I didn't notice it till about a month after I bought the car. Worse case if I got a puncture I'd have to take it steady to a repair place. Black MY2013 SD4 GS Auto, Wood Company Armrest, Freel2 sticker.
Gone MY2010 Freelander 2 Manual TD4.e S, Alaska White.

There are only four things between your FL2 and the road and these keep you safe - i would never compromise on a tyre repair - if the side walls damaged replace it simples!! If you get it repaired and it blows at a later date forcing you to lose control and plough into a pedestrian or another car then I think you will find the £132 to replace the tyre would have been the better option.

Totally agree with Shilen can be the difference between life and death all for £132

Do agree adm looks like it's the way I'm gonna go,,buy a new one,..so annoying mind it's such a tiny hole,,,you can not see it,..I've done 30 miles today and seems to been fine,,as visably.i will put the brand new spare on the opposite side and use the other good rear as the spare so both rears will be brand new. Current: Freelander 2 GS, Orkney Grey, Factory fit privacy glass, design pack and Clearview pack. Almond Leather ,rear spoiler,rear mudflaps.my13.

Gone:Freelander 2, GS, "61"

Gone: Freelander 2, GS.e, "59"

Gone: Freelander 2, S, "08"

WELL DONE

papashaun wrote:

My local tyre place have also told me in the past they can't repair sidewall punctures - last time I had that problem they said because of the flex in the sidewall when cornering, braking etc they wouldn't do it - ( don't know if is illegal or not ) but they were talking from a safety point

gilfishman wrote:

Do agree adm ............ I've done 30 miles today and seems to been fine,,.

Many years ago I had an unrepairable puncture on a motorbike tyre....had only done 180 miles! I think it was £120 to replace.

As other folks have said - with a side wall defect/puncture there is only one sensible safe option - dump the tyre regardless of its age/mileage. Then in your situation gilfishman buy a new tyre and stick it on the same axle as your current new spare. After that expense and to save some money buy a lightly used tyre of the same brand n type for your full sized "get-out-of-jail" spare.

Back in the late '80's on my second new RR I had a new set of tyres fitted and woe was I in less than 1'000mls something went through the sidewall of one of them. Very mixed emotions of rage, waste of money, and thank goodness it wasn't a rapid deflation coming down the Snake Pass. Then it was all the swearing at the effort of jacking the beast up and fitting the spare. Got home and over a cup of tea telling father of how I think I know someone who could repair it I got the most almighty proverbial whack across the ear by him as to my stupidity. "Save ya life son - not a couple of bob!". That kitchen conversation influenced my approach to all activities thereafter.

On the other side of the coin, in over 40+yrs of motorcycling I never had a puncture, and mile for mile motorbike tyres are far more expensive than car tyres. Swings n roundabouts as they say.

I'll see your 4000 miles and raise you this... I wrecked a totaly new set of 2 new tyres in half a day on the Birdsville track. They were $350 each. I had them put on in the morning after waiting overnight for them to be trucked in and they were totally wrecked that afternoon. I travelled 200kms on them. I had to buy them because I had already wrecked 2 tyres the day before. It was a great holiday....

Must say, I use these guys in work for major repairs (the technical term for a repair that a normal tyre fitter cannot legally perform) : http://www.meridiantyrerepairs.com/

We have machines with quite enormous tyres, some exceeding £85k a piece and they repair them no probs. Also when my tyres were slashed on both of my land rovers they were repaired, fully tested and warrantied.

The usual high street tyre company line will be 'it cannot be legally repaired as its the sidewall' but what they really mean is they cannot legally repair it as it requires certain qualifications and work carried out to a certain ISO standard (which one escapes me right now)..............

Oh, and the repaired tyres on my defender are now on nearly 60k miles (BF Goodrich A/T) on a very hard working vehicle that tows 3.5t regularly, no problems at all.