A screw picked up between M1 J17 and Dunchurch need not cost a new tyre. Park off the M45 and we judge the hole against BS AU 159 at the car.
Screws and nails tend to announce themselves on the M45 as a gentle pull on a straight road with little else to distract you. Heading west, if it steers, carry on to J1 and turn into Dunchurch; heading east towards the M1, the first real stop is Watford Gap southbound. Keep the speed down on the way, since miles on a soft tyre grind the inner sidewall until no patch-plug will do.
With the car parked in Dunchurch or at Watford Gap, our fitter takes the wheel off, parts tyre from rim and looks at the casing from the inside, because the outside hides most of the story. BS AU 159 says a patch-plug is allowed if the screw went in away from both tread edges, the M45 screw hole measures 6 mm at most, and no run-flat scarring shows. Fail one test and it becomes a new tyre, priced on the call first.
If the job turns out to be different, see 24 hour tyre service on the M45, emergency tyre replacement or emergency tyre repair.
Dunchurch village streets, a supermarket car park on the Rugby side of the A426, or the Watford Gap car section on the M1. The M45 carriageway, the J1 roundabout and the A45 dual carriageway are never places we repair a tyre.
| Road | M45 Dunchurch spur |
|---|---|
| Operator | National Highways |
How a mobile puncture repair is done →Puncture repair on the M45 page
A screw collected on the M45 may stay hidden in the rubber until the car stops near Rugby Central car park, at Technology Drive Retail Park, or across town at Junction One Retail Park. Look at the tyre before driving on. If the puncture is in the middle part of the tread and small enough for a BS AU 159 repair, it can be fixed where the car stands.
A screw picked up on the M45 should wait for the fitter with the car standing still. Do not reach for a sealant can; it leaves a coating inside the tyre that can make the patch-plug repair impossible. Run your eye along the tread until the object turns up, then judge whether it is mid-tread or out near the edge, where repairs stop. Leave the locking key ready by the gearstick. Dunchurch village off J1 or a Rugby supermarket car park on the A426 are good places to be parked.
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Screw in the tread on the M45? Park in Dunchurch or at Watford Gap and ring us.
