ReTire Safely

You Can Re-Tire A Flat Yourself

Many a times we have seen motorists stranded along the highway helpless in the scorching sun due to a flat tire.  Our family is no exception, I recalled years back on our way to the Golden Horse resort near Kuala Lumpur, our SUV then had a flat and we were just a few miles of the exit of our destination!

After almost an hour of waiting for service to arrive, we decided to just drive very very slow (which I do not recommend as it may damage your expensive rims or do further damage to your tire) at 10km/h to our destination.  It took us awhile with a great many amused looks from passing motorists.  From there the hotel was able to assist us in calling for tow service to the nearest tire shop.

My Trusty Malaysian Compressor from CYCAR

Since that unfortunate experience, I had bought a small compressor from CYCAR Tech near Gelang Patah's Dunlop tire shop who is probably the product's distributor.  It costs just MR150 and it even comes with a handy bag to keep it neat in your boot of your vehicle.I must say it did come useful over the last years when I had a few  tire flats on the roads of Malaysia from driving over curbs or pot holes. 

It is very simple to use, and even my partner had attempted it once when she was out running errands alone and found one tire low on air after shopping.  With me on the handphone, she was able to top up the air and drive home before I bring the car to the shop.

1.   Just plug in the power source to your in-vehicle power source with the vehicle ignition on.  The vehicle engine does not have to be on.

2.   Without turning on the compressor, screw in the compressor hose tip to the tire stem of the deflated tire.

3.   Turn on the compressor switch and turn off when the desired tire pressure is reached on the compressor gauge.  BE SURE TO CHECK WHAT IS YOUR VEHICLE'S SPECIFIC RECOMMENDED TIRE PRESSURE FROM FACTORY.  This can be found on a sticker either on the side of the driver's door or inside cap of the gas refuel compartment.  Many people over pressurized their tires hence causing them to pop.  This is due to the fact that they do not know the recommended pressure and so they go by pressing or kicking the tire to see if the air pressure is sufficient - this is wrong.

4.   Unscrew the compressor hose quickly and screw back the tire stem cap and voila - you are good to go!

You can see below how easy this tire flat fixer upper is:  

You may find a cheaper version compressor at Tesco Autoparts section for MR50 - but I did not end up buying it as the mini version's air pressure is too weak for my peace of mind.  So I was real glad when I found the CYCAR compressor which has much stronger air pressure and has never failed me - not even once - when I needed it. 

But please bear in mind the above quick fix is just for temporarily inflating your tire back to driving condition so that you may drive off safely TO THE NEAREST TIRE SHOP FOR A PROPER TIRE CHECK UP.  That and to get your family off the highway safely especially when it is late in the evening.  A tire's safety is of utmost importance - so a proper check with a tire shop is de rigueur as you do not want to face an instance of tire popping and causing the driver to panick and veer off onto other cars.  A proper tire repair or replacement is key to road safety.

Gelang Patah

The Gelang Patah is less frequented by Singaporean visitors as it is an industrial town with only Mom and Pop shops for shopping.  But it has a wide selection of local cafes for snacking while you await car servicing. 

Dunlop Tire Shop I Bought My CYCAR Compressor

The DUNLOP Tire Shop where I bought the CYCar Tech compressor is at:

Persiaran Nusa Perintis
Taman Nusa Perintis 2  
Gelang Patah, Johor
GPS Coordinates: 1.450506, 103.594562

I also keep a can of aerosol Tire Flat (which temporarily gel glues leaks in tires) in my trunk.  It is for times when I encouter a small puncture from a screw or nail, or if you suspect any leakage in your tire during your road trip that is causing deflation of your tire. I will feature that in a future post.  So please check in again before you go Jalan Jalan.