Run Flat Tire repair kit?

[Grumpa72]

I was on Tire Rack's web site and saw that they have a Conti repair kit which is essentially a pump, a can of latex sealant and instructions. It has the usual caveat about those cars with TPMS so I emailed Tire Rack and asked if the sealant would hurt the TPMS on a tire that it was used on. You know, the Conti with the flat, fixed by the Conti RFT repair kit? Their reply?


"Gary, The sealant can permanently damage the sensors. Henry"


So, why sell the kit if it gets you home but destroys the TPMS?


Does anyone make a flat repair kit that we can safely use without damaging the TPMS? Curious.


Gary
'07 328xi

[Takashi]

I don't think there is a latex sealant that won't damage the TPMS sensor.
I talked to the local tire repair shops about this and they said they will throw in a new sensor wheneve they repair tires that were 'sealed' with the sealant. They also told me that the sealant is not intended to be left in the car for > 24 h. When you bring the tire to the tire shop, they will take out the tire and clean the inside of the tire before they can repair it.

I won't use those sealants if I were you.

Hm. You have a 328xi. Don't they come with run flats?

Incidentally, I thought the run flat system in in 3 don't use a sensor; instead it monitors the roation ratio between the 4 tires. I could be wronb but if a sensor is placed inside the tire, won't the LCD display the actual pressure of the tire?

[Grumpa72]

I won't use those sealants if I were you.

Hm. You have a 328xi. Don't they come with run flats?

Incidentally, I thought the run flat system in in 3 don't use a sensor; instead it monitors the roation ratio between the 4 tires. I could be wronb but if a sensor is placed inside the tire, won't the LCD display the actual pressure of the tire?

Yes, the 328xi comes with RFT but I was wondering what to do if you are more than 50 miles from civilization and need to come to a dealer. Of course, the RFT versus standard discussion is all over the forum. I just wanted a different answer than switch to traditional tires and care a donut spare. Then I saw the Conti kit and it seemed to be the answer.

Ok, so I don't have the TPMS but a rotation sensor? I have only owned the car for a bit less than three weeks so I will go back and re-read the manual.

Comments from others?

Tia,
Gary

[mryakan]

metal valve stems = TPMS.
rubber = FTM (ABS sensors).

P.S. TPMS doesn't display pressure, just warns when low, thus the need to reset it when you replace/inflate tires

[Blue Streek]

What about a can of good ol' "Fix-A-Flat"? It advertises that it won't harm or is safe for TPMS. (check their website) I'm probably going with a non-runflat when I have to buy new tires and will either get a compact spare or some sort of repair kit that isn't too difficult to use.

[Takashi]

Please find out if you can and let us know because I am very new to RFT and TPMS. In a way I am sort of relaying what others (BMW, Tire Warehouse) told me so far.

By the way, did you guys buy the roadside hazard protection plan offered by BMW dealers? I am wondering if it is worth the $ ($800 bucks)

The Fix-a-Flat tire repair can looks like an attractive solution; however, since I live in a place where we can get freezing rain and snow in May, I am not sure if it will work.

The search continues...

[Mad Dragon]

I talked to the local tire repair shops about this and they said they will throw in a new sensor [whenever] they repair tires that were 'sealed' with the sealant.I wonder if they realize BMW tire sensors are well over $100 each...


The only thing fix-a-flat is good for is ruining tire gauges and making a mess when dismounting the tire. :nono

[Grumpa72]

metal valve stems = TPMS.
rubber = FTM (ABS sensors).

P.S. TPMS doesn't display pressure, just warns when low, thus the need to reset it when you replace/inflate tires

I guess I need to walk out to the garage and see what I have there. I saw the same question on Tire Rack. More to follow.

Gary

[smitty8237]

I have an '06 325i. There are no sensors in the wheels. Perhaps the later model 3 series do have them. I have seen that info posted here in the past. I will be putting non-run flat snow tires on the car in December. Have any of you had experience with fix-a-flat or some other product. I haven't had a flat tire in 30 years, but a little piece of mind doesn't hurt.

Thanks, Smitty

[TwinTurbo335i]

Well, I have a '07 335i with sport package and my TPMS system mesures the rotation of the wheel and tire. No valve stem monitoring system here.

[Takashi]

That's the same thing that BMW told me today when I called them up to ask about TPMS.

We must keep searching. The answer is out there...


Well, I have a '07 335i with sport package and my TPMS system mesures the rotation of the wheel and tire. No valve stem monitoring system here.

[mryakan]

I have an '06 325i. There are no sensors in the wheels. Perhaps the later model 3 series do have them. I have seen that info posted here in the past. I will be putting non-run flat snow tires on the car in December. Have any of you had experience with fix-a-flat or some other product. I haven't had a flat tire in 30 years, but a little piece of mind doesn't hurt.

Thanks, Smitty
Get the runflat snows and you won't have to get out of the car in the freezing wind, snow and slush to use the fix-a-flat. Worth 25$/tire to me. :stickoutt

[mryakan]

Well, I have a '07 335i with sport package and my TPMS system mesures the rotation of the wheel and tire. No valve stem monitoring system here.
Just FYI, that is called FTM (not TPMS):

FTM = Flat Tire Monitor
TPMS = Tire Pressure Monitoring System

Cheers

[mryakan]

That's the same thing that BMW told me today when I called them up to ask about TPMS.

We must keep searching. The answer is out there...
Your answer is already here my man:


metal valve stems = TPMS.
rubber = FTM (ABS sensors).

[Grumpa72]

Ok, my '07 328xi with RFT has rubber valve stems so therefore I have the FTM which (correct me here please) means that I have a tire pressure monitoring system that is monitored by the ABS. No internal TPMS doohickey to measure actual pressure. The ABS looks at the rotational speed and sounds a warning if one tire has a lesser diameter than the others and therefore rotates at a different speed than the other three?

So, back to my original question then: If I buy the Conti repair kit and use their latex based sealant, nothing will get damaged?

Comments?

Tia,
Gary

[TwinTurbo335i]

Correct

[seferiad11]

What about a can of good ol' "Fix-A-Flat"? It advertises that it won't harm or is safe for TPMS. (check their website) I'm probably going with a non-runflat when I have to buy new tires and will either get a compact spare or some sort of repair kit that isn't too difficult to use.

I wonder if they have changed the formulation or just being disingenuous. I recall checking the fine print on the can that did mention risk to tire sensor. The other one was tire explosion, albeit, probably low risk.

[Grumpa72]

Correct


"Correct" as in my understanding of the FTM or my question about the sealant not affecting the doohickey because there isn't one, or both! :D

Gary

[TwinTurbo335i]

Correct on your understanding and that it won't mess up your tires if you use the repair kit.

[sdyck]

In Canada you still get regular roadside assistance from BMW. Your $800 is for BMW assist, sort of like GM's onstar, so you can call them with your built blue tooth system. The car will call them automatically if you have an accedent or they can unlock your car/trunk automatically, not a heck of a lot for $800 and $3-400 a year in fees. In the states they get the first 4 years free!


Please find out if you can and let us know because I am very new to RFT and TPMS. In a way I am sort of relaying what others (BMW, Tire Warehouse) told me so far.

By the way, did you guys buy the roadside hazard protection plan offered by BMW dealers? I am wondering if it is worth the $ ($800 bucks)

The Fix-a-Flat tire repair can looks like an attractive solution; however, since I live in a place where we can get freezing rain and snow in May, I am not sure if it will work.

The search continues...

[keithm1121]

Most Tire shops will just plug the run-flat tires and they are good to go. I just had a screw cause a leak in mine and they plugged the tire and off I went. They told me the only time you can't fix a run flat is if something happens to the wall of the tire, but then again they said that is true for all tires. Save the money on fix - a - flat drive to a tire shop and get the tire repaired.

[mryakan]

I was reading the warranty and user guide booklet that came with my Conti RFTs yesterday and they specifically state that Continental does not recommend patching an RFT since there is no way to determine if any damage was done to the sidewall reinforcement. Now they didn't state absolutely positively do not repair RFTs, but you'd see from a liability standpoint why some may not patch an RFT. I think if you get a repairable puncture and know for sure you didn't drive on a deflated tire then by all means repair it, but if your TPMS/FTM warning light came on and you drive it to a tire shop to get it repaired, you are taking a risk that the RFT structural integrity has been compromised.
Another thing to keep in mind when patching an RFT is the dismounting/mounting of the tire. A shop with no RFT experience may damage the wheel/tire or both just taking it off or putting it back on, so make sure they have worked on RFTs before.

[PStech]

I had to replace an RFT the other day at work because of a leak, and they had run it with no pressure in it. The tire looked fine from the outside (except for a bulge in the sidewall), but once I dismounted the tire, I could see that the inside of the sidewall was chewed up beyond belief. If a tire shop had done an outside-in repair (plug), they would not have noticed this and would have compromised the integrity of the tire.

[galahad05]

So...I'm hearing a few folks saying basically "not safe to fix a flat rft, really." At least in the case of having run with 0 pressure.

If this is really the right way to go--you have to replace the tire every time you have a flat and use the runflat capability--it's going to be incredibly expensive to keep runflats on my car.

[Grumpa72]

So...I'm hearing a few folks saying basically "not safe to fix a flat rft, really." At least in the case of having run with 0 pressure.

If this is really the right way to go--you have to replace the tire every time you have a flat and use the runflat capability--it's going to be incredibly expensive to keep runflats on my car.

On either this forum or bimmerfest, there were a couple of reports of dealers that fixed flats on RFT despite the caution against it in the owner's manual. I can say that, from what little I know of RFT, there doesn't appear to be any tire design restriction that causes flats to be non-repairable unless they are in the sidewall. That prohibition is on all tires though. Of course, if you run 100 miles sitting on the sidewalls, they MAY be compromised. That is one reason that I think that the Conti repair kit, for those cars with the non-TPMS devices may actually be a cost saving feature.

[PStech]

If you're going to have the tire repaired, I would ask them to dismount the tire and check the condition of the inside of the sidewall to help make sure that no damage was done.

[mryakan]

So...I'm hearing a few folks saying basically "not safe to fix a flat rft, really." At least in the case of having run with 0 pressure.

If this is really the right way to go--you have to replace the tire every time you have a flat and use the runflat capability--it's going to be incredibly expensive to keep runflats on my car.
... thus the reason I purchased the tire warranty :stickoutt

[mryakan]

If you're going to have the tire repaired, I would ask them to dismount the tire and check the condition of the inside of the sidewall to help make sure that no damage was done.
The sidewall integrity may have been compromised even without any visible damage on the outside or inside (and that is not me talking, but the tire manufacturers). So to be safe, if you have driven on an RFT while deflated, just replace it or you are risking a possibly dangerous blowout.

[fun2drive]

My car is a March 2007 build and it does have TPMS stems. I think the Idrive guys can actually read each individual tire pressure.

I have a small air pump and unless you have a large cut or side wall puncture you should be able to repair the tire with little damage unless you drive it because you have to due to where it deflated. I will add a plug tool to my little kit with the compressor as a just in case measure.

Oh Tire rack sells a set of 4 TPMS for 187.00 and not the 100 bucks as stated before...

[nm335]

My car is a March 2007 build and it does have TPMS stems. I think the Idrive guys can actually read each individual tire pressure.

I have a small air pump and unless you have a large cut or side wall puncture you should be able to repair the tire with little damage unless you drive it because you have to due to where it deflated. I will add a plug tool to my little kit with the compressor as a just in case measure.

Oh Tire rack sells a set of 4 TPMS for 187.00 and not the 100 bucks as stated before...

Hello "fun2drive":

As posted earlier, how does the patch affect the speed rating of the tire?