Ask Shorty: Repairing tyres
Not all car tyres can be repaired.
Question: I recently purchased a new set of tyres for my BMW, a few days after purchasing them I got a puncture. After taking the tyre for repair I was told it was illegal to repair my tyre and that it needed to be replaced, have you heard of this before?
Ron
Answer: Depending on the location of the puncture and type of damage, yes this can be true. The only punctures that should be repaired are holes less than five millimetres in diameter in the tread pattern itself. If the puncture was in the sidewall or on the edge of the tyre it is not supposed to be repaired. The sidewall of a tyre is important to the structure and performance of the tyre, so any damage to it usually means the tyre must be replaced. If your BMW is fitted with runflats they also cannot be repaired, especially if they've been driven on for some distance, which can damage the steel belts in the tyre.
Mark Short