repair flat tyre Page 2

Got a flat? Don’t try the hero lap—pull over somewhere safe, hazards on, and set the handbrake.

Crack the wheel nuts a quarter-turn, find the jacking point (it’s in the manual, not your best guess), lift the car, and swap the wounded wheel for the spare.

Tighten the nuts in a star pattern, drop the car back down, then properly tighten them—firm, not “gorilla with a breaker bar”.

If it’s a small puncture and you’ve got a plug kit: remove the nail, ream, plug, inflate to around 32–36 psi, and check for leaks—then still get a tyre shop to repair it properly.

Never drive any distance on a flat or on a skinny space-saver at highway speeds; they’re for limping home, not Bathurst.

Finish by re-checking pressures and wheel-nut torque after a short drive, and book a proper fix so it doesn’t come back to haunt you.