Tyre Goop, does it ruin the tyre ?
Discussion
My wife's car had a bit of a slow puncture, I suggested she ran it in to the local fast fit place to get it checked/repaired but as is typical it didnt get done as the problem did not preclude any shopping opportunities, to be fair I didnt do it either but I was working away. It is a bit of a female thing (a bit of a wild generalisation and mildly sexist perhaps) but they do seem to just keep driving until a car stops before intervention, I have long held the theory that all the cars running on sparking wheel rims on "Police Camera Action" and its ilk are not escaping fugitives but just ladies that need to get to the Trafford centre or similar for some retail therapy (Shoes), funny how they pay so much attention to footwear but not tyres, maybe if tyres came in a multitude of different styles and colours they may show some interest ?
Anyway, I digress, I was in the states with work and I get a phone call saying "I have a puncture", I reminded her that she had had a puncture for a couple of and had chosen to ignore it, as I am 3000 plus miles away in Atlanta you may have to deal with it yourself, I suggested purchasing a footpump from one of the shops in close proximity as using the emergency tyre goop renders the tyre unusable and you have to buy more goop but rather than walk and buy a footpump she deployed the good and I felt my Debit card shuddering, the problem was not that she had the flat tyre, just that she had noticed it, unless she had indeed collected another puncture on the way there (possible I guess, but an outside one) it was just that she hadnt put any air in it and as I was away, neither had I.
So, bill for £120 for the tyre to replace the nearly new Dunlop the car had been fitted with 4 months earlier, was a rear tyre on a FWD car that had done perhaps 2000 miles, Ford wanted either £40 or £60 for the foam, cant remember but she got some off Ebay for £25 or so, so a total of £140 ish to fix a £15 puncture.
Does the foam actually ruin the tyre ? I have used stuff like this on bikes and it can be wiped off, is it because its a messy job and the tyre places cant be arsed and they sell a new tyre ? I suspect a nearly new £120 Dunlop actually gets cleaned and then sold as a part worn, surely its worth an hour of a tyre fitters time at what, £10 to get £60 back ?
Anyway, I digress, I was in the states with work and I get a phone call saying "I have a puncture", I reminded her that she had had a puncture for a couple of and had chosen to ignore it, as I am 3000 plus miles away in Atlanta you may have to deal with it yourself, I suggested purchasing a footpump from one of the shops in close proximity as using the emergency tyre goop renders the tyre unusable and you have to buy more goop but rather than walk and buy a footpump she deployed the good and I felt my Debit card shuddering, the problem was not that she had the flat tyre, just that she had noticed it, unless she had indeed collected another puncture on the way there (possible I guess, but an outside one) it was just that she hadnt put any air in it and as I was away, neither had I.
So, bill for £120 for the tyre to replace the nearly new Dunlop the car had been fitted with 4 months earlier, was a rear tyre on a FWD car that had done perhaps 2000 miles, Ford wanted either £40 or £60 for the foam, cant remember but she got some off Ebay for £25 or so, so a total of £140 ish to fix a £15 puncture.
Does the foam actually ruin the tyre ? I have used stuff like this on bikes and it can be wiped off, is it because its a messy job and the tyre places cant be arsed and they sell a new tyre ? I suspect a nearly new £120 Dunlop actually gets cleaned and then sold as a part worn, surely its worth an hour of a tyre fitters time at what, £10 to get £60 back ?
It's no so much about ruining the tyre - it's how long it's been run underinflated, as this will damage the sidewall.
I've heard conflicting stories - some places will clean the gunk out (and charge you extra for doing it), others won't (and I suspect most fall into the latter category).
I've heard conflicting stories - some places will clean the gunk out (and charge you extra for doing it), others won't (and I suspect most fall into the latter category).
Frances The Mute said:
Post puncture sealants do nothing to ruin the the tyre.
The myth tends to be perpatuated by tyre dealers as they don't want to be the one's cleaning the tyre out and disposing of the solution prior to repairing it.
So, in the situation I had I should have got her to get them to stick the old tyre in the boot for me to clean out and then take to a place to get it repaired if it was appropriate for a repair, then keep that for next time. Obviously not worth it if the tyre is say 50 % or more worn, just cut your losses as the repair plus refitting will cost £20 or so.The myth tends to be perpatuated by tyre dealers as they don't want to be the one's cleaning the tyre out and disposing of the solution prior to repairing it.
Just thinking actually, took some cheapies off as they didnt grip too well in the wet, they have been at the side of the shed, do tyres degrade if left outside, might stick one on a spare wheel instead of goop type fixes.
Frances The Mute said:
Yes they do. It's always worth covering them to prevent exposure to the sun etc if you have no indoor space.
Pretty sure the tyres currently on my car see sunlight everyday and haven't melted like a mars bar in a green house. Why would the UV damage tyres off the rim??Used Tyre seals or equivalent loads of times over the years.
They generally work.
Got my son in law to a Tyre fitter to change wheels by blowing flat Tyre on M6 up with ready spare can even though the Tyre was seriously failing. Lasted ten miles. Got us out of trouble.
Saved changing a wheel in torrential rain at side of Motorway.
That's NOT fun.
Particularly good at sealing porous alloy wheels. My PT cruiser had four. I had four superb chromed alloy wheels known to suffer from porous alloy saved by these Tyre savers.
As a get you home and not having to risk the side of road change unbeatable.
Long term I would always get deflating Tyres checked.
They generally work.
Got my son in law to a Tyre fitter to change wheels by blowing flat Tyre on M6 up with ready spare can even though the Tyre was seriously failing. Lasted ten miles. Got us out of trouble.
Saved changing a wheel in torrential rain at side of Motorway.
That's NOT fun.
Particularly good at sealing porous alloy wheels. My PT cruiser had four. I had four superb chromed alloy wheels known to suffer from porous alloy saved by these Tyre savers.
As a get you home and not having to risk the side of road change unbeatable.
Long term I would always get deflating Tyres checked.
Steffan said:
Used Tyre seals or equivalent loads of times over the years.
They generally work.
Got my son in law to a Tyre fitter to change wheels by blowing flat Tyre on M6 up with ready spare can even though the Tyre was seriously failing. Lasted ten miles. Got us out of trouble.
Saved changing a wheel in torrential rain at side of Motorway.
That's NOT fun.
Particularly good at sealing porous alloy wheels. My PT cruiser had four. I had four superb chromed alloy wheels known to suffer from porous alloy saved by these Tyre savers.
As a get you home and not having to risk the side of road change unbeatable.
Long term I would always get deflating Tyres checked.
WOW!They generally work.
Got my son in law to a Tyre fitter to change wheels by blowing flat Tyre on M6 up with ready spare can even though the Tyre was seriously failing. Lasted ten miles. Got us out of trouble.
Saved changing a wheel in torrential rain at side of Motorway.
That's NOT fun.
Particularly good at sealing porous alloy wheels. My PT cruiser had four. I had four superb chromed alloy wheels known to suffer from porous alloy saved by these Tyre savers.
As a get you home and not having to risk the side of road change unbeatable.
Long term I would always get deflating Tyres checked.
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