Tyre puncture repair, done properly.
Everything a UK driver needs to know about repairable punctures, the BS AU 159 British Standard, MOT rules, and finding trustworthy tyre repair near you.
What "BS AU 159" actually means for your tyres
BS AU 159 is the British Standard published by BSI that defines how a car tyre puncture must be repaired to remain road-legal in the United Kingdom. It's the only repair method used to assess whether tread-area damage may be safely repairable. In plain English: the tyre has to come off the wheel, be inspected from the inside, and be sealed with a combined plug-and-patch — not with an external string or a can of foam.
If you searched tyre repair near me and landed here, this guide will tell you in two minutes whether your puncture is repairable, what a proper repair costs in time, and what a compliant mobile fitter should do at your kerb.
Repairable vs replacement
Every puncture is judged against the same criteria. Here's the checklist we use at your kerb.
- Puncture in the central tread (middle three-quarters of the tyre)
- Puncture hole 6mm or smaller in diameter
- No sidewall or shoulder damage
- No cord or belt damage visible internally
- Tyre has not been driven flat for an extended distance
- Legal minimum tread depth remaining (1.6mm+)
- Any damage to the sidewall or shoulder area
- Cuts, bulges, or exposed cords
- Run-flat tyres that have been driven flat
- Second puncture within 40mm of an existing repair
- Ageing or perished rubber (over 6 years old)
- Tyres worn below 1.6mm tread depth
What a BS AU 159 repair looks like
Six steps, roughly 25–35 minutes at your kerb. Anything faster than this is almost certainly not a permanent repair.
Dismount
The wheel is removed from the vehicle and the tyre demounted from the rim on our mobile machine.
Internal inspection
The inside of the casing is examined for hidden cord, belt or ply damage that is invisible from outside.
Prep the injury
The puncture channel is buffed and cleaned so the plug bonds chemically to the rubber, not just mechanically.
Combined plug-and-patch
A single-piece plug-patch is inserted from the inside — the plug fills the injury, the patch seals the inner liner.
Refit and rebalance
The tyre is remounted, inflated to spec, dynamically rebalanced and the wheel torqued to manufacturer setting.
Final safety check
The completed work is checked before the vehicle returns to the road.
Four things drivers get wrong
"A rope plug from Halfords is fine."
External string / rope plugs are legal in the UK only as a temporary get-you-home fix. They fail MOT and are not BS AU 159 compliant. A permanent repair must be done from inside the tyre.
"Any puncture means a new tyre."
Wrong — and a good fitter will tell you honestly. If the injury is inside the BS AU 159 parameters, an internal plug-and-patch lasts the remaining life of the tyre.
"Run-flats can always be repaired."
Almost never. Once a run-flat has been driven on low or zero pressure, the sidewall reinforcement is compromised and the tyre must be replaced.
"Sidewall punctures can be patched."
No. The sidewall flexes constantly and any repair will fatigue and fail. BS AU 159 explicitly excludes sidewall and shoulder repairs.
Need a puncture assessment at your location?
Mobile BS AU 159 puncture repair across every London borough, the M25 corridor and into Essex. Home, office, roadside — anywhere your car is. Quoted upfront on the call, no tyre details and location so the suitable next step can be confirmed.
Stranded?
We're already on our way.
Puncture at 3am. Blowout on the M25. Locked wheel nut. Whatever it is, call and tell us where you are and what has happened.
Share your location, registration and tyre size so we can confirm the suitable help.
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