Wheels and tyres are a major factor attributing to the safety of your vehicle yet some of us forget to check them on a regular basis. Damaged wheels or tyres can cause serious accidents and therefore it is vital that you check them to try and catch any damage early and hopefully prevent anything happening.  

If you have a flat tyre or it is losing significant pressure over a period of time then you may assume that the tyre has a puncture and your only option is to replace it. This may not be the case as with some punctures, they can be repaired as long as they fall within the correct repair area.

It may not even be your tyres that are the issue. Damaged wheels can cause a perfectly good tyre to leak air and appear to have a puncture.

Really a wheel needs to be removed from the vehicle before it can be properly inspected for any damage. The rim and wall of the wheel should be checked for dents and cracks that may cause the tyre not to seal correctly round the tyre. A garage or tyre fitter will be able to do this for you and often they won’t charge to check it.  If your wheel is found to have damage, it may be able to be repaired. Often a garage will charge between thirty and fifty pounds to carry out one repair on a wheel so if the damage is in more than one place, it may not be worth the cost of repairing it.