Car tyre sealant

ian · September 2023

My wife experienced a fast puncture when driving our VW Touran last week. I went out in our other car, acting as her rescue service (although we do subscribe to Green Flag). My wife made it clear that the air was escaping via the puncture almost as quickly as she could get it into the tyre using the compressor. For the first time in my 40+ years of motoring I had to use the can of tyre sealing gunk that comes with a car that is made without a spare wheel.

IIRC our Touran's floorpan has a well that was designed to house a spare wheel, but the way that the seats are fitted means that it is not usable!

After using the VW/Audi gunk to seal a puncture, there is a speed limit of 50mph, and the tyre needs to be binned as soon as possible. So we shelled out £100 or so for a new tyre and a staggering £111 for a new tin of gunk, the latter being marked as expiring in 2024!

The experience has raised several questions in my mind:

How effective is the Holts Tyre Weld tyre sealant that Screwfix sell for under £8?

Does it work to use a product such as Holts Tyre Weld then, if the tyre isn't sealed, apply the official VW/Audi tyre sealant?

What about the strategy of calling out the professional motoring rescue service, and getting them to tow the car to a garage? It would save £111 each time and, although I think that excessively frequent callouts lead to either increased premiums or refusal to reinsure, for a car that does a modest annual mileage, fast punctures don't happen that often, do they? Darn it, before the gunk was applied, there was even a possibility that the tyre could have been repaired...

Note: Other motoring services are available (and, IIRC, tend to be speedier to arrive than GF).

ElectricXII · September 2023

£111 for sealant! How often does she use the boot? Maybe you could put a spacesaver wheel in there. Or on the back seat?

ronnyb · September 2023

Those tyre sealants are rubbish. Manufacturers put them in place of a spare wheel for weight saving / emissions etc. I'd never go any distance without a spare wheel. Once the sealants are in the tyre on the small off chance they fix the issue the tyre is ruined anyway.

Jono111 · September 2023

Wheels are heavy, it's not a good idea to leave one unsecured in the car or boot permanently. You wouldn't want one flying through the car in an accident.

Kittyfrisk · September 2023

Sorry to hear about your experience.
Regarding the 'official' VAG tyre sealant at £111... screw that! You could buy a secondhand wheel, fit a cheap good tyre & be good for years for that amount.
Are you sure the seats can't be moved to access the spare wheel? I'd be having some very old fashioned words with VAG about the fitness for purpose of their vehicles...
I'm not a fan of using sealants at all unless in the direst emergency for the reasons that you state, but even so those prices are a pisstake https://www.parkers.co.uk/car-advice/car-care/tyre-sealant-guide/

Tannin · September 2023

The real question is: why do the authorities issue roadworthy certificates to cars with no spare tyre?

BillDL · September 2023

Manufacturers rip off customers. When I bought my 2017 Nissan a few years ago the maps on the built-in SatNav were out of date. I would have had to pay £115 plus £5 postage had I bought the SD storage card with the most recent maps update if I chose to buy it from Nissan. I found an independent retailer selling the genuine SD cards for £35 with free postage. (https://www.satnavishop.co.uk/).

That car came with the moulded plastic tray under the floor panel that has all the spaces for the electric pump, the container of expanding foam, the jack, etc. I whipped it out and bought a space saver wheel with tyre, zip-up sack for it, and a wheel spanner and jack in a nice clip-close bag for just under £100 from https://www.thewheelshop.co.uk/; I would guess that these have been removed from scrapped vehicles and the wheel and tyre were described as "2nd-hand but unused". Nissan wanted something like £160 for the wheel and £50 for the tyre. The plastic storage tray just fitted into an existing wheel well that took the space saver spare perfectly and the bolt with star hand knob that held the tray in place works the same to hold the wheel in place. I have lost the additional depth of the storage tray that was handy, but the space saver wheel sits lower in the well than a full width wheel and I have a rubber floor mat on top of it and then all the other breakdown stuff on top of that up to the level of the floor, so I haven't lost all the storage space.

I still carry a couple of cans of Holtz Tyre Weld, just in case I ever get two punctures, and have binned the supposedly out-of-date Nissan stuff that came with the car. It will be a case of deciding whether to call out Green Flag or use the can(s) if I ever do get two punctures simultaneously.

mrkb · September 2023

A lot of modern tyres have a foam strip running along the centre of the tread on the inside of the tyre to reduce road noise. The foam strip also reduces the chances of the tyre sealant working.

Kittyfrisk · September 2023

Tannin said:

The real question is: why do the authorities issue roadworthy certificates to cars with no spare tyre?

In the UK keeping a spare tyre in your car, is not a legal requirement. Nor is having a jack, pump or anything else that is vaguely bloody sensible or useful...

BillDL · September 2023

Tannin said:

The real question is: why do the authorities issue roadworthy certificates to cars with no spare tyre?

There is no requirement for cars in the UK to carry a spare wheel, warning signs or a jack. The only time the condition of a spare wheel and tyre would be a consideration for the police, the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) or DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency), would be if it was actually fitted to the car and in use. While it's in the boot (or not, as the case may be), it is just decoration as far as they are concerned.

The annual "MOT Test" (old name - Ministry of Transport - new name DVSA) for cars older than 3 years checks the following things on a domestic car:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/car-parts-checked-at-an-mot/car-parts-checked-at-an-mot

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/966766/mot-inspection-checklist-vt29.pdf

They do not check the spare wheel or even whether the car has one in the boot or not.

skunkwerx · September 2023

I've oft wondered. I've been driving 18 years now and only ever had one puncture on the road.

Luckily that car had a spare. So I changed it.

But I also happen to carry a torque wrench in the boot.

Tbh even if cars came with them, a jack and a brace, how many younger people my age and below would have a clue as to how to actually change a wheel, and safely? A small amount I would say. These skills are getting lost.

I sewed a button that popped off my combats last weekend much to the surprise of everyone in work.. I thought these were just basic life skills lol.

My two most recent cars, a Megane and an A class, only have sealant. I will one day buy a space saver for the Merc, but that will no doubt cost an absolute fortune!

Tannin · September 2023

On outback trips, I normally carry two spares. Full-size ones, of course. If you are hundreds of kilometres of rough track away from civilisation (defining "civilisation" as a three houses and a shack with a petrol pump) as soon as you lose a tyre, if you only have one spare and you are already using it, you feel very, very naked.

skunkwerx · September 2023

I just had a brief look online..
£221 for the compressor.

+£71 if you want the gunk canister.

Same as what came with the car.

Spare space saver wheel with tyre £320. Jack and brace could be bought from halfords but what, probably £400 then all in..

There are loads for around £130 on amazon.. but even for an emergency.. I just do not trust that.

Cheaper to buy a full set of aftermarket alloys and carry one of them around..

elstoof · September 2023

You’re better off with one of those tyre string plug things rather before sealant surely

BillDL · September 2023

elstoof said:

You’re better off with one of those tyre string plug things rather before sealant surely

Fully agree with this. The kit hardly takes up any space and it's fairly intuitive to use. Not everybody would have the minimal skills to fix a puncture like this and many might not want to try this at the roadside, but it's a very useful and effective tool for probably the vast majority of punctures.

guitargeek62 · September 2023

BillDL said:

elstoof said:

You’re better off with one of those tyre string plug things rather before sealant surely

Fully agree with this. The kit hardly takes up any space and it's fairly intuitive to use. Not everybody would have the minimal skills to fix a puncture like this and many might not want to try this at the roadside, but it's a very useful and effective tool for probably the vast majority of punctures.

Agreed, I carry these and a mini air compressor/pump in my boot

Haych · September 2023

I used to know a guy who had a franchise for Slime, it's a green liquid that's injected into the tyre through the valve as a preventative measure in case one gets a puncture.

Its actual intended use was something completely different but apparently (or so I'm told) the inventor didn't mind its secondary use.

All first hand reviews I've heard are very good, its sealing capabilities are quite incredible. The drawback is that you then don't know you've had a puncture because the Slime seals it almost immediately and some tyre shops will refuse to change your tyres if it's been used - I guess it's messy stuff!

Anyway, it's a lot cheaper than £111 and probably serves a similar, if not the same, purpose, so there's always that as an option.

boogieman · September 2023

Our car has no spare wheel, just a compressor and tin of the puncture gunk. When we first got the car I thought about getting a space saver wheel but Audi have cunningly or stupidly decided to use the well, where the spare would normally fit, as the location for the subwoofer for the sound system.

p90fool · September 2023

elstoof said:

You’re better off with one of those tyre string plug things rather before sealant surely

My last car puncture was at 4.30am in the rain on an unlit B-road, it was a doddle to bung my spare wheel on by the light of my phone, but finding and plugging a hole would have been next to impossible.

They're a great kit to have and I carry them on motorcycles, but it's easier to carry a spare wheel in a car.

equalsql · September 2023

Haych said:

I used to know a guy who had a franchise for Slime, it's a green liquid that's injected into the tyre through the valve as a preventative measure in case one gets a puncture.

Its actual intended use was something completely different but apparently (or so I'm told) the inventor didn't mind its secondary use.

All first hand reviews I've heard are very good, its sealing capabilities are quite incredible. The drawback is that you then don't know you've had a puncture because the Slime seals it almost immediately and some tyre shops will refuse to change your tyres if it's been used - I guess it's messy stuff!

Anyway, it's a lot cheaper than £111 and probably serves a similar, if not the same, purpose, so there's always that as an option.

When I used to go mountain biking I used to put slime in my tyres. It was amazing stuff that saved my bacon a fair few times. Pulled thorns out, spun the wheel and then just added a few pumps of air and I was on my way.

Adey · September 2023

p90fool said:

elstoof said:

You’re better off with one of those tyre string plug things rather before sealant surely

My last car puncture was at 4.30am in the rain on an unlit B-road, it was a doddle to bung my spare wheel on by the light of my phone, but finding and plugging a hole would have been next to impossible.

They're a great kit to have and I carry them on motorcycles, but it's easier to carry a spare wheel in a car.

Why not carry a proper torch or light in the spare wheel well too? Better than a phone torch, surely.

Jimbro66 · September 2023

boogieman said:

Our car has no spare wheel, just a compressor and tin of the puncture gunk. When we first got the car I thought about getting a space saver wheel but Audi have cunningly or stupidly decided to use the well, where the spare would normally fit, as the location for the subwoofer for the sound system.

My partner's VW Up Beats has the same arrangement, which is a waste of the space as she only ever listens to Radio 4. I've suggested several times replacing the subwoofer with a space-saver wheel but it never happens. She says that's what the breakdown service is for.

My own car came with the compressor and gunk but I bought the space-saver wheel as soon as I got the car. That gunk is a waste of time for many punctures.

Kittyfrisk · September 2023

Some good suggestions so far. I threw out the large useless foam shaped piece that lived in the spare tyre well of my Skoda & replaced it with a good matched alloy (£50 from eBay) & a new tyre, £50 fitted. Sorted.
I also have a puncture repair kit & torches too & kept the gunk that came with the car for emergency emergencies

My Dad has a 2023 Honda Civic hybrid & he had a puncture a few weeks ago. Luckily I was there & spotted it before he ran on it & ruined the sidewalls.
Went to get the jack to change the wheel... no jack. No problem, I used my trolley jack ( OTT I know, but they are good).
Go to remove the wheel nuts... no sodding wheelnut socket & no wheel wrench/spider. Again I used mine.
There was a compressor & can of gunk, but that was it. Fuck all that was of any use in what is a reasonably forseeable situation.
It was a clean hole in the thickest part of the tread with nothing in it, so no idea what caused it.
Fixed it with a sticky string type kit. Dirty job & very, very messy stuff that glue, but it worked.

As car owners we have sleepwalked into a situation of utter pathetic helplessness, while the manufacturers coin in the savings.
I'm with @Tannin in being prepared so far as reasonably practicable, rather than just hoping for the best & unprepared for the worst.

crosstownvamp · September 2023

Adey said:

p90fool said:

My last car puncture was at 4.30am in the rain on an unlit B-road, it was a doddle to bung my spare wheel on by the light of my phone, but finding and plugging a hole would have been next to impossible.

They're a great kit to have and I carry them on motorcycles, but it's easier to carry a spare wheel in a car.

Why not carry a proper torch or light in the spare wheel well too? Better than a phone torch, surely.

Last time I had one I couldn't see the puncture in broad daylight. Good luck if it's on the inner side or where the wheel touches the ground.

I need to get a wheel that fits the empty well but not sure if it's full size or saver size.

Savers are bad enough and the gunk looks to be a pita, but less weight improves the mpg.

ROOG · September 2023

I bought a spare wheel for my car soon after taking ownership. The parts department handed it over to me over their counter, i quickly realized one reason (other than cost saving) why they leave them out, they are heavy!

Kittyfrisk · September 2023

crosstownvamp said:

Adey said:

p90fool said:

My last car puncture was at 4.30am in the rain on an unlit B-road, it was a doddle to bung my spare wheel on by the light of my phone, but finding and plugging a hole would have been next to impossible.

They're a great kit to have and I carry them on motorcycles, but it's easier to carry a spare wheel in a car.

Why not carry a proper torch or light in the spare wheel well too? Better than a phone torch, surely.

Last time I had one I couldn't see the puncture in broad daylight. Good luck if it's on the inner side or where the wheel touches the ground.
I need to get a wheel that fits the empty well but not sure if it's full size or saver size.
Savers are bad enough and the gunk looks to be a pita, but less weight improves the mpg.

It theoretically should, but I have tested this against the last three cars that I have had (without & with spare) & not been able to find a significant real world difference.
A wheel & tyre weighs about 20kg, which is around the average child of 6, a quarter of an adult at 70-80kg & about half to a third of a Bully XL

BillDL · September 2023

Is a spare wheel any heavier than a human passenger or a car full of weekly shopping? No.

The spare wheel is left out deliberately to save manufacturers money and so that they can quote unrealistic fuel economy figures.

How many cars pass you where the driver is the sole occupant? Lots.

How many cars are ever regularly filled to capacity with passengers? Very few.

Fuel usage figures are based on one occupant with no other weight from passengers, no spare wheel or tools, no bags of supermarket shopping, no Mesa Boogie or 4 x 12 speaker cabs, and none of the usual personal stuff we carry in our cars. I would say that the additional weight of a space saver wheel, jack and wheel spanner is hardly going to make a dent in the fuel economy if the car is normally only used with two occupants. The extra weight would be like carrying two dogs in the car.

skunkwerx · September 2023

I have been looking in to this for my car.. because ideally I do want a spare, and I'd be happy with a space saver however I've been reading stuff not yet confirmed true..

So my car has a liftable bootliner, under which is a spare wheel well that has no anchor point but has the air compressor and gunk knocking about.

Someone online reports that even a space saver will not fit in the well Lol. What the fuck.

Hopefully it fits in terms of the circumference.. the height is a pain but at least the boot liner can sit on top of it in a shit way.. not ideal though is it.

I'll enquire when I'm next in the dealership.. I have a complaint to put in so I'll try and wrangle one for free lol.. worth a shot innit.

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