Premium tyre manufacturer, Continental Tyres, has partnered with content creator, Erika Crawte (@cranncreative on Instagram) to check on Irish motorists’ level of awareness of how they would cope if they got a puncture on their car. Surprisingly, nearly one fifth of motorists questioned by Erika in on-street interviews in Dublin were not sure if they had a spare wheel in their car or not.
Increasingly, over the last number of years, car manufacturers have ceased supplying spare wheels in new car models. In most cases, a spare wheel will only come with a new car if the motorist pays the optional extra cost. Instead, the majority of new cars sold today come with a tyre repair kit which consists of a portable compressor for re-inflating the tyre and a bottle of tyre sealant to repair the puncture. Unsurprisingly, the majority of motorists questioned in Erika’s interviews were unfamiliar with the tyre repair kit and were unsure how it could be used should they encounter a puncture.
According to Erika: “It was surprising to see the lack of knowledge in relation to the tyre repair kit and how it might work. More than half of the motorists I questioned were unsure of what they would do if they were forced to use one”.
Tom Dennigan of Continental Tyres Ireland commented: “Given that many new cars now come equipped with a tyre repair kit, our advice to motorists is to familiarise themselves with how it works and what you need to do if you get a puncture. We would also echo Erika’s advice in her on-street interviews video: don’t leave it until you are faced with a puncture at the side of the road to learn how you actually go about using the repair kit”.
“There are short videos online that show how to properly use a tyre repair kit (make sure the video is posted by a trustworthy source such as e.g. Continental Tyres) and we would strongly advise all motorists to educate themselves in this regard. Think safety before you try to use a repair kit: ensure your car is parked safely away from oncoming traffic and never try to use one at the side of a motorway. Keep in mind that all such repair kits have an expiration date after which the sealant needs to be replaced, this is because the sealant product has a typical shelf life of four years. Motorists should also never open the sealant before it is needed as this may render the sealant unusable”.
Dennigan further explained: “The decline in the use and supply of spare wheels in new cars is largely due to manufacturers prioritising weight reduction and space-saving, especially with the rise of electric vehicles that require extra space for large battery packs. We are hearing from our tyre dealer customers who run a mobile puncture repair service that roadside assistance calls have increased significantly and they are convinced a key reason for this is because drivers are unsure how to use the repair kit and feel the easiest option is just to call a mobile repair unit”.
“As you can see from the online instructional videos, the repair kit is not difficult to use but motorists need to understand the steps involved in its proper use and that once the repair sealant has been used in a tyre, the tyre must be replaced by a new one. There are also speed restrictions when driving on a tyre that has been repaired with sealant. Above all, it is important to know that the repair kit is only a temporary solution aimed at getting the car to a garage or tyre dealer where a new tyre can be fitted”, concluded Dennigan.
