OP, you got a page worth of posts on patching a RFT...and, most
suggested you skip the stlr. So, why head to the dlr? :rolleyes:

The only question is how much tread is left on the tires?

Another one chiming in. I used to work in a garage and personally did a lot of tire repairs, but never on a RFT. I am not living in the same city now, and so don't have access to that shop. I had a flat on the Z4 with a RFT. I went to a local tire store certified to fix that brand of RFT (I think it was Bridgestone). They showed me the factory instructions for different brands of RFT, and all are different. Your BMW dealer is not a tire store, and will follow BMW instructions. Nothing wrong with that, but you may object to buying a new tire at parts department prices.

It is not about how much tread is left. As other poster said, it is about where the puncture is (not near the sidewall); if it is a puncture or a cut; which brand of tire it is, as some can't be repaired; and most importantly, how long you drove on it flat, potentially damaging the integrity of the tire from overheating. It is because of the last point that many shops won't repair them, they simply can't be sure in many cases that you didn't drive on it and trash it, and it is potentially their liability if it blows on you. If the tire looks damaged they can refuse to repair it, but if the tire doesn't appear damaged there is still some risk to them, as the damage may just not be visible. My tire store asked me how long it was flat, how fast I was going, and my answers gave them sufficient confidence to do the repair and warrant it.

If it is fixed, make sure they don't use a standard plug (from the outside). The approved repair for many RFT models is a special plug that looks like a mushroom, is applied like an inside patch, and which is drawn through from the inside to the outside.

I paid $42 CDN for the repair, including balancing.

> The approved repair for many RFT models is a special plug that looks like a mushroom, is applied like an inside patch, and which is drawn through from the inside to the outside.


Yes indeed, and frankly, that is the only tire repair I would drive on with any tire, RFT or not, as other than a temporary repair.

And yes, I am sure many people can post about how a simple external plug has lasted 200,000 miles in their tire. One could also post that they have driven 100,000 miles with a knife held to their forehead without any problems... but that doesn't mean it is a good idea.

If you have a tire of any type repaired, I strongly advise doing the best possible repair -- a mushroom plug inserted from the inside of the tire:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...icial%26sa%3DN

Very good and accurate post. You covered all the bases!!
Gene:thumbup:

Dealer Replaced punctured RFT
 

After my tire pressure warning kept coming on. After the first check pressure was down to about 25psi. Filled it with air back to 32 psi. A week later, the same thing. Went through this cycle one more time and got fed up. Took it to the dealer since I do have the warranty, and they verified that a nail was in the tire, and that they couldn't repair it - the tire had to be replaced. Tire type was a Bridgestone Dueller 400 RFT. Cost to replace, approx. USD 335. Warrant company (separate from BMW) refunded me about USD323 after I filled a claim. Oh, you have to get an authorization number from the company before the replacement, which my dealer did. Oh, and the amount of thread remaining on the tire was reported and required by the warranty company. I have about 29000 miles on the 2007 3.0si 11/06 build. That's have the warranty deal works.

I got the tire fixed at the local tire shop, got great reviews about them on yelp.com. Great service, cordial people, and they fixed the tire for free and asked me to consider them when I am in the market for tires :o The only complaint was the wait, it took 4hrs, luckily my wife picked me up. They had a lot of people coming in, they are very popular, no surprises there. Did not ask what kind of plug they used, but I did notice that the tire had been dismounted from the wheel and there was some jell all around the sidewall where it meets the wheel, I guess to check for leaks.

After the warning came on and I got home, I took a pressure check after the tire had time to cool down, the pressure was 25 psi, so not all the way down. It was raining when the warning came on, probably helped prevent tire from overheating.

Thanks for the great advise from all the folks, really appreciate it
:thanks:

> but I did notice that the tire had been dismounted from the wheel and there was some jell all around the sidewall where it meets the wheel,

(1) If they dismounted it, odds are 95% that they used the proper mushroom plug, 5% they used a simple patch (you can tell if you can find the hole and see if there is something in the former "hole"),

(2) The gel is mounting lube, to make the bead "pop" into place more easily and securely when they re pressurized the tire to seat the bead to the rim. It is water soluble and kinda like a cross between soap and KY jelly.

kinda like a cross between soap and KY jelly!!!!!!!

Wooooohhhhhh were are we going to go with this now?

:rofl: I like the way you think ;)