patch plug system used to repair the puncture bonds properly with the tyre casing to make it air-tight. The repair is made from the inside out. Do not permit your tyre to be repaired with an illegal string repair.

At Megatyre, Browns Bay, we only use the high German Rema Tip Top Minicombi tyre repair combined patch/plug system which self vulcanizes in the tyre.

A puncture repair usually takes around  15 to 20 minutes to complete. It involves deflating and removing the flat tyre from the rim, assessing and repairing the puncture before re-fitting it to the rim and balancing the tyre on the wheel. It is then fitted to your vehicle, your wheel nuts are torqued up to the appropriate setting with a calibrated torque wrench and your spare is placed back into storage.

A timely puncture repair performed by a skilled technician using quality materials will result in a 100% safe and permanent repair.

It is possible to repair runflat tyre when there is an approved size hole in an approved zone of the tyre. But it is important to get have runflats repaired as soon as the puncture is noticed. Runflats can be driven flat, but can be destroyed if driven too far. As they can be very expensive, a timely $30.00 puncture can save you 100’s of dollars.