Plugged tyre still leaking - advice please

[MakaveliX]

Partly my fault.
I had a screw in my tyre this morning, so got greenflag out to take me to a local garage which everyone regards highly around here.

They did the plug repair, then I took the car home to check it, and it is definitely leaking a tiny bit when I put some soapy water on it. I have video proof of this too.

I have been to these guys before, and a similar thing happened ( plug kept leaking ) so in the end got the tyre replaced ( these are PS5s so very expensive )

What should I do now, take it somewhere else or take it back to them ? I would rather not go back to be honest. It did only cost £15

I did have a puncture repair done before by a mobile mechanic which was absolutely fine, however they had no fitters in the area so unfortunately they weren't an option..

Also. is it possible to replug a plug ?

Thanks

[Scrump]

I would take it back to the place that made the repair.

[LunarOne]

So would I. If it was fixable in the first place, it probably still is.

[TwinKam]

Out of interest, was it plugged from the outside (ie while the tyre was still on the wheel) or with a 'mushroom' on the inside (necessitates removal of tyre from wheel)?

[MakaveliX]

TwinKam said:

Out of interest, was it plugged from the outside (ie while the tyre was still on the wheel) or with a 'mushroom' on the inside (necessitates removal of tyre from wheel)?

He took the tyre off, definitely.

LunarOne said:

So would I. If it was fixable in the first place, it probably still is.

Thing is. I've been down there before and the same thing happened ( very slow leak after it being plugged ) so I am reluctant to return now.
To top it off, I asked for the valve to be replaced, and he replaced it with one which has damaged threads on.

I'm going to take it to the mobile mechanic place and let them look at it as when they plugged my tyre on my drive it was 100% sealed. Thankfully it's safe enough to drive locally on, so what I'll do is take it to them.

Just to confirm, you can re-plug a plug, right ?

Thanks

[MakaveliX]

Both rears are just under 4mm so considering just replacing them

[Pica-Pica]

MakaveliX said:

Both rears are just under 4mm so considering just replacing them

Good grief, you should have said that first time. If 3mm is regarded as the minimum depth to help avoid aquaplaning, then yes, replace.

[Sheepshanks]

Pica-Pica said:

MakaveliX said:

Both rears are just under 4mm so considering just replacing them

Good grief, you should have said that first time. If 3mm is regarded as the minimum depth to help avoid aquaplaning, then yes, replace.

Michelin say their tyres are good to the legal limit.

[CoolHands]

Pica-Pica said:

MakaveliX said:

Both rears are just under 4mm so considering just replacing them

Good grief, you should have said that first time. If 3mm is regarded as the minimum depth to help avoid aquaplaning, then yes, replace.

Erm legal limit 1.6 why exaggerate and pretend 3 is some magic number?

Would not replace.

[stevieturbo]

MakaveliX said:

Also. is it possible to replug a plug ?

Thanks

No idea what type of plug they used, nor the size or location of hole. So impossible to say

[MakaveliX]

stevieturbo said:

No idea what type of plug they used, nor the size or location of hole. So impossible to say

Fair enough. So it's not certain it can even be replugged ?

[LunarOne]

MakaveliX said:

stevieturbo said:

No idea what type of plug they used, nor the size or location of hole. So impossible to say

Fair enough. So it's not certain it can even be replugged ?

Nothing in life is certain, but without knowing what kind of damage the tyre sustained, what method they used to plug it and how good a job they did it's impossible for any of us to say. I've had good luck with the DIY sort of plug where you ream the hole, then use a different tool to shove the sticky thread in and out, then then trim off the excess. I've also had good luck having a tyre plugged after being told it cannot be fixed after I used tyreweld. The guy cleaned out the tyreweld with some paper towels, and then cleaned the area around the hole with a flap wheel on an air die grinder. He then added rubber cement and then a plug from the inside after which he spent a good 5-10 minutes rolling over the repair with knurled wheels to make the rubber plate at the base of the plug sort of meld with the inner surface of the tyre. There was no way on earth that was going to leak.

Here's a video showing more or less the full process:

[MakaveliX]

LunarOne said:

Nothing in life is certain, but without knowing what kind of damage the tyre sustained, what method they used to plug it and how good a job they did it's impossible for any of us to say. I've had good luck with the DIY sort of plug where you ream the hole, then use a different tool to shove the sticky thread in and out, then then trim off the excess. I've also had good luck having a tyre plugged after being told it cannot be fixed after I used tyreweld. The guy cleaned out the tyreweld with some paper towels, and then cleaned the area around the hole with a flap wheel on an air die grinder. He then added rubber cement and then a plug from the inside after which he spent a good 5-10 minutes rolling over the repair with knurled wheels to make the rubber plate at the base of the plug sort of meld with the inner surface of the tyre. There was no way on earth that was going to leak.

Here's a video showing more or less the full process:

That video confirms my concern as the screw did go in at an angle, rather than straight into the tyre and could audibly hear it hissing out air. The mechanic must have not pushed the tool through at the angle the screw went in at.

[cerb4.5lee]

Sheepshanks said:

Pica-Pica said:

MakaveliX said:

Both rears are just under 4mm so considering just replacing them

Good grief, you should have said that first time. If 3mm is regarded as the minimum depth to help avoid aquaplaning, then yes, replace.

Michelin say their tyres are good to the legal limit.

Michelin are lying! I nearly stuck my F82 M4 into the barrier in the wet the other week with the Pilot Super Sports, and they were down to 2mm in places(rear tyres). The performance of Michelin tyres drops right off when they're worn I reckon.

I have swapped them for some new Pilot Sport 4S now though, and they've made a big difference in fairness. The new tyres are less exciting because it has tied the rearend right down now, but obviously the car feels far more safe now though.

[stevemcs]

It can happen, it depends how the screw went through in the first place.

[MakaveliX]

Just had a look at the repair, and it looks like a tiny twig sticking out of the tyre. So it would be safe to assume it's definitely not the "mushroom" type which I have had no issues with on my other tyre.

Perhaps it's best to avoid this tyre place if the plugs they are using are not robust enough.

I've decided to just bite the bullet and have both the rears replaced as they are just under 4mm ( still some left I know, but I think it's best in terms of safety and not taking risks hoping a replug would work )

[LunarOne]

MakaveliX said:

Just had a look at the repair, and it looks like a tiny twig sticking out of the tyre. So it would be safe to assume it's definitely not the "mushroom" type which I have had no issues with on my other tyre.

Perhaps it's best to avoid this tyre place if the plugs they are using are not robust enough.

I've decided to just bite the bullet and have both the rears replaced as they are just under 4mm ( still some left I know, but I think it's best in terms of safety and not taking risks hoping a replug would work )

If they've used the gummy pipecleaner method (which I have had success with) and it's not worked, the hole is probably too big for a good seal. I'd just take the tyre elsewhere and ask for a proper mushroom plug repair as seen in the video. There's no safety concern with that kind of repair.

[stevieturbo]

MakaveliX said:

Fair enough. So it's not certain it can even be replugged ?

Let me check my crystal ball and get back to you.

[stevieturbo]

cerb4.5lee said:

Michelin are lying! I nearly stuck my F82 M4 into the barrier in the wet the other week with the Pilot Super Sports, and they were down to 2mm in places(rear tyres). The performance of Michelin tyres drops right off when they're worn I reckon.

I have swapped them for some new Pilot Sport 4S now though, and they've made a big difference in fairness. The new tyres are less exciting because it has tied the rearend right down now, but obviously the car feels far more safe now though.

A little common sense goes a long way with tyres.

[cerb4.5lee]

stevieturbo said:

A little common sense goes a long way with tyres.

I should've known better really, because back when I was 19(many moons ago), I wrapped my 1982 Skoda Estelle around a lamppost in the wet on worn tyres as well. I was just being a tight git with the M4 though, and I was wrongly trying to squeeze as much life out of them as I could. The new tyres have transformed it for sure.