[gtshnzr]

On my '03 MCS it is a yellow circular shaped light with the tire icon for the low air pressure sensor.

As for not repairing the runflats, I guess (read: uneducated common sense guess) it depends on how far you actually drive them when low, and if you can refill them enough to keep the psi in a decent range until you get to the repair shop. As with any tire, running them in an underinflated condition makes funny things happen to the tire construction that could eventually cause a blow out. So, I carry a can of sealant and a small air compressor that plugs into the cig lighter for the "next time" the yellow light goes on. I think MINI offers something like that now, some type of a "kit."

[Mon the fish]

Somebody wrote to Honest John (a decent, straight-talking guy) in the motoring section of the Daily Telegraph on Saturday asking the very same question. His answer was it can be repaired as long as the sidewalls aren't damaged.

At a very vague guess I'd say if you could keep the pressure in the punctured tyre above say 20psi you'd be ok (my 18s run at 34-35 psi).

[suvnot]

Quote: Originally Posted by cooper_s_flyer

...the puncture is relatively small (generally 2mm maximum) and,

If it is toward the middle (central) 6 inches of the tread patch. It cannot be a severely angled puncture... it should be at less than a 30% 'slant', and in any case the 'travel' of that 'slant' cannot encroach on the tire's sidewall, or even be within an inch or so of the sidewall.

The proper fix is the vulcanized plug/patch... a combination fix that is basically chemically and heat fused -into the puncture- and -onto the inside of the tire carcass- on top of the puncture to absolutely seal it. They hold beautifully and do not compromise the tire in the least.

I speak from direct experience... three repairs - holding without consequence. The tires ride as new and I assure you that such a repair holds under extreme circumstances.

I can attest to that! Had mine repaired the exact same way... from the inside, and no problems so far, unless you count that I can't get the damn indicator light to reset.

[henry cooper s]

My little henry drove like a dream as always, stopped for some lunch and as soon i drove off i knew there was a problem, he was pulling to the right and making a strange noise, i pulled over to have a look but to be honest i dont really know what i was looking for, so drove back very carefully. Got my better half with the mechanical knowledge to have a look and he found that it was a puncture. I had no warning light appear or warning sound and with a run flat tyre they dont actually look flat. I took it to our main dealer today and they have repaired the tyre but they have told me that the sensors only work if there is a loss in pressure whilst driving and not if as in my case whilst you are parked. This seems a little strange to me and wondered if anyone had come across this problem.

[beken]

Just had one of my rear tires repaired. No air had leaked out. I found the nail in my tire on Friday and when I called MINI on Monday, they told me that since my tire had not leaked air, it is possible the puncture did not go all the way through. I wasn't going to pull the nail myself because if it leaked, I would be out of luck. The dealer insisted that under no circumstances should a runflat be repaired. However, a search on this topic for other cars such as Porsches or Corvettes seem to indicate that they could provided the damage was minor and not in an area that would compromise the runflat function of the tire.

I drove my car to a Pirelli dealer whom I trusted and he told me that many runflat tires have a self sealing feature in them so it is likely that sealant had prevented air from coming out at the puncture. In anycase, as soon as they pulled the nail, I could hear air come out of the hole so they did an inside patch and it was good as new.

Oh...the MINI dealer wanted almost $600CDN for a replacement tire. That could by some signifant mod pieces.

[gtshnzr]

You ought to have them check your sensors. They work on the rolling circumference of the tire off the ABS (increase in rpm's as the tire deflates and gets smaller), so unless you accidently reset the button after the yellow light went on, parking the car should have no effect. But then again, mine didn't go off until the tiore got down to about 20 psi.

[scooperman_uk]

insurance may be voided by running on repaired runflats.. apparently its a rumour, but manufaturers make recommendations for safety reasons..

[minibbb]

is this true about repaired tyres voiding insurance?

[minibbb]

hi, I have a screw through the centre of my front dunlop sport 9000 17 inch. Seen on another thread it can void insurance if tyre is repaired. Can anyone tell me the facts on this please?

[Jim Ray]

Yes.

[Bilbo Baggins]

Sorry, can't help you with English law. But in the USA a simple screw puncture can be repaired in a runflat. But the recommended repair involves removal of the tyre from the rim, placeing a self-vulcanizing patch over the puncture on the inside of the tyre and the re-mounting of the tyre and balancing it.

Not just a simple plug from the outside. According to the factory anyway.

However, I have used several plugs, that I installed myself, in my Dunlop 5000 DSSTs. All were in the middle portion of the tread, all were small diameter punctures from either screws or nails. No leaking occured and they survived multiple Auto-X days and several thousand miles.

[minibbb]

cheers guys
Jim any idea of new tire cost+fitting in uk. mytires.co.uk list a dunlop sport 9000 205x45x17 for £91. does this sound like the one? cant believe this can affect insurance. what doesn't?????

[Wurzel]

An insurance company will only void your insurance if the repaired tyre is a contributing factor to the cause of an accident. The police would have to specify this in a (CARB) collision accident report book after investigating an accident.

I can't ever see that happening so get it repaired.

I didnt think you could get run flats repaired

[coded2112]

Not everyone will repair them, but i have had about 4 punctures repaired now without any problems by my local tyre man. About to get the fifth done this week! The joys of driving in english country lanes!!!!!

[DarkSilverBullet]

I had a run flat repaired about 3 weeks ago.

The guy took the trye off, drilled into it then fixed it with something (very technical answer that!) it ran fine for a few weeks, but I think its back to a slow puncture again, warning light came on and car was pulling to the right a little (its the right front that was done).

So in answer to your question,
Yes they can be repaired, if its on the tread and not the sidewall.
I have never heard of a tyre affecting your insurance (unless its bald and the cause of an accident ), its a question of legality (tread depth and wear) and a repair is fine for that.

The question to ask yourself now is, is it worth it?, my repair only cost £15, so definatly cheaper than a new tyre, the guy quoted £165 for a 17" perelli (no idea how its spelt ), but it it only lasted a few weeks....

[marlin]

Another puncture, this time rear nearside, the trouble with these run flats is every puncture is a £100 event. Only three miles from home last night and the warning light came on, drove slowly back home but wires showing in side wall. Hope I can make the dealers without damaging the rim, looks like a crawl to nearest tyre fitters. Has any one ever had a run flat repaired?

[HonoluluDoug]

When I had a flat, I took my MINI in to the dealer. But they wouldn't repair it! They made me take it somewhere else and told me that repairing it would void the warranty. I now think about that and go "ha ha" but I was really steamed at the moment.

Doug

[Root Ginger]

They can be repaired yes but if they are run flat then you are damaging the sidewall. I would never recommend getting any tyre repaired. I've seen what happens when a plug fails which is more common than I would like.

[k m s]

Repairs to run-flats aren't currently recommended, something about internal damage that cannot be seen. Personally I'd never have any tyre repaired, it's just not worth the risk