[BigKutta]

So I was driving to dinner with the family and sure enough my tire grabbed something and I got a flat instantly. I was able to drive the run flat back home, but didn't notice anything wrong with the tire. However, after I got back home i noticed that there is a nail right through the center on the tire (not on sidewall), or at least I think it is.

So can I get this repaired? I know there are different schools of thought on this, but I have another 10k left on the tires and don't want to buy one new one, or four for that matter right now. Can I get it repaired? My plan would be to let it sit overnight given that it is 8:30 right now and drive it to a repair place in the morning.

Thanks

[lsturbointeg]

U can have it patched but don't get it plugged. At least that's how it works Unless BMW doesn't approve of that method with RF ' s ? I'm sure tho BMW SA would probably try to come up with an excuse for u to just go ahead and buy a new tire for safety issues.

[COBodom]

Yes, you can get it fixed. I got mine previously both patched and plugged. No issues with the tires or lease return.

[BMWrules7]

Originally Posted by BigKutta

So I was driving to dinner with the family and sure enough my tire grabbed something and I got a flat instantly. I was able to drive the run flat back home, but didn't notice anything wrong with the tire. However, after I got back home i noticed that there is a nail right through the center on the tire (not on sidewall), or at least I think it is.

So can I get this repaired? I know there are different schools of thought on this, but I have another 10k left on the tires and don't want to buy one new one, or four for that matter right now. Can I get it repaired? My plan would be to let it sit overnight given that it is 8:30 right now and drive it to a repair place in the morning.

Thanks

No. You cannot patch run flats.
You can't tell how many makes ridden in its flat condition.

No service center will patch a run flat for fear of liability if someone gets injured.

[BigKutta]

Originally Posted by BMWrules7

No. You cannot patch run flats.
You can't tell how many makes ridden in its flat condition.

No service center will patch a run flat for fear of liability if someone gets injured.

I can tell you it was about <5 miles driven at 30 mph. Will be another <5 miles @ 30 mph to the repair shop

[SonicEndeavor]

Punctures can certainly be repaired in runflats as long as the structure of the sidewalls isn't damaged. This is stated on most manufacturers websites.
The tire store will be able to tell you if any damage has occurred. Also be sure the tire shop has the right equipment to mount/unmounting runflats and not scratch your rims or damage the tire.

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by BMWrules7

No. You cannot patch run flats.
You can't tell how many makes ridden in its flat condition.

No service center will patch a run flat for fear of liability if someone gets injured.

Is this based on BMW'S policies or are you guessing? Cause if I have a flat and there's a nail in the middle of the tread and not the sidewall and only 10,000 miles on the tire and BMW tells me they can't repair it? I would be pissed! Cause BMW quoted me $500 for just the front tire installed...another reason why I don't like RF's!

[493263]

BMW or any proper service center will not patch it. The SOP is to replace runflats.

Doesn't matter if you only drove on it for 5 miles, the sidewalls are weakened and the most of the damage to it can only be seen on the inside.

$500 is based on their OEM tires. The goodyear ls-2 cost $400 each. There are actually better runflats for only $235.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....After%209%2F10

[bake]

You should be able to find shop that will patch it. Some won't because like others have said, they are unable to tell how long the tire has been driven without the appropriate tire pressure. As the owner, since you know it was less than .5 mile, you should be comfortable understanding that the sidewall likely didn't incur any additional damage or stress. As long as you can find a shop to do it, you should be fine. Just don't go to the stealership. They will tell you otherwise.

[Bbb34]

Even if you find the shop that will repair it, why would you want to ?

How would you ever know if you've damaged the sidewall in those two short drives and the time in between the car's been sitting on that same sidewall? You've got family, we all move fast these days, not worth the risk in my opinion.

[lsturbointeg]

So the point of RF's is So u can drive safely to the dealer or a repair shop for them to basically tell u ur fu@#! I would think the sidewall on RF's would be strong enough than a non RF. When I worked at Sears Automotive back in the day I don't know how many times people have pulled in riding on a flat tire for several miles. SA would inspect the tire off the wheel and confirm tire is Okay to be patched. Rebalanced and reinstalled and customer signs workorder and waiver and off they go. This is done year after year. I just don't see how a RF is suppose to be a stronger tire with stronger sidewall latterals and being told that after it's been punctured with a nail say in the middle of the tread is now deemed unsafe and needs to be replaced? Makes no sense but that's just me.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

So the point of RF's is So u can drive safely to the dealer or a repair shop for them to basically tell u ur fu@#! I would think the sidewall on RF's would be strong enough than a non RF. When I worked at Sears Automotive back in the day I don't know how many times people have pulled in riding on a flat tire for several miles. SA would inspect the tire off the wheel and confirm tire is Okay to be patched. Rebalanced and reinstalled and customer signs workorder and waiver and off they go. This is done year after year. I just don't see how a RF is suppose to be a stronger tire with stronger sidewall latterals and being told that after it's been punctured with a nail say in the middle of the tread is now deemed unsafe and needs to be replaced? Makes no sense but that's just me.

I'm not saying it is unsafe to get it fixed, but the fact is, you've driven 4000+ lbs. car on this sidewall with no air in the tire and also presumably let the car sit on it for few hours. Granted it's very strong sidewall (I've driven apx. 70 miles on it on one occasion + 15 to the dealer two days later), but still, there's a chance sidewall is damaged and chance that tech inspecting it might not see it or be qualified to determine if it's damaged. There's reason lots of shops won't touch them. Getting flat always sucks and costs money, but if it's me, I'd just replace it.

[AVIMAX]

I had a punctured Bridgestone runflat years ago. I called BMW and they said BMW policy is no repair of runflats, only replacement. I called Bridgestone and they said as long as the puncture isn't very close the the sidewall, it can be repaired, no problem. I had it plugged from the outside (the shop I used didn't even take the wheel off the car!), and drove for another 30,000kms without any problems.

[493263]

The reason why they won't patch it is because the runflat loses its purpose. Once you damage the sidewalls, it cannot guarantee you that 50 miles anymore. Runflat tires are on vehicles without spares.

I understand from a financial perspective, it makes sense to patch a runflat but it is not a safe route. Patching a runflat tire takes away its primary safety purpose while you're still left with all of its cons. It doesn't make any sense and a safety risk so no reputable shop would do it.

So why is it that regular tires follow the practice of patching or plugging? those tires are not guaranteed to hold up with no air. There is no guarantee that it would hold up against punctures so there's no liability on for the OEM.

[The Beast]

Certain brands, particularly Bridgestone you can repair, others you can't.

For a RFT to become unrepairable it has to reach a certain temperature, this causes the tyre to overheat and the rubber inside starts to come away forming little rubbers balls inside the wheel. Any tyre shop should be able to assess this and it only generally happens when the RFT looses all pressure rather than just some pressure.... If you got a nail it, it is very unlikely that you lost all pressure unless you removed the nail.

I've currently got a nail in one of my Dunlop tyres. which a tyre shop said is a RFT that can't be repaired. It's been in there for around three months now and the car losses very little pressure, I top it up every couple of weeks. I haven't replaced it as one of my wheels on the opposite side is also buckled and will need a new tyre also. I hadn't got around to ordering a new one and powder coating it to match, ordered it yesterday and will get this sorted along with new tyres ready for my MOT test.

I have probably done 2k miles with this nail in the tyre with no issues and it's not the first time I have done it, also had a similar scenario with my E70 whereby I ran it with a nail in the tyre to let them wear a little as they were close to needing replacing.

[AVIMAX]

Should have mentioned it in my post, in my case the tire did not go flat, only slowly leaking, which I topped up a few times until I had it repaired, so I was not worried about the loss of the run on flat ability for the future.

[Grover432]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

Is this based on BMW'S policies or are you guessing? Cause if I have a flat and there's a nail in the middle of the tread and not the sidewall and only 10,000 miles on the tire and BMW tells me they can't repair it? I would be pissed! Cause BMW quoted me $500 for just the front tire installed...another reason why I don't like RF's!

If the manufacturer says you can patch, then patch and move on. Do you seriously think the lease return inspector could tell if a tire was patched? Plugged, maybe, but not patched.

[Gilgorm]

OP:
One of my winter Dunlop runflats got a spike through the centre of the tread. I drove farther than you (about 60km at slow speed) and took the car to my tire indie. As soon as they took the tire off it was obvious that the tire was toast. The inner sidewalls had become 'crumbly' and small pieces of rubber were rolling around inside. Tire had to be replaced. You should try to put any new rubber on the rear axle.

I also had a nail in the centre of my front summer GY LS2. I literally drove directly to my indie and this time the distance was short and there was no sign of any sidewall disintegration on the inside of the tire. The tire was successfully patched from the inside with a high quality material. No problems or leaks of any kind. New tire moved to the rear axle.

In my experience, the damage to the inner sidewall is very evident if the tire has been driven on too far. I suggest you let that be your guide.

I also suggest you pump up the tire as much as possible (40psi) if you plan on leaving the tire overnight. That will take the stress off the sidewalls.

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by BigKutta

I can tell you it was about <5 miles driven at 30 mph. Will be another <5 miles @ 30 mph to the repair shop

Did you drive it with no air? Usually when you hit a nail, it cause a slow leak and you would still have some air after 5 miles. If you drive it for 5 miles with zero air, your sidewall is compromised and you will need to replace the tire. In your case, I think you can patch it. I would pump up the tire before you drive to the shop.

[BigKutta]

UPDATE:
Took it into the repair shop and there was large gash through the center of the tread and there was zero air pressure. So no repair. Of course no one has the same sized RFTs in stock so what to do? Luckily I have other cars at my disposal, but what is someone with one car to do? What if you were on your way to NYC on the highway?

For me, I came home and called around for new tires, and no one can have them in until Monday, so I ordered through Tirerack and will get 4 new ones delivered on Monday (I have 35k on the original so maybe its time). My experience with RFTs is that they suck. Once you get a flat you have to act now to get it fixed. No spare, may not be able to patch, and tires not readily available. So basically my car is stuck in the garage until install on Tuesday. If i had no other means of transport then this weekend would really suck! I liked the old way with the spare or a donut. At least one had a chance to complete their trip, or be able continue on a spare (unless you like getting ripped off...I certainly dont)

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by AVIMAX

I had a punctured Bridgestone runflat years ago. I called BMW and they said BMW policy is no repair of runflats, only replacement. I called Bridgestone and they said as long as the puncture isn't very close the the sidewall, it can be repaired, no problem. I had it plugged from the outside (the shop I used didn't even take the wheel off the car!), and drove for another 30,000kms without any problems.

I've done this many times on my truck. Kinda of a band aid fix for emergencies.

[lsturbointeg]

Well it's good to hear everyone's experiences from these RF's So yes it's good to be able to drive somewhere safe but it Also sucks when nobody stocks ur tires. Even if u roll to ur closest BMW dealer I'm sure their prices will be ridiculous anyways!