I have been driving cars for over 55 years and have pondered how many punctures I've had in that time. Thinking back I can only recollect 4 such occurrences. That does not mean there were not more, rather I can't remember them! All I can say is they are extremely rare in my experience.

I am not as fit as I used to be and in the event of getting a puncture don't think I'd be physically up to changing a wheel. I might even struggle to use the repair kit provided with my car so I will use the AA/RAC type rescue organisations to assist me on my way. Not having a spare wheel or space saver does not therefore concern me.

'it would be quite reasonable to ask the question...'

Yes indeed so. I wanted to test my prejudices

I am not as fit as I used to be and in the event of getting a puncture don't think I'd be physically up to changing a wheel. I might even struggle to use the repair kit provided with my car so I will use the AA/RAC type rescue organisations to assist me on my way. Not having a spare wheel or space saver does not therefore concern me.

2 issues with this.

Last time I had to call the RAC I had to wait almost 5 hours for them to attend. This was not at peak time, it was Sunday lunch.

If you do not have a spare what are your rescue organisation going to fit or do you expect them to squirt the glue in for you. If the tyre is damaged beyond repair where do you expect them to get it replaced especially if its outside normal working times.

Even if you cannot change the wheel yourself its still better having a spare. My wife would be unable to swap a wheel but hopefully a friendly person, officer of the law or even the RAC would help and get her on her way using the spare in the boot.

I still have yet to meet anyone who can answer the simple question 'What do you do if you have no spare wheel, and an irreparable gash in a tyre caused by a pothole in a remote country lane where there is no mobile reception, so you can't summon help?'

You call your breakdown service - depending on their T&C they'll take you and the wheel to a tyre retailer - if their T&C won't do that or you don't have breakdown cover, you call a mobile tyre fitter.

See my previous post, a 5 hour wait is not a substitute for carrying a spare.

And its fine being taken to a tyre retailer to sort it out in normal working hours but what happens if its the middle of the night, are they going to knock someone up for you?

I know it offends some people but there is no way I would contemplate a long trip with no spare. Even locally its preferable to be able to sort it yourself quickly. But I think that is the problem nowadays, no one is prepared to help themselves, they expect someone to come along at a moments notice and sort it for you. In the real world that does not happen.

Sun 28 Jun 2020 13:08

A couple of years ago I had a front wheel puncture in my A8.

What did you do by the side of the road? How did you get home?

A couple of years ago I had a front wheel puncture in my A8. I didn't mend it by the side of the road, but as it was just a small nail near the centre of the tread I thought I'd try one of those cheap kits where you enlarge the hole and force in a plug. It was surprisingly successful, lasting until I needed new tyres all round recently. I took the precaution of moving the repaired tyre from the front to the back, because any sudden deflation at speed would be easier to control.

One handy thing I often do on making an important long journey on a weekend or late at night travelling in a more remote area (e.g. going or on holiday in the West Country) is make a note of the local tyre fitters and car repair shops in case I need to use them.

I was lucky enough to make use of such a local garage near my parents' home (when visiting) when a nail in the block of my previous car's tyre caused a slow leak. He was available and I got there ok and had a plug fitted, which was still ok two years later when I PXed the car for my current one. Cost me £10 if I recall, done in a few minutes.

Always useful to know which places are likely to be open or services (tow trucks etc) available out-of-hours if the breakdown firms are not so hot on 'low priority callouts. I must admit than they are good sometimes - my elderly parent's Fiesta suffered a battery failure late at night last winter when out and about, and they came out quickly to get them going and home again.

One thing I may now invest in is a good quality torque wrench and make sure I know the setting needed for my car's wheels. Useful in a tight spot.

<< Just like the days before mobile phones, you have to walk to the nearest phone - in the old days cars didn't conveniently break down by a phone box. >>

These days that probably means knocking on the nearest front door.

Just like the days before mobile phones, you have to walk to the nearest phone

When we visit Scotland I wonder how many phone boxes there are in areas where there is no mobile reception. Could be a walk of possibly 30 or miles between settlements in the more remote areas.

Seems like a brilliant idea.

Don't the breakdown services carry a sort of universal emergency spare, presumably with some sort of adaptor plate for 4-5 studs and different PCDs?

I tried one of those Halfords aerosol jobbies as an experiment with a slow puncture that wasn't an issue as new tyres were waiting to be fitted, never made a scrap of difference to the rate of deflation.

Another one here who is not going out a reasonable distance without a spare, even if its a spacesaver, my daily commutes i wouldn't mind because i could call SWMBO to bring a winter/summer wheel if necessary, but wouldn't contemplate a distance journey without a proper spare.

I fit my own wheels and wheelnuts with lubing just enough to keep corrosion of the threads and alloy/steel corrosion at bay (so they come away from the hubs with ease), never yet had a wheel come unexpectedly loose after hundreds of thousands of car miles, the only lorry wheels that came loose over several million miles where those tapered nuts fitted without any lube at all, so much for the no lube theory.

Unless I’ve missed something, nowhere in any of these answers does it mention the effect on the tyre of using goo to fix a puncture. It was probably from an authoritative source such as down the pub one Friday night, but I have always understood that the goo damages the tyre to the extent that once you’ve used it, the tyre is no good and has to be replaced. I’m starting to think I must have imagined it.

except the splendid self repair stories using a plug

I have read many good reports about the repairs you make with a rubberised string material and special tool but they have mostly been on motorcycles and the adverts I have seen all state its for a get you home repair only.

But I have never read any comments regarding what the tyre shop say when you take the self plugged tyre in for a permanent repair. Will they do anything or just say "sorry mate, cannot do anything now".

Best just to carry a spare (even a spacesaver is better than nothing) and get home safely.

Having carefully gone through the 50 replies so far, it looks like only 3 people have experience of successfully fixing the puncture with sealant or a repair kit by the roadside and driving on. I have had at least one puncture on all nearly all the cars we've had over 40 years' motoring, and have always changed the wheel myself. It's not hard, in fact the only time I've found it difficult is when you have a heavy full size spare dangling precariously from a frame under the car. So having just bought a new (ish) Toyota (see separate thread) I know the advice of HJ members is unanimously 'buy a space saver' !

The implication is that this statistic only applies in cases where they (and/or similar roadside recovery firms) carry out the repair.

But the more people call out recovery services for trivial problems like punctures the longer delays there are for everyone else.