National Tyres Free Puncture Repair Cost with Free Puncture Repair Voucher.

Al_Ross

They say there is a charge for the valve and wheel balance,anyone know what this currently is ?

Car_54

I've had a good few puncture repairs over the years. Never had to have a new valve, or wheel balance, and can't see why they'd be needed.

diystarter7

We paid 8 quid a couple of years ago and once we paid nothing as the tryr fitter did not read the small print like we did not when we got stung by the 8 quid and challenged the manager who asked for the cash and then he pointed out the small print.

Btw, I thought it was the valve only but it was 8 quid for me. Call them

Al_Ross

Okay guys,the reason I ask is because there is another new manager at my local branch,first he wanted £25 then he said £15 and I had the voucher.

He said charges had gone up,not sure if he was fleecing me.

Ibrahim5

Kwik Fit used to do this one. You would google puncture repair and it would come up with free at Kwik Fit. When you went they would charge you for valve and balancing. Not massively expensive but you felt a bit conned. I don't think I ever returned after that.

seatbeltnoob

£8+vat for valve and balanceing, pucture repair was "free". I felt that was a god deal. Becasuse the going rate for puncture repair done propertly is £25 now. Patched on the isnde, not jus trubber plugged in.

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Car_54 said:

I've had a good few puncture repairs over the years. Never had to have a new valve, or wheel balance, and can't see why they'd be needed.

Modern tyres are so cheaply made that unless they go back on in the exact same place they will now be out of balance and make you feel sick at about 50MPH.

Even if you draw a line across the tyre & wheel you won't find many fitters who will line them up.

If you look at a new tyre it has a yellow dot that should line up with the valve, because the yellow dot marks the lightest point of the tyre.

Steel wheels aren't particularly round, so they usually have a mark on the rim (my old Suzuki had blue dots on the rims) that lines up with the red dot on the tyre.

It is no more trouble to finish an alloy wheel round as out of centre, so most are round and are not marked, hence using the yellow dot against the valve.

Ibrahim5

National tyres are another name for Halfrauds. Complete nightmare. Need to avoid. Seriously.

SteveJW

facade said:.

If you look at a new tyre it has a yellow dot that should line up with the valve, because the yellow dot marks the lightest point of the

When I was an apprentice and we fitted our own tyres this how I was taught to fit tyres

Some 50 odd years later it appears not to be the case, walking the dog on an evening the number of cars I pass that have new tyres fitted and the yellow dot   is anywhere but adjacent to the valve. Some tyres have a red dot not sure this has any significance.

I suspect it's laziness modern balancing machines are much more accurate than the ones we used

Surprising how your training never leaves you, can still walk up to a car or large truck and even when yards away know that either the tread or pressure is low

Back to walking the dog, the number of cars I walk past with seriously underinflated tyres

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SteveJW said:

 

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walking the dog on an evening the number of cars I pass that have new tyres fitted and the yellow dot   is anywhere but adjacent to the valve. Some tyres have a red dot not sure this has any significance.

I suspect it's laziness modern balancing machines are much more accurate than the ones we used

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Some wheels have a dimple mark, or coloured spot which goes against the red dot on the tyre, in preference to the yellow dot.

If the rim isn't marked, the yellow dot goes against the valve.

Fitting this way reduces the amount of weight required to balance the wheel as you know.

If the fitter isn't paying for the weights they can just plop the tyre on any old how and stick more weights on rather than take the extra care to do it properly.

My car was made in Sihizuoka, and the yellow dots align perfectly with the valves. (The rims aren't marked, no doubt they were cast and then finished properly so they are uniform.)