DIY Tyre Repair - Plug & Patch

[tkn]

Good posts....BUT....these are only temporary repairs and for a vehicle to continue to be roadworthy (and third party compulsory insurance and your comprehensive insurance, etc. to continue to be completely valid) the tyre should be either (a) replaced; or (b) repaired by service personnel trained for that job.

That is not to say that you will get a better job done - there is the possibility that the job might be worse - the certainty is that you are entitled to expect that the work is "fit for the purpose" i.e. for your safety, the safety of your family and the safety of all other drivers. Absent that 'entitlement', if the excrement hits the fan for any reason (not necessarily your fault), you would have few rights to pursue e.g. to rebut a claim against you for negligence.

If the repair gets you out of the bush, terrific. Good and all as "plugs", etc. may be the manufacturers limit their liability by spelling out the "temporariness" of the repair. The tyre ought be professionally repaired or junked.

Same goes for wheels with rims that have been hammered back into shape.

[Silver]

watched a DVD with a bloke from Coopers tyres demonstrating the cord type plug - there were some circumstances where in his opinion, it was necessary to file/ream the puncture, and others where the file/reamer did more damage to the belts.

From memory, if it was something smooth like a nail that made the hole, he was suggesting no filing/reaming. He also mentioned that there are more than one diameter of cord plugs.

Finally, they all seem to stress getting the tyre professionally assessed and one of those mushroom type rubber plug patches installed ASAP.

Thanks for a great set of photos and for the info!!

[Bruza]

good pictorial realy like the bead breaker

Thanks Roofy.
Yes I was very pleased with how the bead breaker performed, and really simple to make.
When touring I really like things that can be used for more than one purpose, in this case it gives the jack another purpose.

Good posts....BUT....these are only temporary repairs and for a vehicle to continue to be roadworthy (and third party compulsory insurance and your comprehensive insurance, etc. to continue to be completely valid) the tyre should be either (a) replaced; or (b) repaired by service personnel trained for that job.

That is not to say that you will get a better job done - there is the possibility that the job might be worse - the certainty is that you are entitled to expect that the work is "fit for the purpose" i.e. for your safety, the safety of your family and the safety of all other drivers. Absent that 'entitlement', if the excrement hits the fan for any reason (not necessarily your fault), you would have few rights to pursue e.g. to rebut a claim against you for negligence.

If the repair gets you out of the bush, terrific. Good and all as "plugs", etc. may be the manufacturers limit their liability by spelling out the "temporariness" of the repair. The tyre ought be professionally repaired or junked.

Same goes for wheels with rims that have been hammered back into shape.

Yes tkn, the repair is really aimed at "getting you out of the scrub", as noted in the post the tyre has already given me 80 odd thousand kilometers, and is now delegated as a second spare. I am happy with its repair in that appropriation.

On another note, I purchased my patches and glue from a professional (if that word doesn't over qualify) tyre repair outfit, and it's what they use. I mean, it's not brain surgery.

[jazza_v]

great stuff to know when in a rock n a hard place, thanks mate

[Kram]

Thanks Bruza very handy info for those times in need. Just hope I don't need to use

[Waza]

Love your work mate !

[Adventurous]

I've done heaps of these on my motorcycle when touring South East Asia. I never did a front tyre, only ever the rear. Apparently when you run over a nail with the front tyre, it makes the nail stand up and then it goes into the rear tyre.

I had this down to a fine art - less than 1 minute to remove nail, roughen, insert plug.

Fortunately motorcycle tyres aren't as tough as car tyres.

[NP99]

You can't tour on a bike like that! What about the postie bikes?

[Adventurous]

I have a Postie Bike in PNG, which I ride around the university campus where I work. Have just bought a second one, that will be arriving in about four weeks.

Oh, and I have a BMW R1200GS (like the one in the picture) in NZ, another in PNG, and a BMW R1200GSA in Australia. :-)

[sil3nt_dr3ams]

Hey guys,

One of my good mates is a professional tyre fitter, the only think bruza did wrong was the type of patch he used.

Bruza great thread you used all the correct techniques one would used when you have not much at hand in terms of shop equipment. To do it properly you need to use these patch http://www.rema-tiptop.com.au/portal...041,116334.rtt .

Bruza, brilliant post I commend your work and your efforts with sharing with the class.

To those that jump up and down with the legality and that's not right way to do it, really common we are not building rocket ships here.