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Ford Puma Tyre Repair

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Ford Puma Tyre Repair

Ford Puma Tyre Repair
Ford Puma Tyre Repair

Ford Puma Tyre Repair

The Value of Appropriate Puncture Repairs: A Pellon Tyres Lesson

Ford Puma with a tyre problem: rolled into **Pellon Tyres** the other day. He had been filling up his tank every few days, like many drivers, in the hopes that the issue would simply go away. However, tyres don’t mend themselves, as we are all aware!

We swiftly removed the wheel and pushed the car onto the ramp. As expected, a little nail was found lodged in the very middle of the tread. A classic example of a puncture that can be repaired, but only if done correctly.

Ford Puma Tyre Repair
Ford Puma Tyre Repair

The Importance of Correct Puncture Repairs

This is when things start to get interesting. The client informed us that a local backstreet garage had given him a **”bargain price”** quote for repairing a puncture. Immediately, alarms began to sound.

A large number of **unregulated tyre shops** continue to employ antiquated and **illegal** repair techniques. The traditional method involves **glueing a rubber plug into the hole** without properly sealing the tyre’s interior. This strategy may appear to be a quick and inexpensive solution, but it’s **risky**.

When fixing punctures, Pellon Tyres adheres strictly to the **British Standards (BSAU159)** and the recommendations of the tyre manufacturer. This implies:

For examination, the tyre is **completely removed** from the rim. The interior is examined for any concealed damage.
We only do repairs in the tread’s **safe centre zone**. A **suitable vulcanised plug patch** is installed from the inside. The repair is sealed to keep moisture out.

Instead of following these procedures, many cowboy garages simply **shove in a plug**. Now that you’re aware, the low cost of some puncture repairs can be attributed to these shortcuts.

Ford Puma Tyre Repair
Ford Puma Tyre Repair

Avoid Putting Your Safety at Risk for a Fast Fix

It is **very dangerous** for a tyre to deflate unexpectedly while driving due to a **bad repair**, especially when travelling at high speeds on a motorway. The tyre should **not** be repaired; it needs to be replaced if the sidewall has been destroyed or the puncture is outside the safe repair zone.

Please enquire with your tyre installer about their method for mending the puncture if you have any uncertainties. They’re not doing it correctly if they don’t remove the tyre from the rim! **A few pounds saved is not as valuable as your safety.**

A Synopsis of the Ford Puma in the United Kingdom

This customer’s **Ford Puma** caught my attention while I was working on it. What a fantastic little vehicle! In the UK, the Puma has a somewhat cult following and has existed in various versions for decades.

Puma’s Original (1997-2002)

Based on the modest Ford Fiesta, the **first-generation Ford Puma** was a sporty, front-wheel-drive coupé that made its debut in the UK in **1997**. It possessed a dynamic 1.7-litre **Yamaha-developed engine**, quick handling, and a genuine **driver-focused** feel. It soon gained popularity among people looking for a fun, reasonably priced vehicle.

The Puma was also well-known for its **”Rhythm is a Dancer”** television commercial, which featured **Steve McQueen** and was digitally set in San Francisco in the 1960s. It made the automobile look cool and vintage.

Despite its occasional presence at vintage car shows, Ford discontinued the original Puma in 2002, causing it to disappear from UK roads.

The Current Puma (starting in 2020)

Ford revived the Puma brand in **2020**, although this time it was a **small SUV**. The new **Ford Puma**, which is based on the Fiesta platform, adds **practicality and hybrid technology** while retaining part of the original’s athletic DNA. It has a good amount of room, snappy handling, and a useful feature called the **”MegaBox”** in the boot, which is ideal for keeping muddy boots in storage after a stroll on **Ogden Moor**.

The ST version boasts 200 horsepower, making it a genuine small hot hatch. The fact that the new Puma is now among Ford’s best-selling vehicles in the UK is hardly surprising.

If you ever encounter a slow puncture, resist the urge to attempt a hasty fix; instead, ensure it’s done correctly. Additionally, you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle with some **British motoring history** if you’re fortunate enough to drive a **Puma**, whether it’s the contemporary SUV or the vintage coupé!

Visit **Pellon Tyres** if you need your tyres tested; we’ll ensure your vehicle is roadworthy and safe. **Just professional service, no shady repairs!** 🚗💨

Flat Tyres on the motorway

Flat Tyres on the Motorway

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Flat Tyres on the Motorway

Flat Tyres on the motorway
Flat Tyres on the motorway

Flat Tyres on the motorway

So, in the past years, I have written many times. Of course, about how to change your punctured wheel. Although not all punctures occur on the motorway system. Importantly, this is what I am going to write about ! British motorways, as we all know, are always extremely busy. So, as many of my readers know. Hence, I delivered some of our battery sales to all over the UK. Inclusively, from Devon to Aberdeen. Covering all of the UK . When delivering very large truck batteries or even leisure batteries.

Many times I will set of at 4.30. Of course, depending on where I am going. So, for a short while in mid-summer, it will be light at this time. Happily and a pleasure to drive, with wonderful sunrises that only the early risers would see. However, the particular morning that caused me to write this article was dark. It was raining heavily and extremely windy. In fact, it was a terrible morning to be driving on the motorways !

Two miles on and a loud bang ! Flat Tyres on the Motorway

So, this particular day, I was heading for the Bristol area with about ten deliveries of different batteries. My usual motorway entry junction is the Barnsley entry/exit just south of the “Woolley Edge” service area on the M1 motorway. As I have said, it was a stinking morning with a gale blowing and raining heavily ! No problem; I thought it could only get better. However, I could not have been more wrong ! So, about two miles on, I remember running over something in the dark . A juddering sound followed this, which was frightening.

This was to be my first punctured tyre  at any time in my life !

probably one of the reasons for this. It is because, as the owner of a tyre centre, I have always had new tyres on any of my vehicles. Thus protecting me against any imminent tyre problem, including flat tyres on the highway. My van started to drift about ! So at first, I thought it could be the strong winds that were blowing. Even at that time of the morning, the M1 motorway is very busy with trucks and other vehicles alike.

Realising that I had a flat tyre, I pulled over onto the hard shoulder of the motorway. The wind was howling ! Rain was pouring down, and I was totally miffed, to say the least. Adrenaline was beginning to kick in ! Frightened at the prospect of changing the wheel with trucks whizzing by only four feet away. So, the first thing that came to mind was “where is the spare wheel?” and jack and “wheel l brace Disappointingly, then, I did not practise what I had been preaching for all these years.

I finally found all the tools and spare wheel-Flat Tyres on the Motorway

I was scrambling about in the dark, then I shifted the batteries and finally found the wheel brace and tool kit. Jacking points were no problem, and luckily, I managed to lower the spare wheel without any problems. So, this is where my 40 years experience came in. As the trucks were hurtling by, I managed the job pretty quickly. My only snag was that I had put the spare back into the carrier the wrong way around.

So, it was sort of dangling about a bit. However, I was able to limp along to the next service and fit the spare correctly and safely. As daylight approached, I began to think about my bad experience. Proudly, I had applied myself and done the wheel change safely and speedily. So I was back on my way down the M1 just an hour later.

However, my experience had made me think about what could have been !

Including what if the driver had been a lady driver !  Or even an elderly driver. So much so, in fact, that I have now completely changed my stance. especially over changing a wheel on the motorway or any other busy road.

My new advice from now on would be that drivers should join one of the breakdown services. Recently, I have noticed that the breakdown services have been changing their customers wheels. Admittedly, I  did snigger a little ! Of course, but not now !

Having ! experienced this with all the elements against me ! So I do now know that many people would not have been able to cope with this bad experience. Also, if you are capable of physically changing your own wheel, you should check out all the tools that you will require.

Also, there are now different spare wheel systems. Flat Tyres on the Motorway

  1. Many vehicles still carry a standard type of spare wheel. Just the same as the ones that will be on the vehicle. This was the case in the van that I was driving on that torturous rainy night. Flat Tyres on the Motorway
  2. Vehicles will also have a spare wheel. However, it will be a “temporary spare” wheel. The wheel has the same overall diameter as your vehicle’s tyres. However, it will be much thinner, usually a steel wheel. Most vehicles have alloy wheels, and this spare will look much thinner than the ones on the vehicle.
  3. Subsequently, these wheels do do the job and enable you to carry on with your journey. Importantly, though there is a limit to driving at 50 mph for a distance of 70 miles with one of these spares fitted.
  4. Many cars are fitted with run-flat tyres. At first, I did not agree with these run-flat tyres ! Primarily because they were more expensive to replace than a standard tubeless tyre. However, I have changed my mind ? Because of the tyres’ safety features.
  5. So if I had runflat fitted to my feet, then I would have been able to limp on. Albeit, at 50 mph. So the cars fitted with the run-flat system will not have a spare wheel, but the system will get most drivers out of trouble. So my opinion this is the worst system !
  6. car makers lower the weight of their vehicles by not fitting a spare wheel at all. A can of repair sealant replaces the spare. This sealant only works if the tyre has a small nail or screw embedded in it. So, anything larger, such as a small cut or large hole, can not be sealed.
  7. So, leaving you no better off and still stuck at the side of the road. The “no spare system” was to lower the cars overall weight to cut back on the cars emissions ! In my opinion then membership f one of the breakdown services is a must. Incidentally, when this repair sealant is used then the tyre has to be replaced as the cant be repaired.
  8. Flat Tyres on the Motorway

I hope that this article informs drivers enough to check and see what spare wheel system is used on their car. Importantly, because of the high volume of traffic on our roads, we should perhaps join one of the breakdown companies. Ensuring that your wheel will be changed in safety, whatever your cars spare wheel system. Flat Tyres on the motorway.

Pellon Tyres are now proud members of Tyresafe.org