The last thing you need when jumping into your vehicle at the airport car park after an arduous trip home, or when setting off on the morning commute after a few days off, is a flat tyre. However, you don’t have to be an expert to fix it – follow these tips from Autoparts to help repair your vehicle’s flat or punctured tyre in no time.
Check your tyre pressure
It is recommended that you check your tyre pressure once every two weeks. Without regular checking, tyres can quickly become deflated which can cause excessive and uneven wear of treads, therefore reducing the lifespan of your tyres.
Be sure to carry a tyre pump on board your vehicle – you never know when you might need it. This electrically-powered Michelin Tyre Inflator comes complete with a digital tyre pressure gauge so that you can keep an eye on your tyre’s reinflation as it happens.
How to handle a puncture
Stop safely
Find a safe place such as a recognised lay-by or car park to stop and assess the extent of your vehicle’s tyre puncture. Once parked, apply your vehicle’s handbrake and ensure all other passengers have left the vehicle.
Don your reflective jacket, put out your vehicle’s warning triangle 10-20 metres to the rear of the vehicle, and grab a torch if it’s dark.
Be prepared for emergencies with an emergency travel kit.
Find the puncture
Once you locate the cut in the tyre, you can get to work fixing it. The Streetwize tyre sealer kit with compressor contains everything you need to repair your tyre in roadside emergencies.
Apply the repair putty to the affected area of the tyre, which should block any more air from escaping. Use the inflator to reflate the tyre, and you’re good to go.
Take tyre repair into your own hands with Streetwize’s tyre sealer kit.
Replacing the wheel?
If you’re in a safe place to do so, and your vehicle has a spare wheel, or a slightly smaller than full-size ‘space-saver’ wheel, in the boot, then you’ll need to lift the car to replace the punctured one.
To make light work of such a lift, use Draper’s 1.5-tonne scissor jack. With its integrated rubber saddle to prevent underside damage, it’s a power-lifter with a gentle touch on vehicles.
Then, it’s a case of removing your problem wheel and replacing it with the new one, and fastening the wheel nuts again to secure your wheel to the car.
Give your beleaguered vehicle a lift with the Draper 1.5-tonne jack.
Get to a garage
If you don’t carry a spare wheel, or you aren’t too confident to do a wheel replacement yourself, then take the car to the nearest garage or specialist wheel fitter, where someone can carry out the tyre repair or replacement for you and get you back on the road with your tyres in tip-top condition.
Find a fantastic range of tyres in Arnold Clark Autoparts’ tyres section.
