Help needed. Is my car tyre punctured?

Question

I took my car to the supermarket a few days ago and noticed it was nearly flat (they are tubeless tyres). So I had the pressure reading done and it was 10 psi, so I inflated it to 32 psi. Three days later the psi dropped to 6 so I filled it to 30 psi and now three days later it has dropped to 20 psi.

Is it punctured or is it a faulty valve? What should I do (other than take it to the local repair shop) or check first?

Also, if it IS punctured can it be repaired since the air only seem to be coming out slowly? Thanks.

Answer 1

It is almost assuredly punctured. The only time you will usually see a bead leak or a stem leak is shortly after the tires were installed or after a routine pressure test.

A slow leak is a very easy repair for a tire shop, if you look closely at the tire you will probably see a nail or s***w that has penetrated the tread.

Never use the tire sealant that you squirt into the tire, for one it will only work if the nail or s***w is removed and two it won't last very long and the tire guy who ends up repairing it will have a mess on his hands.

A flat repair is usually about 15 bucks, the sooner you get it done the better. Every time you drive it low on air you are damaging the tire casing and making a future blowout more likely even after the puncture is repaired.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

Checking the valve is easy, just wet over the valve hole and see if it bubbles.  If so then either replace valve (have air pump handy to refill) or even try tightening it.

To check for a puncture jack up the car and remove the tyre and then inspect for obvious things like nails or screws or such going into the tyre. If you can't find any then take to a bath tub or other deep pan fill with water and place the tyre into it and slowly turn the wheel and see if you can see any leaks.  Make sure to have the 30lbs pressure in the tire so the leak shows.

If the leak is around the seat where the rubber meets the wheel then a repair shop will have to remove the tire and clean the rim and replace the tire unless the tire is damaged there.

Answer 3

well it could be a number of thing from a slow leak around the bead which is were the rim and tire meet or around the valve stem or there could be a nail or glass or even a rose thorn in the tire... and yes i've personally seen a  thorn in a tire. My suggestion is to take the tire off and air it up and get some soapy water in a bottle and slowly spray the tire looking at the tread to see if you can see bubbles. you can also do the same for the bead of the tire and the valve steam. and if its the bead, valve steam, it can be fixed and if its on the tread it can be fixed to a certian point. on the sidewall it CAN'T be fixed. Hope that helps  

Answer 4

Are your tires more than three years old? If so, they could be dry rotted and leaking slowly. Also, check the edge of the tires rim to see if there any dents where air can escape. Then again, it could be a nail or glass.

Answer 5

Hi, your best bet is to take the car to one of the reputable tyre dealers (ATS, National, etc, look in your local Yellow Pages) they will remove the wheel & tyre and put it in a large bath to see if there is a puncture or just the valve is at fault. Provided the puncture is in the tread area of the tyre (where it makes contact with the road) and not the shoulders or sidewalls, they should be able to repair it at a reasonable cost (£5-£10) You will probably find it's something like a nail causing the pressure loss, as anything bigger would make the tyre go flat a lot quicker.

Hope this helps, please let us all know how you get on!  

Answer 6

I think the  valve is faulty or it may me loosened. There is one more possibility. There is someone harassing you may be your neighbour or ur siblings

Answer 7

You may have to get the tire removed and reinstalled. The glue around the rim has gone bad. The valve could be the problem, but not likely. My father had that problem with an older van of his & that turned out to be the problem.