[Bankers]

Got in the car last night. Driving home. Yellow Run Flat indicator flashed at me! I only bought my used MINI a couple of weeks ago so I am unsure what to do.
I have read the manual. This morning I started the engine and sure enough the light flashed at me again. So I pressed the button under the handbrake and held it for a while. The light went off but I am still concerned.

Did I do the right thing or should I get the tyres checked out?

I shall be checking my tyre pressures later on today that's for sure.

I just wondered if anyone else had this problem and knew how to resolve it.

ps. New to MINIs as you may have gathered hence the question!!
pps. Car is running on 17" Pirellis (run flats obviously! )
ppps. Model is Cooper gen. 1, build year 2003.

Hope you can help

[humph]

Check your tyre pressures, and correct if necessary. Reset the light.

However

If pressure in one is significantly lower than the others then you should probably consider getting it checked out by a tyre place. Driving on uninflated run flats can damage and weaken the side walls, which is why many tyre places won't repair them.

Check your tyre pressures regularly as the system is not very godd at detecting slow leaks especially on run flats.

[Bankers]

Cheers, shall try that.

If all is seemingly ok after correcting tyre pressures and resetting the indicator am I to assume that the problem is resolved or do I need to get it checked out by a specialist?

I don't want to waste my time doing the latter really especially if I am likely to incur a cost along the way from a garage.

From your post Humph I read it as if there is a significant problem get it checked if not then leave it??

Will the indicator flash again if there is a problem after resetting?

[humph]

Ok. Firstly how does the run flat system work? It does not monitor tyre pressure! It monitors wheel speed using the ABS system. As a tyre deflates the rolling radius changes, so the wheel rotates at a different rate to the others. The ABS system picks up on this and assumes there is a flat.

My RF indicator comes on if there is about 3psi (10%) difference in pressure, but I'm on none run flats. With the thicker walls on the run flat tyres maintaining the rolling radius during a puncture, I'm guessing that the difference needs to be more than 3 psi with a run flat. Driving on a deflated run flat will damage the walls. Just like a space saver spare they are only meant to get you to a place where the puncture can be repaired.

If the tyre has only dropped a couple of PSI over a long period it is likely a slow leak and just needs topping up, and monitoring. If the psi has dropped significantly then ask yourself, When did this problem start? How many times have you reset the system? How many miles have you covered on this deflated run flat? If you can satisfy yourself that you have only covered a small amount of miles on it then it may be safe to just reinflate, but I'd say this depends on how low the pressure was as well. If the pressure was very low, why? Is reinflating it the answer? Is there a nail in the tyre?

I would personally get it checked anyway. Runflats are notoriously hard to seal and suffer from slow leaks, you may end up pumping it up every week if you don't get it sorted now.

[humph]

Quotes from the Pirelli run flat website FAQ

Quote:

Can I repair a punctured Pirelli self-supporting run flat tyre?
No, for safety reasons, Pirelli chooses not to recommend the repair of self-supporting run flat tyres. A self-supporting run flat tyre should always be changed and not repaired after a loss of pressure because it is not always possible to establish the time and conditions under which the tyre has been used with insufficient inflation pressure.

Quote:

Is it possible to extend the 80km (50 miles) tyre range of a punctured run flat tyre by re-inflating the tyre?
No. After a puncture you can only travel 80km (50 miles) at a maximum speed of 80km/h (50mph), following which the tyre must be replaced.

PIRELLI - FAQ

[DaFlake]

Good info Humph...

[Bankers]

OK thanks Humph, sounds like you know my problem! Cheers for that.
In regards to getting it checked out I am wary of this. The car was only bought 2 weeks ago from a MINI dealership (Sytner in Leicester). It had just passed it MOT that was taken a day prior to picking the car up.

I will probably check the pressures tonight. Reset the RFI if needs be. Await any further problems regarding the tyres (ie RFI to flash again). If it does it again soon after correcting the pressure then I will take it to a specialist for a diagnosis test.

It seems these run flat tyres are a little bit problematic esp as the only reason for having them is so you don't have to carry a spare tyre in your boot!

One reason the saleswoman told me was that "most people wouldn't know where to start changing a tyre!" Surely that's what the user's manual is for (oh and the spare tyre and jack in the boot)! Please, changing a tyre is a piece of cake.

I wish I knew this prior to buying my car!

[m17nuj]

i had a very similar problem with mine which was resulting in slow deflation.

i have the same tyres as you and when i took it back to mini it turned out the wheels were not correctly alligned to the alloy hence the release of air.

try checking this as since i have had no problems and handles greats

[Bankers]

Actually that's a good point m17nuj cos I noticed this when I got the car that if I braked quite hard then the car would have a tendency to 'wander' to the right only slightly but I had to have my wits about me to correct it. I just thought this was because I was handling a much nippier and quicker car to my previous car I had.

Is this normal?

Safe to say I will be checking my tyre pressures soon enough and hopefully all can be sorted.
I sense a call to MINI coming up!

Thanks peeps for you help. Most useful!

[Morri7]

Get the seal checked as this has been the problem for me a couple of times. I f you do need a new tyre get a quote from the Mini dealership as well as the usual tyre fitting places. I have found them to be cheaper sometimes.
You could always take the plunge and replace them all with non-runflats. The car will ride alot smoother and the tyres are nearly half the cost. Carry a can of puncture repair gunk in the boot and that should get you to a repair place in the same way as a runflat. Just not as convinient though! Good thing is that the runflat indicator is not affected because of how it works as Humph said.

[Maniac]

At the moment I have a rental from Mini, mine is in the workshop.

Runflat indicator flashed yesterday, alarm sounded, checked out tyre pressures, 100%
Flashed this morning again, alarm sounded also, checked pressures, 100%

Next moment I had a blow out on the highway!!!! Runflat indicator dit not flash once, or the alarm did not even go off when the blow out occured

Nice, verrrry nice

[moonie]

my mini has a major repaire due to an accident. After more than two months, i have my car back.
the abs and run flat light on after I drove passed an uneven road. The next day, when I started the car, only the abs on. 5mins later, runflat on.
I called to the BMW repairer (my car was repair by them) , told them the problem. they told me they didn't do anything on my blake, so i have to go back to the dealer to book for a check. I argue that on the repair report, they clearly indicated that u have done something on my supension, and due to my car accident, my car was in such a bad state that I have to have my car tow away.
my mini is one of those have to call back to check due to a fault, and I have that done twice! 1st time free, second time i have to pay for it. Is just seem to be so unfair.

what can i do?