Flat Tire Procedure?

[RickMonet]

Considering our cars do not have a spare tire, what is the recommended procedure when dealing with the unfortunate situation of a flat tire?

1. Call AAA or BMW Roadside Assistance?
2. Try using repair kit or fix-a-flat?
3. Load car onto flatbed tow truck
4. Tow car to BMW dealership or tire repair shop or home?
5. Is there anything special about our 18 or 19 inch wheels that the average tire shop cannot deal with?
   1. How to avoid scratching rim when removing tire for patch
   2. TPMS

It would be nice to have a plan laid out ahead to avoid making a wrong move when the situation arises.

Thanks

[ES_TRADER]

On my e92 I had a flat tire twice. Tried to fix it with their worthless trunk kit and it failed. Both times had to tow on flatbed to dealer. Problem is the tires aren't always stocked at Americas tire co and have to be ordered so usually it goes to the dealer and I get the tire right away but end up paying more of course. Maybe other stores are different but I don't think stores carry these tires regularly like they do Camry tires

I heard once u use fix a flat the tire can't be patched or repaired Not sure though

[Time]

1) Use the SOS button or call BMW roadside assistance

2) Have your car towed to your dealer for free, if they are open take home a loaner

3) If you don't have the wheel and tire plan, order a tire from your preferred web site and have it delivered to your dealer

4)????

5) Profit


Never use the fix a flat stuff. I carry a tire plug kit with me incase I get a flat in an area where there's no cell phone reception.

[Blksnowflake]

Great thread, I needed this.



Also, another concern for me is putting DCT in neutral which seems to be an issue if the car has no power.

[gearboxtrouble]

Don't use the mobility kit unless you have absolutely no other options. Most of the time, BMW assist will flatbed you in for free if reinflating the flat tire and driving to a dealer carefully isn't an option. I've had two flats on my old e92 M3 and in both cases, the dealer didn't have the tire in stock. If I'd used the kit, they wouldn't have been able to patch the damaged tire so I could drive my car for the 4-5 days it took to get a new one. I don't usually recommend dealer options but unless you live in a place with pristine, clean roads (eg Switzerland), the wheel and tire plan is a no brainer.

[xander569]

My flat was a slower leak, so I was able to use the mobility kit to pump up the tire enough to make it to the dealer (without the pressure light coming back on) and have them fix it. It worked pretty well for me.

I actually found a screw in my other rear tire today, no low pressure light came on there yet. I've had bad luck with these tires.

If it was leaking faster, I'd go with what the others said and call Roadside Assistance, that seems like the cheapest/best route

[2000cs]

And it may be obvious, but those of us with dedicated, mounted snow tires always have spares at home (or in storage at the tire shop) to use in a pinch if the dealer option isn't good. Good planning would have the off-season tires ready to go at all times, and for convenience the right socket on the right extension with the breaker bar and torque wrench so those, the floor jack and a pair (for same "axle") of wheels/tires can be quickly loaded into car #2 (X5 in my case) and driven to the flatted M3. Other plans can be dreamt up for longer trips where one might get truly stranded.
Assist would still be my first call every time, though.

[BMWFanatic2008]

I have a spare tire and wouldn't drive anywhere without it.

[RickMonet]

Originally Posted by BMWFanatic2008

I have a spare tire and wouldn't drive anywhere without it.

Do you use this spare tire?
http://www.bimmerzone.com/BMW_Perfor...T-F80-KIT.html

What jack kit do you carry with the car?

[straightpipeguru]

Hi
You can use the optional jack kit that is available for purchase with this tire, or any other BMW compatible aftermarket jack.

Originally Posted by RickMonet

Do you use this spare tire?
http://www.bimmerzone.com/BMW_Perfor...T-F80-KIT.html

What jack kit do you carry with the car?

[RickMonet]

Is there anything special about our 18 or 19 inch wheels that the average tire shop cannot deal with - in the case of applying a patch?

I would hate to have a pristine wheel scratched by a tire shop because the wheel was too wide for their equipment.

Is this a justified concern?

[Vigilant]

Good question Rick Monet. I had a recent event where a screw penetrated only into the shoulder portion of the tire. It was too short to enter the actual wall of the tire. I of course panicked and took it to the local Tire Kingdom and the tech pulled the screw and did the "bubble test", which was negative. He was also concerned about damaging the wheel rim to patch the tire, though it was 4 pm on a Sunday and my assumption is that he was being lazy.

Needless to say I purchased a Dynaplug set that day for such emergencies.

[Vigilant]

A couple pics of the event.

[fathom3]

Ugh, I hate those damn screws, Vigilant.

Since pulling the screw, have you had to further repair the tire?

[RickMonet]

I ended up buying a spare tire: http://www.bimmerzone.com/product/BIM-SST-F80-KIT.html

I am not going to keep it in the car at all times, but thought it makes more sense to tow my car home rather than BMW dealer. This way I can pull the tire off and take it wherever to fix/replace (using another car).

Spare looks good - but takes up most of the trunk. And it probably weighs 40 lbs or more.