Seems that I have a slow puncture on my rear left tyre (Michelin 215/55 R16 93V). I hadn't noticed it earlier because it was on the passenger side and it had gone down to 6 psi before I spotted it. I pumped it up to 33 psi last night and it had gone down to 32 this morning. I can't see any obvious damage.
I was toying with the idea of taking it into KwikFit. From previous discussions it seems that they will repair for about £17 (although they don't give a price on their site). When I did look on their site it looks like they will replace for about £130 (including labour).
I had Googled the tyres and £130 seemed OK compared to what it cost to source the tyres from elsewhere.
However, this morning, my dealership called me to remind me that my service is due by March 25th. I mentioned the tyre to them and asked how much it would cost to fix. He was a bit evasive, even when I asked him to just give me the best and worst case, but he eventually said that it should cost less that £10 to repair as part of the service and, if it needed a new tyre, it would be £30-£50 depending upon the tyre.
Now, his slight evasiveness and everything that I have read about dealerships trying to fleece people, has made me a bit suspicious.
Does the £30-£50 figure seem likely?
I didn't really want to take the car in a month early, because then I am really paying £175 every 11 months rather than every 12 months. That is only £15 extra a year, but it is the principle.
On the other hand, I don't intend to drive around on this tyre for a month, so I need to get it fixed. If I feel confident that the figures he gave me are correct, I might as well take it in now, get everything done in one go, and in the worst case, pay £50 rather than £130 if they have to replace it.
So, again, does the £30-£50 sound about right, or am I just going to go there and get hit for KwikFit type prices anyway?
Any thought appreciated.
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I've had a look and even for the tyre alone I can't find any for less than £100. There are plenty of cheap brands for £50 such as Wanli but I wouldn't even put them on a push bike!
Are you sure its just not a faulty valve?
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Sat 27 Feb 10 at 12:54
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>> I've had a look and even for the tyre alone I can't find any for
>> less than £100. There are plenty of cheap brands for £50 such as Wanli but
>> I wouldn't even put them on a push bike!
Thank for looking. Yes, that is what I saw when I looked. I just wondered if perhaps the trade cost of the tyres was much less, so that they were suggesting they could give me a good discount, especially as I was having a service at the same time. I guess I should have double checked what tyre they would have replaced it with.
>> Are you sure its just not a faulty valve?
No, but it did occur to me that it could be that. I have only done about 2,000 miles since I bought it, so I did feel a bit unlucky that I might have gotten a puncture (mind you that 2,000 miles is a lot of town driving and car parks, where I guess debris is more likely). It made me wonder whether it could be the valve instead.
However, I bought it in September, checked the tyres about a month ago and inflated them to the recommended pressures (35 at the front, 32 as the back if I recall correctly). When I checked them the two rear tyres were roughly the same pressure, after 4 months of ownership, so it seems that the valve was OK then.
Is it likely that the valve could have developed a fault since then, or are faulty valves normally faulty from the point of manufacture?
The other thing is, given the rate of air loss (which I guess slows as the internal pressure lowers), it might be that the problem started when I inflated the tyres a month ago. Is that likely, could I have damaged the valve when checking or inflating?
Is there any easy way to check the valve, without removing the tyre? Just wondering if could find something that would allow me to submerse it in water.
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>> Is there any easy way to check the valve without removing the tyre? Just wondering
>> if could find something that would allow me to submerse it in water.
>>
Take the valve cap off and smear saliva over the end of the valve. If it bubbles it leaks!
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sat 27 Feb 10 at 13:12
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Brush or squirt soapy water around the valve to test.
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SteelSpark your tyre is punctured
its whats called in the trade "going down mate"
get it repaired today because whatever is in the tyre might be rubbing the shoulder then you will need a new tyre
of course it might be a shoulder puncture so unless you want a hot vulcanise repair then the tyre is scrap anyway
cheapest new tyre in my book is £50 dearest is £100 so the tyres you have been looking at at £130 ish are probably top of the range michelin
oh and theres nothing wrong with budget tyres like camac no matter what people may tell you
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>> oh and theres nothing wrong with budget tyres like camac no matter what people may tell you
Really Bellboy? I'm more than prepared to bow to your greater knowledge of these matters but if what you say is true I feel a bit of a chump having spent a lot of money on "proper" tyres over the years. Daren't tell my wallet, it would scold me !
Really? Aw that's just not fair.......
:-(
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I'm with bellboy - get someone to look at it today. Or don't drive it at least.
What might be a slow puncture or failing valve could get worse! And now you know there is a problem you could get into trouble if this caused an accident.
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OK, well I reckon that it is a trip to KwikFit this afternoon or in the morning then.
Because of how low the tyre was and the apparent slow rate of air loss, I would guess that I have driven quite far with whatever damage there is - so perhaps a new tyre is likely.
The tyres are Primacy HP 215/55 R16 93V. Should I get the same ones, or is it OK to mix and match with a cheaper one?
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It is possible to get a bit of grit in the valve which will then let a small amount of air through.
This is why it's a good idea to keep dustcaps in place.
You don't say the result of the spit test, but it might be worth getting a valve key, unscrewing the valve core half a turn and re-seating it.
You'll not lose much air.
A valve key will only cost a pound or two from an accessory shop.
I have one incorporated into one of the dustcaps.
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>> You don't say the result of the spit test but it might be worth getting
>> a valve key unscrewing the valve core half a turn and re-seating it.
Sorry, I couldn't detect a leak, but was in the process of uploading a video of the test, for a second opinion! :)
Anyway, it is redundant now, because I have tracked down the cause, there is a nail in the tread, not sure how I missed it the first time I looked, but it is quite a small head, well embedded and I was looking for it during the evening.
I suspect foul play...maybe from a neighbour that I had a bit of a run in with a few months back, since then I have found glass shards spread across the entrance to my drive and now I have picked up a nail with less than 2,000 miles driven...maybe sabotage or maybe bad luck...either way, that's a different story...
With a nail in the tread and. at a guess, probably having driven it for 500 miles with that nail, am I likely looking at a new tyre?
Any thoughts on whether I should replace with a matching tyre would be appreciated.
Thanks again.
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if dust cap been off a while then dirt gets in the schreider and as you undo it it jams on the grit and seizes solid as the valve is ngoing down with a noticeable hiss
just the thing you need on a rainy saturday afternoon at 3.10pm and 45 seconds..........
Last edited by: Bellboy on Sat 27 Feb 10 at 15:11
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SteelSpark your neighbour wouldnt go out and hammer a nail in your tyre
he is much more likely to brake fluid it these days if he has the attention of a goldfish anyway if you tried it the hammer would just bounce back
rain and tyres cause nails to punctures
simples
as for make of tyre ,get this one checked first or otherwise you are a tyre fitters dream customer and your casing will be winging its way to the part worn emporium monday morning in dave the tyre fitters saxo vtr and a price tag of 15 notes on it (puncture fixed)
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>> as for make of tyre get this one checked first or otherwise you are a
>> tyre fitters dream customer and your casing will be winging its way to the part
>> worn emporium monday morning in dave the tyre fitters saxo vtr and a price tag
>> of 15 notes on it (puncture fixed)
Yeah, I definitely plan to get it checked first, but then if they tell me that it needs replacing I was hoping to have pre-planned whether I would go for the same tyre or a cheaper one, rathr than having to leave and come back.
Mind you, KwikFit seem to charge £40 more if you book in person or on the phone, rather than online, so that would be £170 rather than the £130 which seems steep. In that case, if I couldn't reason with them, I would have to return later anyway, that or call and get the missus to book it online :)
Either way, would like to know what tyre I should go for, if it comes to that.
Thanks for your help, so far.
Last edited by: SteelSpark on Sat 27 Feb 10 at 16:26
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There must be a proper tyre shop around your neck of the woods SS, pop in somewhere normal looking ie not a chain on Monday and let them have a butchers...if the tyre is deemed unrepairable take it with you and contact a proper tyre repair outfit who will most likely be able to fix it with a vulcanised repair...the sort of repair i prefer....and keep it for replacing on at some point.
www.camskill.co.uk/products.php?plid=m62b0s292p0
If you have a look here tyres like Vredestein and Toyo are excellent mid range and every bit as good as the top brands.
Those Vredestein Sportrac 3's are excellent tyres and usually win tyre tests most years, at £68.35 each plus £5 postage per pair you can't go wrong, get a handy chap to fit 'em...bingo....had a couple fitted by my man thismorning to the newish beemer in the family.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Sat 27 Feb 10 at 16:39
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>> SteelSpark your neighbour wouldnt go out and hammer a nail in your tyre
Would he have to hammer it in? The car is parked in a block paved driveway, that has no grout between the slabs (rented house). I reckon that he could have just put a nail in the gaps between the slabs and then I pushed it in when I drove over it.
You could be right, but the bloke is pretty weird. Spent a good half hour the other day going up and down the road to find out who had parked across his driveway, even though the driveway has enough access for two cars to drive in side-by-side and then a couple of metres more, and the offending party had put their nose just slightly over one edge of the driveway, and not blocked him whatsoever...so he has determination, if nothing else...
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>> Because of how low the tyre was and the apparent slow rate of air loss
>> I would guess that I have driven quite far with whatever damage there is -
>> so perhaps a new tyre is likely.
I am not sure how you come to that conclusion, unless you've been driving with it flat.
Just nip down to National or KF or somewhere and get them to fix it, and avoid becoming Rattly.
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>>
>> I am not sure how you come to that conclusion unless you've been driving with
>> it flat.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
.
FT----- first paragraph first sentence opening post,
could i asked my learned friend to please read this,digest it and understand its meaning
i thank you ;-)
quote...... I hadn't noticed it earlier because it was on the passenger side and it had gone down to 6 psi before I spotted it. ...........unquote
i rest my case
melord.......
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>> Just nip down to National or KF or somewhere and get them to fix it
Is it realistic for me to expect that I will go into KF, they will look at it and tell me (free of charge) whether it can be repaired or not, and then just charge for any repair or replacement they do?
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They probably need to take the tyre off.
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Last time I had a puncture fixed at KF I think it was about £17 which I thought was OK. They didn't try to sell me something I didn't need and did the job really quickly while I waited despite them being quite obviously busy. I expect I could have got the thing fixed more cheaply elsewhere but I was a long way from home with a full load on, in a hurry and with only a spacesaver buried under loads of kit in the boot on a persisting wet day.
Only praise for them on that occasion.
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>> Only praise for them on that occasion.
OK, I will give them a call tomorrow and find out exactly how much it would cost to have the tyre replaced, if it comes to that. I need to make sure that I will not end up paying the £40 extra for paying in person rather than online, and also check how much they are charging for the tyres.
The cheapest tyre they quote online is the Pirelli P6000 (£104 fitted), whereas the Michelin Primacy HP is £128 fitted.
I don't know which others tyres they have but they do say that you can call for a quote on other tyres.
I am still not clear if there is any problem mixing tyres, but because it has been suggested to buy another brand, I guess that it is OK. Does anybody have any thoughts?
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I would never use two different types of tyre on the same axle.
Does the vehicle handbook have anything to say on this subject?
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youve never bought less than new then and always pay your income tax on time
good man
this country needs you :-)
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I drive a company expensed vehicle so puncture aside the front/rear tyres wear at a similar rate.
What they fitted to the front were directional and then I got a puncture..... I insisted (it took some insistence) to get both changed. I put it on the lease company that if there was then an accident and this was a contributing factor they would be liable - soon changed.
The tyres were getting close for replacement so I'd have been happy for them to swap the spare (alloy wheel) to the other axle. But the directional tyre was no use as a spare. Not my problem but made me think about that.
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Ford Mondeo IV - Slow puncture and upcoming service - RattleandSmoke
