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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU or does this look deliberate?

77 replies

Crazyhouse123 · 29/01/2020 10:50

Hi, so tyre pressure warning light came on in the car this morning. Stopped at the garage and there is this massive screw almost on the edge of the tyre.

DP used the car last night said the light came on just as he got home so didn't check in the dark and late, and left before I was up this morning.

I think that it would be very odd to pick up a screw almost on the side of the tyre. But I am aware that it may be possible so just wonder what the consensus is on here?

Very annoying as unlikely to be able to be repaired safely on the side like that and the tyres are new within the last year.

AIBU or does this look deliberate?
OP posts:
GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 29/01/2020 10:55

Unfortunately, it is totally possible.

DIdn't DP think to check the tyre this morning/let you know before you drove off?

BlueJava · 29/01/2020 10:55

I think it could have happened, perhaps against a kerb (if the screw was next to it and the pointed way up), but it seems unusual I would say. Where was the car parked previously just before your DH noticied it?

Seeline · 29/01/2020 10:56

Screw could have been lying in the gutter when parking or something.

I've had a similar puncture.

BillHadersNewWife · 29/01/2020 10:56

It does look deliberate. Have you got any enemies?

SunOnAll · 29/01/2020 10:56

Do you have any reason to believe someone would to it deliberately?

GertrudeCB · 29/01/2020 10:58

I've had it happen to me, not deliberate.

Judashascomeintosomemoney · 29/01/2020 11:00

This happened to my dad a while back after visiting us. Nail in the tyre almost exactly the same position. He’d been parked on our drive and when he left he got about 200 yds away before he had to stop. We’d had some work done on the house and there must have been a nail or two left amongst the pebbles on the drive. Totally accidental, so it is possible.

Original poster
Crazyhouse123 · 29/01/2020 11:00

He went to drop something off at a mates house so wasn't gone long, and stood on the doorstep car was in friends drive so no kerbs involved.

We park in our drive. I cant think of anywhere yesterday where I would have picked this up it was just one school run and DP using it in the evening.

Yeah he is cross with himself he didn't check last night or mention it this morning. He is very car mad so it is a total oversight on his part (vv busy and stressed with worl too) so I totally don't hold him not telling me against him as it is very out of character!

OP posts:
Original poster
Crazyhouse123 · 29/01/2020 11:02

Nope cant think of anyone at all, or certainly no one who hates us enough to do that!

It's just such an odd place for the screw.

OP posts:
PawPawNoodle · 29/01/2020 11:04

I picked up a piece of metal shrapnel in the exact same place just driving on an roundabout (I'm assuming that's where I picked it up as there was some roadworks being done, I felt a little bump but assumed I'd gone over a pothole) the tyre light didnt come on until I was nearly home as it got more embedded by then and lost pressure.

Original poster
Crazyhouse123 · 29/01/2020 11:04

Judashascomeintosomemoney interesting that it happened like that for your dad, it must be possible then for it to be accidental.

How annoying!

OP posts:
JaniceBattersby · 29/01/2020 11:05

This has happened to me several times, usually when I’ve been to the builder’s merchant but not exclusively. There are loads of sharp things hanging around on roads that can pierce tyres. I wouldn’t give it a second thought.

Original poster
Crazyhouse123 · 29/01/2020 11:05

PolPotNoodle ahhh very good point! I go over three roundabouts to school and one of them had traffic lights for roadworks yesterday. That would make sense.

OP posts:
SpoonBlender · 29/01/2020 11:06

No, totally possible to happen naturally - I've had about five in car and motorbike tyres over thirty years. I always pick up screws and nails in the street!

Seeline · 29/01/2020 11:06

I cant think of anywhere yesterday where I would have picked this up it was just one school run and DP using it in the evening.

TBH if you were on the road you could have picked it up anywhere. Any building site could have dropped a screw in the road. I see a lot of builders sweeping stuff into the gutter - even if you were on the carriageway, a screw could have partially stuck to someone else's tyre and then dropped off elsewhere.

AryaStarkWolf · 29/01/2020 11:07

I've had a few punctures like that, it can happen

slipperywhensparticus · 29/01/2020 11:09

If your car is egged or caked that's deliberate a screw is normal unfortunately

SpoonBlender · 29/01/2020 11:10

Looking again, it's driven in to exactly the height where the top would touch the ground as the wheel rotates. Definitely a road pickup. My last one was in the shoulder, same as yours - roofing nail from a building site I parked by while visiting a friend.

Anyone doing this intentionally would screw it all the way in - or more likely let down the tyre with the valve then use a knife in the sidewall where it's thin.

saraclara · 29/01/2020 11:10

I've had that happen at least three times! I can never work out quite how it happens. But fortunately it's really cheap to repair, as the nail/screw leaves such a neat little hole. And yes, certainly the one I had repaired about three months ago was in a similar position to yours. I have no recollection about the others.

saraclara · 29/01/2020 11:12

...oh, and I never go anywhere near building sites or anywhere else where I can imagine picking one up!

It's really not worth overthinking. Any tyre place will fix it in about ten minutes and charge you peanuts.

stophuggingme · 29/01/2020 11:12

This has happened to me. It was a huge nail and it did look suspicious but the garage said it is rather common

TheNoiseHurts · 29/01/2020 11:12

It's happened to me a couple of times, so no I don't think it is deliberate.

AmberAndAlexsMum · 29/01/2020 11:16

Has happened to me before when my car was six months old. Bloody annoying because you have to replace the tyre but it can easily happen.

Rhubarbncustard4 · 29/01/2020 11:17

This is totally possible , we’ve had it a couple of times - I wouldn’t over think it .

prh47bridge · 29/01/2020 11:19

Another one who has had this. It doesn't look deliberate to me. Provided you've got adequate tread depth and the tyre wall hasn't been damaged you should be able to get it fixed for £25 or less.