Does anyone know about car tyres please?

[Urbanbeetler]

My elderly car keeps getting a flat tyre. Tyre changed (which was needed anyway) but it still happens. Kwikfit say it is the alloy which has corroded but I don’t understand whether that means a picture as such or pressure causing flats. And do you need alloys or anything there? I don’t care what it looks like but I don’t want to spend money unnecessarily on a car which is hardly worth a full tank of petrol!

Really grateful for any help on this.

Picture = puncture

Alloys are the metal bit the tyre goes around.

You either have alloys or steelies! Steelies have separate hub caps, alloys don't.

If it's the alloy being knackered then you will need a whole new wheel.

A puncture will be in the tyre itself.

(I'm not very technical btw!)

As mentioned above, alloy is the material of the rim. The tyre fits over the rim.

I would get it double checked at another tyre fitter to see if they can show where the air is leaking. The fitters usually put it in a bath of water and look for air bubbles.

If it is a very slow air leak, bubbles may not show.

Air may be leaking;

1. out through the tyre (unlikely if tyres are new),
2. from the seal where tyre presses against the rim (tyre fitters often clean this with a wire brush and use a paste to seal while they are fitting a new tyre). Most likely in my experience.
3. Through the valve where you put in air to the tyre (again, water will show bubbles if air leaking),
4. Through the alloy rim. This could indicate the rim may be cracked (caused by potholed, and is usually fairly obvious to the tyre fitter) or the alloy is porus to allow air through (I have never experienced this).

If it is the rim leaking, you could pick up a second hand one from a breakers yard. Price will depend on size, model of car and local pricing, but I'm guessing it would cost £15 to £30 for most rims.... although some will be much more expensive.

Thank you so much. It is 2 or 4. Pretty sure it is 2 as they pasted tyre with something. I’ll try and find out which to proceed, but it sounds like a new wheel.

I wouldn't go near kwikfit I would go to an independent tyre place if you have one nearby. I have previous experience with kwikfit ripping me off.

I also would not go near Kwikfit.

From experience , I don’t trust a single word they say.

Agree with some of the other posters. I'd avoid Kwikfit like the plague to be honest. Do you have an independent garage near you at all? I'd try taking it there.

Thanks - I do and I will.

If the garage has done their work properly (always a big if!) and a new tyre and tyre valve (normally put on new with a new tyre) hasn't fixed the leak then yeah I reckon it'll need a new wheel. Since it's an old banger a steel wheel will be fine, it just needs to be the same size as the existing wheels.