stupid forecourt compressors

Does anyone else get annoyed trying to blow their tyres up? Where I go, its a n idiot proof one where you tap in the pressure and just hold it on the valve and it pumps up to the pre set value. Trouble is in these days of ultra health and safety all you get is a little puff of wind and it stops to check the pressure again. Then it gives another little puff, not too much in case it over inflates a bicyce wheel and hurts someone. So you wait, on your knees next to the wheel craning your neck to look through the window to see the gauge through it while it puffs a little bit more. Waited for ages before it was my turn because a bloke in a Merc Vito was putting 55psi in all his tyres for some strange reason and that really did take forever.


I went to another garage and even paid 20p for the privelige and it was the same, in fact only got round 2 and a half tyres before it wanted another 20p.

Well, thanks for listening everyone, I feel a whole lot better now, like a breath of fresh air - puff puff puff.

Them machines is designed fur wimmin!

git yer own compressor!

Aye, Tinny's got one what fits in his handbag.

hahahahahaha!

Grippa said:

Aye, Tinny's got one what fits in his handbag.

Click to expand...

This one fits...



this one dunt...

You checked then? Furst wun is fer inflating yer gimp suit int it?

Tinny?

not a good idea to have curry the night before going surfing!

Thing is I've been back to the tyre services three times and they have had wheels off and tested them and tell me theres nuffink wrong but I lose about 8psi per wk on one wheel and 5psi on another. Wears the tyres down and affects mpg so I should do summat. Dya reckon I should get innertubes put in the offending tyres or fill em all full of tyreweld.

assuming they've replaced the valves and checked for holes / splits, it must be muck / rust or a bend around the bead of the rim.
get the tyre off and check it carefully. clean it up with a wire-brush on an angle grinder if it is rusty. replace the rim if it is bent / dented.

ffs don't fit tubes or use tyre weld.

Have they dipped em in a water tank?? If theres a leak you'll see the bubbles coming out of it. tyreweld won't hurt and if their is a small leak it will certainly plug it.

They took the tyres off and wire brushed and put lots of sealer around. They are alloys.They put em back on and they still leak. I feel really let down.

did they change the valves?

Some alloys are actually slightly porous and slowly leak through the rim. Used to happen with my old fiesta

I'm assuming they did, not 100% should get them to for what its worth.

chris_mack said:

Some alloys are actually slightly porous and slowly leak through the rim. Used to happen with my old fiesta

Click to expand...

yes, that's not unheard of.

but not a reason to fit tubes - they are only suitable for cross-ply tyres.

revjames said:

They took the tyres off and wire brushed and put lots of sealer around. They are alloys.They put em back on and they still leak. I feel really let down.

Click to expand...

The only way to test em properly is also the oldest way. Take em off and put em in a tank of water and watch for bubbles, slowly rotating the wheel till you've checked the whole wheel.

big tank then you can totally submerge the whole wheel while looking fer bubbles and dint ferget to turn it over as the bubbles can get trapped and not raise.
also check yer valve int leaking both at the pumpy up hole and at the base. if yer got rubber valves fitted give them a good twist, pull and bend incase they have a crack in em.
if its the valve core thats leaking you might be able to tighten it up with a valve key and if yer int got one then get one. or you could use a very small screwdriver.
dint put tubes in as they will over heat at speed and go bang

why have yer got a recoil hose lay on the floor?