Tyre damage while driving

Last week I went out to a new customer to fit two new Michelin Pilot Sport4 tyres to his Audi A3. I was then surprised to find him booked back in two days later for one tyre, as one of the new tyres had been damaged beyond repair.

I went back to his house to find the spare wheel on the car and the damaged tyre in the boot. Upon inspection I found that there was a small craft knife blade stuck in the tread. This had caused the tyre to lose pressure and go down. The owner felt a wobble on the first roundabout, but he ignored it and continued to drive on his way to work. It was only when he got to work that he realised the tyre was totally flat and put the spare on.

The tyre from the outside looked OK, but when I took the tyre off the wheel and looked inside, you could easily see that the internal structure of the tyre had been destroyed. ((See photo 2).

I cleaned up the rim, fitted a new valve and then replaced the tyre, finally it was balanced before being put back on the car.

It shows that with todays modern suspensions, most people don't realise they have a puncture. Which is why since 2012, manufacturers have been fitting cars with Tyre Pressure Measuring Sensors (TPMS). These warn a driver as soon as a tyre looses pressure. These are now part of the MOT check and must function.

For more information on TPMS systems call us at hometyre, we carry parts to repair TPMS sensors as well as having new replacement sensors.