[E90F30er]

At night I was driving at 30 and a car overtook me and it appeared as if someone in the car threw a few drawing pins (?) but it could have been stone chips... Few seconds later I get a Tyre Puncture warning (coincidence...?) on the screen telling me to drive at a max of 50 mph (they are run flats).

Now must I go to a BMW dealer to replace the punctured tyre(s) because they can reset / set the TPWS (tyre pressure warning system) or any "high street" garage / tyre place will do?

If I were to drive faster than 50 how dangerous could that be? Best not to try it?!?!

When replacing worn tyres (tread approaching legal limit etc) do I need to go to a dealer again because of the TPWS reset / set?

Thank you :-)

[Kerr]

The car works off the ABS to detect a tyre running slower than the other. That suggests one is flat. I doubt your car would throw it up in seconds.

Don't go near a dealer for tyres. You'll pay way over the odds.

Look at online sites like Black circles and Camskill and factor in the cost of tyre fitting.

[ukbeemerboy]

You can reset the TPWS, it's not a dealer only thing. It's in the manual. Just replace the tyres like you would for any other car.

[xPETEZx]

You sure the tyre is punctured? I had this warning pop up after hitting a pot hole.
Checked tyres pressurse and all was fine.
Reset the system and all was good.

[E90F30er]

Yes one tyre is over 10 PSI lower - as it happens its tread is 3mm and needs to be changed soon anyway. So the TPWS is working OK? Is there any point pumping it up? Or it will just deflate - sorry if these questions are dumb!

[Hotcoupe]

Please send your driving licence back to the DVLA, thanks.

[MEGA]

Originally Posted by Hotcoupe

Please send your driving licence back to the DVLA, thanks.

More or less agree.

I find it quite worrying that I share the road with someone who doesn't know whether air will leak out of a tyre with a puncture or not.

[ELD70]

Is the tyre flat at the bottom only......?

[E90F30er]

^ yes it's kinda flat a little I think? Could I try inflating it and see what happens? Reset the TPWS and drive few miles as the manual says? I had this understanding (please correct me) that run flats deflate slower hence you can drive for 100(?) miles at 50mph max.

Is that the advantage over non run flats you don't need to stop immediately and repair puncture / change tyre. Helpful answers only please - I'm new to this as you can gather :-)

[Kerr]

Blow the tyre up and check it the following day.

If it hasn't gone down any, there is no puncture. Tyres can lose pressure over time.

[MEGA]

Originally Posted by E90F30er

^ yes it's kinda flat a little I think? Could I try inflating it and see what happens? Reset the TPWS and drive few miles as the manual says? I had this understanding (please correct me) that run flats deflate slower hence you can drive for 100(?) miles at 50mph max.

Is that the advantage over non run flats you don't need to stop immediately and repair puncture / change tyre. Helpful answers only please - I'm new to this as you can gather :-)

They don't deflate slower. Air comes out of a hole, there's no witchcraft.

But if punctured, the sidewalls are so firm that they stay tyre shaped, so there is no risk of damaging the alloys. Unless they blow out completely, hence the warning about speed and driving for too long.

What the manual doesn't tell you though is that whilst a normal tyre can be puncture repaired for about £10, driving a runflat with a puncture will almost immediately damage the sidewall irrepairably, which will mean its about £250 for a new runflat tyre.

Fill it up, and measure the PSI again the following day. If it's the same happy days. If it's gone down by more than say 4 PSI get it to a tyre shop and get it inspected. If you're lucky the puncture will be in the body of the tyre and not the side wall so can be repaired: All assuming you haven't already damaged it.

What I'll say, is I had a huge number of false positives just after hitting a pothole or getting "air time" shall we say... So there's every chance there's no problem. Fill it up and see!

Now that's the only serious response you'll get from me No more silly questions...

[E90F30er]

Thanks for all your help guys, I inflated the tyre and today it's still same pressure so I guess it "strangely" went down - I hadn't checked the pressures for some weeks (wrong of me!) but the other 3 had only gone down 3 PSI max so not sure why this "deflated" so much.

MEGA what do you mean by "air time"?

[E90F30er]

Resetting to remove "Tyre puncture" is Vehicle Settings > RPA > Set tyre pressure

After inflating the tyre? Dead simple?

[E90F30er]

^ I was about to reset the tyre pressures but checked them this morning, I think my digital Draper tyre pressure gauge is playing up (it gives more accurate reading than pencil gauges and the gauge on a footpump?) -- sometimes when you insert it into the valve tube you can here hissing - this means it's not in at the right angle and air is bleeding out? Thing is when I used the Michelin footpump the reading somehow is 70 PSI (!) if you don't put it in right - you push down the lever to lock? And then the reading is around 30 PSI / 2+ bar. The reading on the back tyre had gone down after pumping which doesn't make sense?!?! Maybe a garage visit is due?

[225_AB]

This thread could become a future classic

[jammy78]

Originally Posted by E90F30er

^ I was about to reset the tyre pressures but checked them this morning, I think my digital Draper tyre pressure gauge is playing up (it gives more accurate reading than pencil gauges and the gauge on a footpump?) -- sometimes when you insert it into the valve tube you can here hissing - this means it's not in at the right angle and air is bleeding out? Thing is when I used the Michelin footpump the reading somehow is 70 PSI (!) if you don't put it in right - you push down the lever to lock? And then the reading is around 30 PSI / 2+ bar. The reading on the back tyre had gone down after pumping which doesn't make sense?!?! Maybe a garage visit is due?

Have you escaped from some kind of institution?

[Kerr]

Originally Posted by E90F30er

^ I was about to reset the tyre pressures but checked them this morning, I think my digital Draper tyre pressure gauge is playing up (it gives more accurate reading than pencil gauges and the gauge on a footpump?) -- sometimes when you insert it into the valve tube you can here hissing - this means it's not in at the right angle and air is bleeding out? Thing is when I used the Michelin footpump the reading somehow is 70 PSI (!) if you don't put it in right - you push down the lever to lock? And then the reading is around 30 PSI / 2+ bar. The reading on the back tyre had gone down after pumping which doesn't make sense?!?! Maybe a garage visit is due?

I think it might be wise to ask a family member or friend for help.

Not sure what to make of what's going on.

30psi is far too low and if 70psi is dangerously high whatever one is accurate.

[Jedimindtrix]

Just Bookmarked this thread, this could go on for days

[Hotcoupe]

Originally Posted by doc_ab

This thread could become a future classic

Before the car does?

Originally Posted by Jedimindtrix

Just Bookmarked this thread, this could go on for days

I've got visions of the OP sat in his bedsit desperately hitting the F5 button, hoping that someone is going to answer his numerous and inane questions, so that he can go and drive his car!

Seriously OP,where do you live?

Perhaps someone can pop round and help you out,is there a hospital nearby?

[mob17]

Haha this is funny.

OP, like others have said, ask anyone around you to help.

I would also advise on getting some basic knowledge of how to keep a car roadworthy. It's suprising you're driving and don't know anything about your tyres. Do you know how to check your oil level? Are you in school?

Edit: Just realised you're the guy that had his wipers for 8 years and didn't know when to change them.

[J Dub]

I am thinking the OP needs a friend to help out with basic car stuff, I guess if you don't know, you don't know, dealers would have a field day with you fella.
I am sure you have a friend or family member that knows about cars or maybe someone local here who could steer you and help you learn the basics.
I guess this is why some basic stuff is part of the driving test these days.

[E90F30er]

I've checked the pressures loads of times before - this time looks like my gauge was faulty - giving lower readings when it suited it. I double checked with another gauge. This was what was confusing me. Pumped the tyres to right pressures (2 Bar is 29 PSI Kerr) and reset the RPA and all is fine! Looking like a false alarm from the Tyre Puncture Warning message!

What I wonder is that last time the message came up I took it to the dealer and they said the tyre needs to be replaced. I believe them but I'm curious if I had pumped up the tyre and checked if it had not deflated the new tyre might not have been needed?

P.S.
mob17: Oil level check - simple - BMWs have the electronic dipstick; opening the bonnet with a clean rag at hand not
required.