Guides
What to do when you get a flat in Austin
Stop somewhere flat and out of the way, and do not drive on a flat tire unless you are moving to somewhere safer. Find the size on the sidewall before you call, so the right tire arrives. If the car came without a spare, a repair or a replacement at the car is the only route home.
First, stop properly
Off the traffic lane, on ground that is flat and firm. A jack needs a solid level surface, so a sloping driveway, soft grass or a storm drain cover is worth avoiding if there is anything better within a few car lengths.
In a multi-level garage, the deck is ideal ground and the ramps are not. If the car is on a ramp or in a tight bay, rolling it a few metres to a straight run of deck makes the job possible rather than awkward.
Handbrake on, in park or in gear, and ideally not with the flat on the traffic side of a narrow street.
Should you drive on it?
Only to get somewhere safer, and then only slowly and briefly. The rule is simple: distance ruins the tire, and if the tire is already ruined, distance starts on the wheel.
A tire with no air lets the rim ride on the sidewall. Within a mile or two the inner liner is torn and the tire is scrap even if the puncture itself was small and repairable. After that the wheel takes the load, and an alloy wheel is an expensive thing to flat-spot.
So: across a car park, yes. Off a ramp onto the deck, yes. Two miles home because it is more convenient than waiting, no. That trade turns a repair into a tire, and sometimes into a tire and a wheel.
Find your tire size before you call
This is the single most useful thing you can do in the five minutes before calling anyone, because it decides whether the right tire is on the van when it arrives.
It is on the sidewall, in the form 225/65R17, sometimes with a number and a letter after it. The same figure is on the sticker in the driver's door jamb, which is easier to read in the dark and tells you what the car was built with.
If you cannot find it or cannot read it, photograph the sidewall and send the picture. Failing that, the make, model and year of the car narrows it enough to be useful. There is a decoder on this site that explains every part of the code if you want to know what you are looking at.
The spare, and its limits
If the car has a spare and you can fit it, that is a legitimate answer and it costs nothing. Three things are worth knowing before you rely on it.
- A temporary spare, the narrow one often called a donut, is speed and distance limited. The limits are printed on it, typically 50 mph and around 70 miles. They are not conservative suggestions; the tire is built lightly on purpose.
- A full size spare has no such limits, but it has been sitting for years and is very likely low. Check the pressure before trusting it, not after.
- Locking wheel nuts need their key, which is usually in the glovebox, the boot with the jack, or the spare wheel well. Without it the wheel does not come off, and that is worth discovering now rather than at the roadside.
- Plenty of cars built in the last decade have no spare at all, only a sealant kit and a compressor. If that is your car, fitting a spare is not one of your options.
When there is no spare
This is increasingly the normal case, and it is why mobile tire work exists. Without a spare the car does not move under its own power until the tire is fixed or replaced, wherever it is standing.
The sealant kit in the boot will sometimes get you moving. It works on a small tread puncture with the object still in place, it does not work on a sidewall or a large hole, and it makes a mess that has to be cleaned out before a proper repair. Some kinds also damage the pressure sensor.
The alternative is somebody bringing the repair or the tire to the car, which is what we do. Either way, the useful thing you can do while waiting is find the size and work out whether the car is somewhere a van can park beside it.
What happens when we arrive
The van carries a tire changer, a jack and stands, a torque wrench and a compressor, so the work happens where the car is standing. If the puncture is repairable, the tire comes off the rim, gets a combination patch and plug from inside, and goes back on torqued to spec. If it is not, we fit your spare or a tire in your size, new or inspected used.
Every wheel goes back to the manufacturer's torque figure, usually between 80 and 100 lb-ft on a car. We look yours up rather than guessing, and we tell you the price on the phone before anyone drives out.
Questions about this service
Can I drive two miles home on a flat tire?
Not without ruining the tire, and probably the wheel. A tire with no air lets the rim ride on the sidewall, and within a mile or two the inner liner tears, which turns a repairable puncture into a replacement. Move it far enough to be safe and stop there.
How fast and how far can I go on the donut spare?
The limits are printed on the spare itself, and they are typically 50 mph and around 70 miles. They are real rather than cautious: the tire is built light on purpose, with less tread and a weaker casing. Treat it as enough to get to where the real tire will be fitted, not as a tire.
My car did not come with a spare. What are my options?
The sealant kit in the boot, if the puncture is small and in the tread, or somebody bringing the repair to the car. There is no third option, because the car will not move safely on a flat. This is the situation mobile tire service exists for, and it is now the normal case on new cars.
I cannot get the wheel off. What is wrong?
Most often a locking wheel nut without its key, which usually lives in the glovebox, with the jack, or in the spare wheel well. Otherwise the wheel has corroded onto the hub, which is common and takes a firm knock to free. Both are things a technician deals with routinely.
Should I put the sealant in before calling?
If you need the car to move right now and the puncture is small and in the tread, yes. Otherwise it is worth skipping. It has to be cleaned out before a proper repair, it coats the inside of the tire, and some formulations damage the pressure sensor. Tell whoever works on the tire that you used it.
How do I find my tire size in the dark?
The sticker in the driver's door jamb is easier to read than the sidewall and carries the same figure, plus the correct pressures. If neither is readable, photograph the sidewall with the flash on and send the picture, or give the make, model and year of the car.
Tell us where you are.
Call or text (512) 573-0135. Give us the cross street or a dropped pin and we will tell you what it costs before anyone drives.
(512) 573-0135