Am I being fed a line...?

[The_Jeff]

+1 on the plug kit. Oddly, these just became legal in my state after being illegal for some time. I've run them for years without issue.

A mushroom patch is the best way to do it of course, but you apparently have to know someone to get one.

Costco seems lost in their own paperwork shuffle/ worship.

 

[bepperb]

Maybe I'm the only person here picturing four bald tires and a nail in the outermost tread block... and someone who hasn't bought new tires in a couple years freaking out at a four digit bill. But seriously how can anyone have an opinion on this without knowing the age/condition of the tires and the exact location of the puncture?

I've done the plug. Not sure I'd want to do it on a tire someone just told me isn't safe to fix. Especially since it probably isn't very new considering the advice to replace all four.

 

[LargeCarManX2]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Can they still put an inner tube in? That`s what they used to do back in the day (when there was sidewall damage).


Here ya go, put a radial tube in it!

 

[FordFocus]

I would never plug a tire, the only proper way to repair a tire is to patch and insert from the inside of the tire.

 

[Boczech]

I had something similar happen approx 10-12 years ago with a set of Yokohama tires I was running on a truck. At first I thought it was [censored] since I use to work at a Goodyear tire shop when I was a kid. I started thinking about cheap insurance considering if my family was with me and what if something might happen out in the middle of nowhere.
Just a thought to share.

Bo

Originally Posted By: crw
I was too busy, so I had the wife take the Suburban in. We had a nail going through the tread, about 1.5 inches from the sidewall. Tires are not too old, and have good tread.

At first, the guy told her she needed four new tires (for 4x4 usage).

Then came back later on the phone wanting to sell two tires, so at least the two would match.

The crux of the matter is this... they say the nail is too close to the sidewall and they can't repair the tire. Is this [censored]?

Since they're not going to support me at all on this, I think I'll just shop elsewhere, but this is Costco. They have a reputation to uphold.

 

[crw]

Hi all,

Sorry I got busy last night and couldn't respond. I do believe that the nail is repairable, it's a full thumb width away from the edge, and then some. But... the tire was well worn on the inner side. My wife didn't understand that part, to explain it to me. So, it needs to be replaced anyway.

And then get an alignment. Sigh.

 

[Smokescreen]

I have had this same issue with my suburban. Aside from the 1 punctured, if the 3 remaining tires have a lot of tread life in them they can still be used.

Another couple of options is to find a similar used tire, or buy a single new tire and have them shave it down to the same tread depth as the other three.

Scare tactics aside, I would go by the unrepairable specification the tire shop recommended. Tires are a piece of safety equipment. The suburban is 6000lbs. The last thing I would want is to have a "repair" fail or other unseen compromise within that tire cause an unsafe driving condition for anyone in my family. Sure it stinks that it will cost some $ to get it back on the road safely, but it is a small price to pay for safe travels.

 

[threeputtpar]

Originally Posted By: Loobed

Get a tire plug kit and do it yourself. I think they are under $10 at walmart. Get the ones with the "T" handle. Usually the glue will only work 1 time, then it dries up. The plugs should look like rubber coated heavy string. The caramel colored ones are better than the black ones. I have had 7 plugs in a motorcycle tire, which are not suppose to be plugged, and the tire lasted 15,000 miles. They guy that changed the tire thought it was odd.

This is how you do it.

1) Fill tire with air
2) open glue and put some on the shaft of the round reamer/file
3) remove nail or screw
4) put the reamer in the hole and move it out like you are making love to it.
5) leave it in the tire for the next part.
6) put a string plug on the tool and put some rubber glue on the tip and about 1/2 way up each side of the string plug
7) pull out the reamer and jam the plug in fairly quickly, but not hard or you will go to deep. Don't keep your face in line with the hole or you will get a face full of glue. The plug should have about 1/4" of each side of the plug visible.
7) twist the tool 1/4 turn than pull it out.
8) squirt some soap water over the repair and see if it is leaking (bubbles), if it is, use a pliers and pull out the plug and start over.
9) fill the tire to normal air pressure
10) squirt soap water on plug and see if it still holds air.
11) use a pair of diagonal cutters and cut the excess string that is sticking out from the tire







I laughed like a middle schooler at steps 4 - 7.

 

[Ddub]

I had the opposite experience with my wife's Mazda. She picked up a nail that was in the tread of the OEM tire, but the guys at Firestone said it was too close to the sidewall to patch. I actually took it to Costco to see about getting a replacement, and they said it was close, but not too bad, and patched it for me, no issues.

 

[kkreit01]

FWIW, I had a screw puncture sealed/plugged at a GY tire shop (where I bought the tires from) -- which was off the flat section of the tread. It was on the curved portion -- towards the sidewall of a Silent Armor. The tech fixed it, and stated to try it. It held fine for as long as I kept the vehicle. This was a rear tire -- on a rwd Hemi Aspen.

I can totally understand the liability of "not doing it" though. If tire blows, your family could die. You sue Costco for millions.