The old "can't repair a puncture" scam

Moto2

arcon5 wrote: »

Does this kit have special exceptions in the eyes of the law then?
Since a repair round the edge is not just illegal but unsafe.

I agree it could possibly be unsafe depending on the exact circumstance but what law prevents an individual making such a repair?

gilbert_and_sullivan

Moto2 wrote: »

I agree it could possibly be unsafe depending on the exact circumstance but what law prevents an individual making such a repair?

I don't know about the legalities, but these kits often don't need the tyre to be removed, and any tyre damage whatsoever requires the tyre to be removed for proper examination.

In a previous life i saw many examples of where nails/screws etc had pierced a tyre at an angle and every revolution saw that object slicing through the sidewall from inside, a bodge from outside might fix the leak but the resulting previous damage continues to deteriorate until the inevitable burst which could be anytime, be an 'interesting' insurance and police situation if a third party fatal was the result when the facts emerge.

Moto2

I've used one of these many times, mainly on motorcycle tyres without issue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NfuBFNaA1U

gilbert_and_sullivan

Moto2 wrote: »

I've used one of these many times, mainly on motorcycle tyres without issue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NfuBFNaA1U

Yes and i'm sure they do the job fine but only as a get you home measure, any puncturing of a tyre should result in the tyre being examined properly from inside by someone who has a clue about tyre construction.

Unless you happen to find a short nail or screw with the head and pointy end still attached you have no idea how long the object was when it entered how long its been wearing down slicing its way about, nor the angle it might have taken on its way through, and you won't know how many or which cords it might have snagged as it entered.

bazster

Moto2 wrote: »

I've used one of these many times, mainly on motorcycle tyres without issue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NfuBFNaA1U

Your first issue is liable to be your last.

Joe_Horner

bigjl wrote: »

Actually it is nothing to do with the tread it is how close to the sidewall the puncture is.

And you can repair a tyre that has had TyreWeld used.

It is just a nightmare to clean out the TyreWeld and few people want to do it.

Part of the problem with tyre weld is that it was in there for a reason.

That means that there was probably another puncture as well as the obvious one that's still got a nail in it. the old puncture may not be visible, and it won't show up under water because the tyre weld is sealing it.

That means that, if they repair the one that's obvious it's quite likely that the tyre will still leak (or start leaking) from the old one soon afterwards. Especially if you've removed all the "reserve" tyre weld that was helping to keep it sealed.

And we all know round here what happens when someone gets a job done and something similar (but unrelated) crops up shortly afterwards. Would you want the aggro of the "you repaired a puncture and it's still leaking" complaints?

motorguy

mikeb222 wrote: »

Wow, I admire your faith in the mechanics industry.
It.s not a scam hey?

Lol, a nearly new tyre with a screw right in the middle. No other problems with tyre and they tell me they can't do a puncture repair.

It's a licence to print money and a scam in my opinion.

I've had too many times to mention when I've been scammed by possibly one of the worst industries for it.

I guess you must all be mechanics?

Looking at it from the other perspective :-

(a) had they spent an hour de-gunking the inside of the tyre, would you have been happy to pay them, say an extra £30 to do so, or would that have been a scam too?

(b) had they went ahead and done the repair, and the new patch not stuck because of the tyre weld and blown out at speed, would you have been happy with their judgement to make the repair in the first place?

I NEVER use tyre weld. I carry an electric pump in the boot. If a tyre looks soft, i'll blow it up and drive to the nearest tyre centre. One evening i'd to stop every 10 miles to do it but it got me home and the tyre puncture was repaired.

salubrious

Stop the press: Tyre depot wanting to sell a tyre!!


It's nothing new. Try going to a garage that isn't driven by sales targets, that is if you want sensible advice and service.


Trouble with a lot of folk, it's off down to the cheapest place they can find, with little to no thought of anything else.

bazster

I just can't believe that people rely on magic goo or DIY repairs to keep tyres inflated, still less on a motorcycle. What's a bit of inconvenience and expense compared to your life?

As for the preventative slime people stick into their tyres to pre-empt deflation, well if a tyre gets punctured on my motorcycle I want to know about it. I do not want to risk riding 300 miles at 70mph unaware that the only thing keeping my tyre inflated is some green muck.

My missus once 'phoned me to say that her car "felt funny". I went out to her, had a look around and couldn't see anything wrong, so took it round the block myself. She was right: something was amiss at the nearside rear.

When I stopped the problem was obvious: there was a broken bicycle wheel spindle sticking out of the tread, which had obviously been at the bottom and hence not visible on my previous visual inspection. Can you imagine a foreign object that large sticking into a motorcycle tyre, with the slow deflation prevented by some green stuff? It'd be tearing away at the carcase with every turn of the wheel until - well, it doesn't bear thinking about!

(In the case of the car I bought a new tyre, having no idea how many miles it had done with the big lump of steel stuck in it, and how much damage might've been caused).