Bob's 300ml seal-and-inflate tyre repair spray + rope-plug kit is temporarily sold out. Leave your email and Bob will let you know as soon as it's back in stock.
What a tyre repair spray actually does
A seal-and-inflate can does two jobs at once: it pumps liquid sealant into the tyre through the valve and puts enough air in to get the car rolling. The sealant is drawn to the hole by escaping air and plugs it from the inside. It is a get-you-home repair for a small puncture in the tread, nothing more.
It will not fix a sidewall split, a cut, a tyre that has already run flat, or a hole bigger than a nail. Those need recovery, not a can.
Sealant versus a rubber plug kit
A plug kit is the better repair of the two. You find the nail, ream the hole, push a rubber rope plug in with the insertion tool and reinflate. It holds properly, it is what most breakdown patrols use for a tread puncture, and it leaves the inside of the tyre clean.
Sealant is easier and faster at the roadside in the dark, but liquid sealant can coat a TPMS sensor inside the wheel and ruin it, and some tyre fitters will refuse to repair a tyre full of it. That is the trade-off: five minutes saved now against a possible sensor and a scrapped repair later. The £9.99 rubber plug kit is the one in stock, and for most punctures it is the one to carry.
Nail in the tyre: can it be repaired?
If the nail is in the central three-quarters of the tread, the hole is 6mm or smaller, and the tyre has not been driven flat, a proper vulcanised repair from the inside is legal and permanent under BS AU 159. That is the repair to ask for at a tyre shop.
If the damage is in the sidewall or shoulder, if there is a cut rather than a puncture, or if the tyre has run flat and the internal structure is damaged, the tyre must be replaced. No plug and no sealant changes that.
What it costs either way
A professional puncture repair in the UK is typically £25 to £40. A replacement tyre on a family car runs from about £55 to well over £150 depending on size and brand. Recovery when you have nothing in the boot is £80 upwards, and a long wait at the side of a road.
That is the whole argument for carrying something. A plug kit or a can costs less than the call-out, takes up no space, and turns a ruined evening into a twenty-minute job.
Doing it safely at the roadside
Get the vehicle fully off the carriageway, hazards on, everybody out and behind a barrier on a motorway. Never work on the traffic side of a car on a live road — call for recovery instead, every time.
After any temporary repair, drive gently, keep the speed down, and get the tyre inspected by a fitter as soon as you can. Tell them if sealant has been used so they know what they are opening.
Frequently asked questions
Is a tyre repair spray a permanent fix?
No. It is a temporary get-you-home repair for a small tread puncture. The tyre must be inspected and properly repaired or replaced afterwards.
Is a plug kit better than sealant?
For a tread puncture, yes. A rubber rope plug seals properly and leaves no liquid inside the tyre or over the TPMS sensor.
Can a nail in the tyre be repaired?
If it is in the central three-quarters of the tread, 6mm or smaller, and the tyre has not been run flat, it can be permanently repaired. Sidewall damage cannot.
Does sealant damage TPMS sensors?
It can. Liquid sealant coats the sensor inside the wheel, and some fitters will refuse to repair a tyre that is full of it.
What does a puncture repair cost in the UK?
Typically £25 to £40 for a professional repair, against £55 to £150-plus for a replacement tyre and £80 upwards for recovery.