how to repair sidewall punctures |
Simply place the 4 inch long strip into the cut out at the tip of the inserting tool (if necessary use the abrasive tool to enlarge hole) and push the assembly firmly into the hole.
With about 1/2 inch of the material sticking out - jerk back the inserting tool with one swift move. The strip will stay in the hole. Most kits also include a vulcanizing solution which I found not much effective at all - therefore I do not use it for my repairs.
The two short ends of the repair strip should be cut close to the tire surface. If you drive a lot with deflated tires the strip will become "unglued" over time (after about 10.000 miles) but can easily be replaced with a new one. If you don't have one handy, simply grab the ends with pliers and pull them out for about 1 inch (remember, most of the material was stuffed inside the tire and retains it's stickiness) then cut the excess material. Now pump up your tire and you are ready for more adventures. In case you are using high performance tires on a high performance ML55 or ML430 or you drive your ML320 like a ML55 - this kit should only be used to get to a tire repair shop. Since there is a lot of "flex" in the sidewall area it is extremely unsafe to permanently plug or patch tires on high performance vehicles. here is more about the tire repair kit |
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© 2001-2009 Harald Pietschmann