Of course, the right thing to do is to install a spare tire and go to a tire shop to fix the damaged wheel. But situations are different. Sometimes the "right" option is not available. A regular screw, glue and a screwdriver will help out
Repair on the spot (2 methods)
A tire repair kit costs about 100-150 rubles. Be sure to stock up on this before a long trip.
If you punctured a tire with some sharp object on the road (punctured, that is, it is not a cut a few centimeters long), then you can patch it yourself. In this case, you do not even have to remove the wheel. This requires some skills and knowledge, but the main thing is to have a repair kit and the right tool - usually everything you need can be bought at a hypermarket.
We filmed the entire repair process on video. For clarity, the wheel was still removed from the car, but this, I repeat, is not necessary.
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Advice: If you managed to repair it yourself, then you do not have to visit a tire shop after that. But if there is the slightest doubt that everything was done correctly, it is better to trust a professional. The workshop can make an internal patch or a so-called "mushroom" (essentially a tourniquet and a patch at the same time) - a more reliable and durable repair method. Especially if we are talking about a side puncture, when not the tread part of the tire is damaged, but a thinner sidewall.
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There is another option for self-repair. Using an aerosol liquid sealant. These are sold in cylinders. Price: from 400 to 1000 rubles, depending on the manufacturer and volume.
First of all, you should remove the foreign object from the puncture site and jack up the problematic wheel - you need the wheel to rotate freely. After that, pour the sealant into the tire through the valve. Spin the wheel to distribute the composition inside the tire. Then you need to inflate the wheel and drive a little at low speed so that the sealant is evenly distributed over the inner surface of the tire.
Keep in mind: if the hole is large, the sealant may not work. In addition, it will probably affect the wheel balancing. So you will have to visit a tire shop in the end.
But what if there is a puncture, but the wheel is not flat?
If a sharp object (nail or screw) remains in the tire, consider yourself lucky. But how long it will stay there is a rhetorical question. Perhaps one day, or maybe a season. An example from personal experience. Once I noticed a screw in the rear wheel of my car. It was February - the next seasonal tire change was just around the corner. The pressure in the tire did not decrease, so I decided to do nothing until the tire change. And so I drove for a couple of months without any incidents.
Now about the factors without which I would not have decided to do this (and I do not advise you to):
Trips are only planned around the city, that is, at a relatively low speed. No suburban trips at high speed were planned. In the trunk there is a working, inflated spare tire and all the necessary tools for changing the tire.
The screw was found in the rear, not the front wheel: in case of a sudden loss of pressure, it is easier to maintain control of the car. However, the problematic wheel can be moved to the rear axle at any time. But if you have already taken on this job, it is easier to immediately install the spare.
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An additional condition that prompted me to decide to do nothing: the winter set of tires was reaching its last season. I did not plan to drive on it anymore. As a result, I saved time and money that would have had to be spent on tire repair.
While the culprit of the puncture remains in the tire, there is a chance that the pressure will not change or will decrease slowly. In both cases, the car can be driven. So do not remove the screw as soon as you find it. This instinctive desire is very difficult to overcome. If you control yourself, you will be able to get to a tire repair shop.
A flat tire was discovered after a long period of parking — then what?
Most likely, the puncture is slow. If you do not want to bother with installing a spare tire, I recommend inflating the flat tire. A compressor should be in the trunk of any car. If you do not have one, this is a great reason to buy one.
Inflated. Now estimate how quickly the pressure will decrease. If after a minute or two the wheel rim does not flatten the tire on the road, you can try to get to the tire shop on your own. Perhaps, along the way you will have to inflate the wheel one or more times. But in any case, this is easier than jacking up the car and unscrewing the wheel bolts. Still, even for such a simple operation you need some skills. At least for a girl, the option with inflating the tire will be preferable.
Important: do not allow the tire pressure to drop below 1.5 atmospheres. Driving with such pressure can lead to irreversible damage to the tire (the cord will be destroyed). And the puncture will no longer need to be repaired.
What if the leak is along the rim of the disk?
Also a common case. And it often happens that you pump up thesome wheels can't be pumped with a regular (non-professional) compressor. Try pumping them up without a valve core. The thing is that it creates a fair amount of resistance to the compressor. Unscrew it, pump up the tire, and quickly screw it back in. Without the valve core, the air flow will increase. If that doesn't help, you can hang the wheel up with a jack. This will also reduce the resistance and improve the fit of the tire to the rim.
But it won't solve the problem once and for all. If the tire goes flat once, it will happen again. Don't delay the repair.
What if you don't have anything at hand?
A tough case. But not hopeless either. There is a "temporary" solution. First, determine the puncture site. To do this, pour water on the tire. The damage will reveal itself as air bubbles. Now remember the screw that was left in my tire. Do the same: screw the screw into the puncture site. You can unscrew it from the door trim, for example. If you also find some all-purpose glue, you'll have a better chance of making a strong temporary patch.
I hope you never need any of these tips.
