A slow puncture - Would a garage say options are either replace or pump up?

[Longjohn33]

I had a puncture on Saturday and my OH took the car to a garage to get it replaced. Whilst there the garage noticed the back tyre was looking a bit flat. We have had to pump this up a few times so when they told my OH that it was a nail stuck inside the tyre causing a slow puncture I wasn’t surprised.

My OH is the biggest cheap skate ever. I said to him please ask the garage to replace it so we don’t have a full on puncture and are in this situation again in a month.

My OH said the garage said it couldn’t be repaired but it was our choice if we wanted to just keep pumping up the tyre when it goes flat ... firstly would a garage ever say this was ok? Or the garage would replace it.

My OH asked them to put the tyre back on and we would continue to pump it up.

Four days later the tyre is fully punctured and flat. Now we cannot get the tyre off. The garage have put the bolt on so tight it won’t budge.

I’m so cross with my OH but he says he’s done nothing wrong. I think the garage recommended he replaced the tyre but he refused and they may (or may not) have put the tyre back on so tight as a lesson to my OH but I may be wrong.

We will be without a car for a few days now whilst another garage struggles to get our current tyre off and orders in a replacement.

It depends where the nail is in the tyre, if its in the tread then they can repair it with a plug. But if its in the side wall then you need to replace the tyre. Do you have a pump to inflate it to allow you to drive it to the garage?

It’s completely flat. The original garage said there was no way it could be repaired.

The issue is I ask my OH to replace it as I didn’t want to be in this position. But he said the garage said it would be ok to drive on it and pump it up as and when. Now the tyre is completely flat and we cannot remove the tyre as the bolt is so tight.

The garage does what the customer wants. To answer your question more I'd need more clarification, did they take the wheel off, unlikely if its a nail as its visible. They definitely didn't take the tyre off as you could not refit it with the nail.

The bolt is tight because they likely used a machine rather by hand, just hook the brace on a bolt and stand on the end & bounce gently (I am not a mechanic - this is just how I do it)

And the garage can’t force your DH to buy a new tyre, if they said it wasn’t repairable and he had a choice to replace it or be always pumping it up until it gave out and he asked them to out it back on

That’s on DH, I can’t see how the garage are in any way at fault here at all.

They took the tyre off according to my OH. They said there was a nail in the side or something. At this point I asked Oh to replace it. He said no no it’s fine garage said I could either replace it or pump it up. It’ll be fine. I think he’s lying and now we’re in an awkward situation as the tyre cannot be removed and the tyre is flat will not drive. And I’m not happy as I think the garage would have recommended he replaced it but he went against their advice but I’m not sure as he’s certain the garage said it’s ok to drive on a slow puncture and pump up as and when required. Now 4 days later the slow puncture has resulted in a completely flat tyre and I’m annoyed with Oh but he said I’m unreasonable.

You can get a product in an aerosol called.tyre.fix iirc, this inflates the tyre and seals the leaks sufficiently for you to get to a garage. They'll have the air impact gun to remove the wheel nuts. Some places do part worn tyres for about 25 if you don't want to pay for a new tyre

The garage did not take the tyre off and then refit it with the nail still in it, it would be dangerous and they would have charged you for fitting a tyre/balance .
Yes they would have used a gun but bolts need to be tight, but all cars have a torque setting for the bolts. I don't believe they deliberately over tightened it, but I also suspect they didn't take the wheel off.

To answer your question, yes a garage would recommend it was changed as they want to make money.

Sometimes tyres can be repaired and if you have an honest garage they won't necessarily sell you a new tyre unless you actually need one. A few months ago I got a new (to me) car and there was a few little niggling things including a slow puncture so I took it to the garage we've always used and they removed and refitted the tyre for maybe £10-20 and it's been fine since.

However, if the nail is in the wrong place, it can't be repaired and needs to be replaced, because if not, it's potentially dangerous or could let you down at an inconvenient moment at the very least.

If you're at home now, the best thing to do would probably to find a mobile fitter to come and fit a new tyre.

Just ask the garage if you feel you need to get to the truth? Don’t let your OH deal with car stuff in the future, no way would it be advisable to drive on a tyre that has a slow puncture.