Mental flat tyre question time

pioneer2000

pioneer2000

pioneer2000

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Joined
20 Jun 2004
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Location
Essex
Got a puncture in my front passenger tyre at 10PM, repair sealant did nothing, have no spare wheel). Left the car in a lay-by about 5mins walk from home.

RAC just called back to say could be up to 3 hours.

Tyre pressure is reading as nil, looks completely flat and pumping it up gets it to about 70 kpa max and then goes flat again in about 30 seconds.

Am I going to ruin my alloy wheel if I crawl it back home (about half a mile)?

Got work in the morning and don’t fancy leaving the car in an unlit back road overnight.
 
I recently had a similar situation, it was a slow puncture so I pumped it up and slowly drove it home - had no issues or damage to the alloy.
 
You certainly could ruin the wheel if the tyre comes off the rim.

There's a big difference between a slow puncture and some air and completely flat.

How much is a replacement wheel going to cost?

Time to find a better breakdown service. Three hours is taking the **** under normal circumstances.
 
They’re 19inch amg wheels, so about £800 each. I don’t want to damage it!

RAC are now saying 3-4 hours. Apparently really busy...

Also, they didn’t assign the job properly so I’ve waited from 10 to 12 without anyone even putting it on the system.
 
If you can find the hole, you could always screw a decent thickness screw into it. That should seal it well enough to get you home once inflated again.

Probably isn't worth the hassle though if the RAC are already on there way
 
Can’t even roll the car forward now, starting the ignition just displays red tyre pressure warnings and pressing the accelerator just revs up the engine as though not in gear.

Pumping it up get to 80 kpa and no further. Upon stopping the pump, pressure drops back to zero within 10/15 seconds.

Looks like a bit of a crack in the sidewall, but can’t be sure and can’t see the bottom of the tyre since I can’t move the car (well unless I try pushing it)

Going to have to wait it out!
 
A completely flat tyre will be destroyed within a couple of minutes if you drive on it. The rim won't exactly thrive under those conditions either.
 
The problem appears to be that RAC's service isn't fit for purpose. I'm not one for kicking off but I would be attempting to raise hell over it. A long wait time is bad enough, but to be not processed properly and told you're now waiting even longer because of their error? Time to demand a manager and make them feel like they should, that it's in their best interest to expedite your call-out.

Just seen the thread time, probably a bit late for it now :p
 
bainbridge said:
Why not simply call out a mobile tyrefitter to fit a new tyre in situ?

Rac aren't tyre fitters and the problem doesn't need diagnosing.
Click to expand...

Right, well I survived the night!

It’s was Mercedes roadside assist who I was dealing with. They outsourced to RAC as there were no Mercedes recovery available and then in turn RAC outsourced to a local independent firm :/

Just around the corner (and the guys next job) was another car with a flat). Considering these roadworks have recently appeared I’d wager it could all be related. Will have a whinge at the council as I did go back and take photos of a bit of a pothole which had some bits of metal in) which could explain matters.

Now got to arrange whether it’s getting recovered back to Mercedes or I pay £25 extra on top of the already maddening £354 for 2 new front tires (it’s parked next to a local MOT center that won’t haggle).

Joys!
 
Yeah, most of these mobile fitters either don’t have the tyres (Michelin pilot sport 4S 235/35/19) or don’t service my area :(

I’m kinda glad I now know that tyre repair foam is virtually useless though!
 
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