Fixing a flat tyre

How to fix a flat tyre

There’s no escaping it: at some point you will probably have a flat tyre.

If you’re not confident of fixing it yourself, don’t forget you can always ask an expert for advice. Take a look at our dealer locator to find a tyre specialist near you.

Try these tips, instructions and tools to help you fix the tyre with the minimum of fuss.

Why is repairing a tyre important?

If you're driving on a tyre that continuously loses air or has a puncture, it’s very important to get it inspected immediately by an expert – not only for your safety, but also because driving on a flat tyre for even a short distance can ruin it.

A tyre specialist will tell you if your tyre needs replacing or can be repaired.

Your local tyre garage may be able to:

  • Repair punctures in the tread. Most punctures, nail holes or cuts up to 0.64cm can be repaired if the damage is confined to the tread.
  • Prevent further tyre damage
  • Maintain tyre air pressure at manufacturer recommended levels
  • However, there are some things that you simply can’t repair. In these cases, you’ll need to buy new tyres.

How to find the hole in your tyre

Noticing a continuous loss of air pressure? You’ll need to find where the leak is before you can fix it.

  • Check for a screw, nail or other kinds of debris sticking out of the tyre. If not, finding the source of the leak can be a little bit difficult - but we have a trick that will help make this easy.
  • Fill a squirty bottle with a vegetable base soap and water solution or tyre manufacturer approved leak detector liquid.
  • Inflate the tyre and then spray the entire tyre with your bottle full of cleaner.
  • Watch out for a small volcano-like eruption of bubbles right where your puncture lies as the cleaner runs down the tread of the tyre.
  • Now that you've found the hole in your tyre, we recommend getting a qualified professional to inspect the tyre repair if it’s possible. Take a look at our dealer locator to find a tyre specialist near you.

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