A proper tyre repair takes the tyre off the rim, checks the inside for damage you cannot see from outside, and seals the hole from within with a combination patch-plug. It takes longer than pushing a string plug in at the roadside, but it is the repair most tyre shops regard as permanent. Tell us the vehicle, the tyre size and where the damage is, and we pass your request to independent tyre shops and puncture repairers in your area. They quote you directly, free.
Inside patch-plug or string plug?
A string plug is pushed into the hole from outside with a reamer and insert tool. It can get you home, but it does not let anyone see whether the inner liner was damaged by running soft, and many shops don't treat it as a permanent repair. A combination patch-plug is fitted from inside: the shop removes the tyre, buffs the liner, applies vulcanising cement and pulls the stem through the hole so it fills the injury and seals the liner. The tyre is then refitted, leak tested and balanced. If you carry a tyre repair kit, use it to get to a shop, then ask for the inside repair.
What can't be repaired
- Holes in the sidewall or the shoulder, where the tyre flexes most
- Cuts and gashes, or holes bigger than the shop's limit; many repairers only repair holes up to about 6 mm in the tread of a car tyre
- A tyre driven flat, which often shows a ring of rubber dust or a crease inside
- A tyre with a bulge, exposed cords or tread below the legal minimum
- Two holes very close together, or a hole over an old repair
A good shop will show you why a tyre is not repairable. If it needs replacing, see tyre fitment.
Slow punctures that are not a nail
A tyre that loses pressure over days may not have a hole at all. Common causes are a corroded or bent rim lip leaking at the bead, a perished rubber valve, a loose valve core or a TPMS valve seal that has aged. The shop dunks the wheel in a water tank or brushes soapy water over it to find the bubbles. A bead leak on a corroded alloy can be cleaned and sealed, but a bent lip may need bent rim repair first.
Run-flat tyres and tread depth
Run-flat tyres can carry the car a limited distance with no air, but whether they can be repaired afterwards depends on the tyre maker's rules and how far and fast you drove; many shops will not repair them at all. Check tread depth while the tyre is off: the legal minimum in South Africa is 1 mm across the tread, and most tyres have wear indicators at about 1.6 mm. Repairing a tyre that is nearly worn out rarely makes sense.
What to put in your request
- Vehicle type and the full tyre size
- Where the damage is: tread, shoulder, sidewall
- Whether the tyre was driven flat
- Run-flat tyre or a standard tyre
- If it is a slow leak with no visible hole
Tyre and Puncture Repair for drivers, fleets and workshops
- Private car owners: a screw in the tread picked up on the way to work, or a tyre that is soft every Monday
- Enthusiasts, 4x4 and performance drivers: low-profile performance tyres and 4x4 all-terrain tyres that need careful inside repairs
- Company and rental fleets: rental and courier cars with punctures fixed between bookings so they are not off the road
- Dealers, panel shops and insurers: slow leaks and old plugs found during pre-sale checks on used cars
- Tyre shops and wheel workshops: mechanics passing on punctures found during a service to a tyre repairer nearby
- Truck, bus and taxi operators: minibus taxis that pick up nails on busy routes and need quick, sound repairs
- Farms: bakkie tyres punctured by thorns and wire on farm tracks
- Mines and construction sites: site vehicle tyres cut by rock that need inspection before any repair
Frequently asked questions
Is a plugged tyre safe to keep using?
Should I pull the nail out?
Does a repaired tyre need balancing?
Do you repair tyres yourselves?
Tyre and Puncture Repair by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg