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[Castr_85M]

Apperantly i have a slow leak on my pass rear tire which is RFT. I was told RFT are not repairable once they are punctured. Is this true? I dont want to have to buy a set of tires right now. Can I patch or plug the tire?

[Dackelone]

Have you LOOKED at your tire for screws/nails? How do you know its the tire? Could be the wheel or even more likely the valve stem(inner valve).

Btw... I did not know this at first... but after you put air in the tires... you need to reset the TPMS by using the BC on the turn signal stalk. Doing so tells the car to laern that tire pressure. Have you done that every time you put air in the tires? Is your TPMS light coming on?

[Castr_85M]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Have you LOOKED at your tire for screws/nails? How do you know its the tire? Could be the wheel or even more likely the valve stem(inner valve).

Btw... I did not know this at first... but after you put air in the tires... you need to reset the TPMS by using the BC on the turn signal stalk. Doing so tells the car to laern that tire pressure. Have you done that every time you put air in the tires? Is your TPMS light coming on?

I'm assuming its a screw/nail. Everytime in put air in the tire the TPMS light turns off. Comes back after a few days though when some of the tire pressure leaks.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by alofoque

I'm assuming its a screw/nail. Everytime in put air in the tire the TPMS light turns off. Comes back after a few days though when some of the tire pressure leaks.

So... after you put air in the tire DID you reset the TPMS ?

[Silverbane]

Leaks can be fixed on RFT's if you have not screwed up the side wall. I had a nail puncture in mine fixed. That being said, it cost a hell of a lot more then a non RFT to do...

[Rcode]

I had 3 nails in 2 tires. Dealer plugged all 3 for $40 ish.

[Boxtyp3]

Got a screw one time and the good people at America Tires pluged it for free since I get all my tire needs from them.

[VMRWheels]

Originally Posted by alofoque

Apperantly i have a slow leak on my pass rear tire which is RFT. I was told RFT are not repairable once they are punctured. Is this true? I dont want to have to buy a set of tires right now. Can I patch or plug the tire?

If you are leaking air every few days, the leak isn't too bad. I would do a dunk test to see where the leak is coming from and patch it yourself with a kit you can purchase from an automotive repair store.

-Charles@VMRWheels

[ZIPNBYE]

So long as you don't drive on your run-flat when it's flat, you can fix it like any other tire...for the tread-face is no different in construction (differences are only in the sidewalls).

[ZIPNBYE]

Originally Posted by VMRWheels

If you are leaking air every few days, the leak isn't too bad. I would do a dunk test to see where the leak is coming from and patch it yourself with a kit you can purchase from an automotive repair store.

Plug kits should only be a last-resort (stranded in the middle or no-where) as opposed to a proper patch (mushroom shape, with both a plug and circular patch)...for which you need the tire dismounted by someone able to do so.

[Hops128i]

Originally Posted by alofoque

I was told RFT are not repairable once they are punctured. Is this true?

Echoing other comments here, you absolutely can repair them provided you didn't drive on them with zero pressure, and the puncture is not close to the sidewall, just like regular tires.

It really frustrated me when I tried to get a slow leak repaired. No one would repair the tire. I suspect for legal reasons. So, I plugged the tire with a $10 kit. I've driven 6k miles on the plug with no problems. Ironically, having a run flat tires has taught me how to repair tires.

[Lexington]

I had a front RFT patched recently. They removed the tire, patched it, remounted and rebalanced. So far so good.

[mleskovar]

A common leak point is a loose attachment nut at the air valve stem.

[ynguldyn]

Take the wheel off the car.

Fill a large tub with soapy water.

Place the wheel (or, if the whole wheel doesn't fit, then just a part and rotate so that you check everything) underwater, see where the bubbles are coming from.

If you can't find the leak right away, get the valve stem underwater and move it side to side with your hand.

Proceed based on the location of the leak.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by mleskovar

A common leak point is a loose attachment nut at the air valve stem.

+1 I forgot about the loose valve stems!! I would look there first. Just take a 11mm deep socket and make sure its tight. It only needs a few ft/lbs. Just make sure its snug/tight.

[RayI]

I just replaced my original Bridgestone RFTs with 22000 miles. The reason I decided to bite-the-bullet was that I had a slow leak in my rear driver's side tire. I took it to my tire shop and they first told me that I would need to replace my RFTs soon. They found a screw in the tread near the tread-sidewall part of the tire. Initially they said it couldn't be repaired but, since I needed the car and they had no RFTs in stock,they applied a patch to the inside surface of the tire after removing the screw. Apparently, the patching material they use nowadays actually fuses the rubber compound, almost like a rubber weld.

I drove the car all day with no indications of a leak. I did take it back and ordered a set of Pirelli P0 RFTs. I was hoping to push this purchase into the spring but at least now I know my shoes are good for another couple of years.

[Raze]

Hi everyone. New 128i owner and new member.
I just got my 128i about a month ago. What an awesome ride! I love the handling and the looks!

Unfortunately, a week after I picked up the car, the TPSM sensor started lighting up. Checking tire pressures at a local gas station, the rear left tire had gone down to 20 psi. Since then, the TPSM goes off every 2-3 days and I fill it up to 40 psi each time that this happens. I have the following questions:

1. It seems odd, that the tire pressure falls from 40 psi to 20 psi each time. Seems to stop there. Does that make any sense? Ive driven around for a day or 2 with the TPSM light on, and the pressure does not seem to go below 20 psi. When I drive it at 20psi pressure, the handling does not seem to change at all.
2. I have 205/50R17 Bridgestone Torenzas. What does a run flat tire look like when "flat"? Im trying to understand if my tire needs replacement or not. It looks perfect and the drive is fine. I took my car to a local garage, and they took of the wheel and spotted a tiny puncture (Cant see it with the naked eye. The guy at the garage had to put soap on the tire, and connected an air hose to see where the leak was coming from.)
3.The garage told me that BMW should fix the tire as they dont handle run flats. BMW said that run flats cant be fixed. Ive never tried repairing a tire with a fixit kit and based on the comments on this thread, Im thinking of using one. (Dont feel like dishing out $300 plus tax, when my current tire is brand new) Any particular kits that you guys recommend?

Thanks for any feedback!! Apart from this inconvenience, my 128 experience has been great! Looking forward to being part of the community.

[mleskovar]

Assuming that you've looked for a puncture....Check that the tire valve is tightened properly. There's a hex nut at the base of the stem that when loose allows air to escape.

[ennislaw]

Definitely check the valve stem. However, I had a slow leak in my RFT around 4k miles that would loose about 20 psi a week, I had a nail in the tread; I called around and the deal is if you can find someone to repair it (a lot of tire dealers including BWM will NOT), you can no longer use it as a RFT. I just bit the bullet to the tune of $463 for a replacement at 4300 miles by my local BMW dealer, who, btw, managed to pop some paint off the wheel. But that's another story in the dealers' review and ratings section.

pge

[mleskovar]

Originally Posted by ennislaw

.. I just bit the bullet to the tune of $463 for a replacement at 4300 miles by my local BMW dealer...

That's crazy. I would replace all of them with non RFT first.

[ennislaw]

Originally Posted by mleskovar

That's crazy. I would replace all of them with non RFT first.

I was leaving for Europe in a few days and didn't have time for other solutions, so it was an expensive choice. However, even if I had replaced it with a OEM RFT from tirerack.com at my preferred performance shop, it would have been near the same price. A set of non-RFT would have run at least $200+ more at least. Welcome to BMWland. [Plus I'm not convinced adding non-RFT without suspension changes is a good thing.]

pge

[mleskovar]

Originally Posted by ennislaw

.. [Plus I'm not convinced adding non-RFT without suspension changes is a good thing.]....

I can't see where it would make a bad difference unless you used cheap or poorly made tires. They'll be lighter, and less unsprung weight is a good thing. Most people that have made the switch report better performance and comfort.