I get to work today and as im walking away from the car to the door i hear air..sure enough i see a huge nail into my tire... Air emptyed out fast. I yanked the nail out and obviously had to go in for work. So my car sat 7 hours with a flat. Now i plan on getting a tire repair kit for 5$ and fixing it myself. Anyone ever do this and does it last? Stealership will do it for $27... Plan on getting at least one more winter or even two from this set. Advice appreciated! After patching it up is it worth filling tiire with slime? Will that help seal up the newly sealed hole for a stronger fix? Thanks guys!
Flat Tire repair
- Thread starter Rolla07
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Patch it and drive. I wouldn't bother with slime.
About 10 years ago I kept purchasing flat repair kits from Walmart and O'reilly auto parts. Sometimes they worked and sometimes they didn't. It was always a [censored] shoot if they would hold the air or leak.
My friend told me to purchase a Safety Seal tire repair kit and be done with it. Sure enough he was right, I purchased a Safety Seal plug kit and never had a leak since. I've probably plugged seven or eight tires in the last 10 years and never had a problem. In fact I have a plug in one of my tires now with about 10,000 miles on the plugged tire with no problems.
My friend told me to purchase a Safety Seal tire repair kit and be done with it. Sure enough he was right, I purchased a Safety Seal plug kit and never had a leak since. I've probably plugged seven or eight tires in the last 10 years and never had a problem. In fact I have a plug in one of my tires now with about 10,000 miles on the plugged tire with no problems.
I have had great results with all type of plugs even the Walmart ones. The important thing is to trim off excess with wire cutters. I have used with and without rubber cement on the gooey ones and tend to prefer them without the rubber cement. I have had excellent results with the larger round rubber plugs as well. More difficult to install properly but work great. I have purchased used tires with plugs in them that have held great as well. Some people prefer patches from the inside and generally if it is a newer tire with alot of life left that probably is the best way to go.
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
...So my car sat 7 hours with a flat... Stealership will do it for $27
The car SAT while going flat instead of being DRIVEN. That is the very best way a tire can go flat: no damage has been done to the carcass! Lucky you! And you, of course, pulled the wheel off the car and replaced it with a spare tire before setting out for home.
Assuming the hole is entirely within the tread and does not encroach upon the sidewall, the tire is most likely fixable for cheap.
That $27 probably involves the dealership removing the tire from the wheel and patching it from the inside, which is the current liability-friendly approach. Find an independent garage that's willing to do an old-style plug-repair without pulling the tire. It will take a few minutes and will cost something like $10, cash, no receipt.
...So my car sat 7 hours with a flat... Stealership will do it for $27
The car SAT while going flat instead of being DRIVEN. That is the very best way a tire can go flat: no damage has been done to the carcass! Lucky you! And you, of course, pulled the wheel off the car and replaced it with a spare tire before setting out for home.
Assuming the hole is entirely within the tread and does not encroach upon the sidewall, the tire is most likely fixable for cheap.
That $27 probably involves the dealership removing the tire from the wheel and patching it from the inside, which is the current liability-friendly approach. Find an independent garage that's willing to do an old-style plug-repair without pulling the tire. It will take a few minutes and will cost something like $10, cash, no receipt.
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Plan on getting at least one more winter or even two from this set. Advice appreciated! After patching it up is it worth filling tiire with slime? Will that help seal up the newly sealed hole for a stronger fix?
If you are planning on keeping the tire for a couple of weeks or a month, you might get by with the $5 WM special plug kit. If you plan on keeping it for years, do it right. Have the tire dismounted and have a patch put on inside the tire. This is, of course, assuming that the hole is in the tread and not the sidewall.
Plan on getting at least one more winter or even two from this set. Advice appreciated! After patching it up is it worth filling tiire with slime? Will that help seal up the newly sealed hole for a stronger fix?
If you are planning on keeping the tire for a couple of weeks or a month, you might get by with the $5 WM special plug kit. If you plan on keeping it for years, do it right. Have the tire dismounted and have a patch put on inside the tire. This is, of course, assuming that the hole is in the tread and not the sidewall.
Go to Walmart auto center...dismount high speed plug..mount...balance $12
I did a rope plug that lasted for years.
My state inspection manual used to forbid plugs but now in a revision they're cool with them again.
If you go for a plug and fail, you at least developed a life skill. Plus there are several plugs in the kit. Try, try again.
My state inspection manual used to forbid plugs but now in a revision they're cool with them again.
If you go for a plug and fail, you at least developed a life skill. Plus there are several plugs in the kit. Try, try again.
If you dont mind diy, I keep a plug kit with a set of cutting pliers and a small compressor in my trunk, fixed many tires on the side of the road this way.
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Originally Posted By: eljefino
I did a rope plug that lasted for years.
My state inspection manual used to forbid plugs but now in a revision they're cool with them again.
If you go for a plug and fail, you at least developed a life skill. Plus there are several plugs in the kit. Try, try again.
After driving for a while you would have to look pretty hard to even find where it is on the tire.
I did a rope plug that lasted for years.
My state inspection manual used to forbid plugs but now in a revision they're cool with them again.
If you go for a plug and fail, you at least developed a life skill. Plus there are several plugs in the kit. Try, try again.
After driving for a while you would have to look pretty hard to even find where it is on the tire.
There is a lot of grey area between paying a dealership 27 and doing a two dollar job yourself. As has been stated Walmart will do it for less than 15 bucks, and they will do a better job (patch plug from inside) than you will. Or call around and find a shop, it's usually only 20 bucks or so around here.
People who are good with plugs can make a lasting repair. But why take the chance of a good fix when the cost difference, if you do this once a year, is so small?
People who are good with plugs can make a lasting repair. But why take the chance of a good fix when the cost difference, if you do this once a year, is so small?
Some major national tire chains will repair the hole with an inside patch for free, two come to mind right now, Les Schwab and Discount/America's Tire, provided that the tire is still serviceable (less than 6 years old and more than 3/32 tread depth and that the puncture is not in the sidewall or shoulder area). You don't even have had to purchase tires from them prior. I prefer the inside patch method, and I believe that this method is approved and preferred from most if not all tire manufacturers nowadays.
Edit: to OP, sorry I just noticed you're in Canada. Not sure if they have these chains or places like them up there.
Edit: to OP, sorry I just noticed you're in Canada. Not sure if they have these chains or places like them up there.
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Originally Posted By: eljefino
...I did a rope plug that lasted for years....
+1 Actually I've done several rope plugs over the years, they worked fine and I never felt as though my safety was compromised. I will say that if the plug was closer to the edges of the tire the more quickly it would wear, especially for the fronts. But all that resulted was a slow leak, just put in another plug. Then Discount Tire came to the area and now I have the preferred plug-patch repair procedure done for free. Obviously the latter procedure is best practice and if the puncture is in a repairable area, for peace of mind paying to have it done is likely worth it. But the rope plugs using a T handle tool work well for me. Never used slime. YMMV
...I did a rope plug that lasted for years....
+1 Actually I've done several rope plugs over the years, they worked fine and I never felt as though my safety was compromised. I will say that if the plug was closer to the edges of the tire the more quickly it would wear, especially for the fronts. But all that resulted was a slow leak, just put in another plug. Then Discount Tire came to the area and now I have the preferred plug-patch repair procedure done for free. Obviously the latter procedure is best practice and if the puncture is in a repairable area, for peace of mind paying to have it done is likely worth it. But the rope plugs using a T handle tool work well for me. Never used slime. YMMV
Thanks for the advice. I put the spare on and went and got a 5$ patch kit. Included the tool to clean the puncture and than thread the included seal through. Just did it now, i will be checking later to see if its still losing air or not. Do you think the seal is enough or would it be worth emptying a can of pennzoil fix a flat for good measure?
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
I put the spare on and went and got a 5$ patch kit. Included the tool to clean the puncture and than thread the included seal through. Just did it now, i will be checking later to see if its still losing air or not. Do you think the seal is enough or would it be worth emptying a can of pennzoil fix a flat for good measure?
Your car is obviously old enough that you don't have a TPMS. Do you also have old tires? The $5 plug kits may void the warranty on your tires. Good luck.
I put the spare on and went and got a 5$ patch kit. Included the tool to clean the puncture and than thread the included seal through. Just did it now, i will be checking later to see if its still losing air or not. Do you think the seal is enough or would it be worth emptying a can of pennzoil fix a flat for good measure?
Your car is obviously old enough that you don't have a TPMS. Do you also have old tires? The $5 plug kits may void the warranty on your tires. Good luck.
I know the OP is in Canada.. But if anyone in new england ever gets a flat town fair tire will repair it for just $5, and they claim to do it the best way. Whether or not they do everything in the link below I don't know, but for $5 it's not a bad deal. They repaired one of my tires last year and no complaints, dropped it off in the morning, picked it up after work.
http://www.townfairtire.com/tft_patchs_vs_plugs.shtml
http://www.townfairtire.com/tft_patchs_vs_plugs.shtml
OK, here's my standard lecture on tire repairs.
The only proper repair for a passenger car or light truck tire is a plug/patch combination done in the tread area, not including the outermost rib.
Why plug/patch? The patch assures a good inside seal and bridges the structure of the tire (the pliies and belts). The plug fills the injured area preventing foreign material from entering the tire. This is especially important concerning water and steel belts.
Why not a plug by itself? Doesn't bridge the injury and doesn't always seal - and doesn't always seal on the iside. I've seen separations where the plug must have sealed midway within the tire structure and the pressure forced the layers apart.
And for those who say they've never had an issue with a plug - I'm currently at a 50% failure rate, so I'm averaging you out.
Why not the sidewall? The motion of the sidewall is complex and repairs just don't hold up.
Why not the outermost tread ribs? That's where the belt ending are - the most highly stressed part of the tire.
And just so everyone knows - even properly repaired tires can fail from the repair. The safest thing to do is replace the tire. But if you chose to repair the tire, remember there is a risk.
The only proper repair for a passenger car or light truck tire is a plug/patch combination done in the tread area, not including the outermost rib.
Why plug/patch? The patch assures a good inside seal and bridges the structure of the tire (the pliies and belts). The plug fills the injured area preventing foreign material from entering the tire. This is especially important concerning water and steel belts.
Why not a plug by itself? Doesn't bridge the injury and doesn't always seal - and doesn't always seal on the iside. I've seen separations where the plug must have sealed midway within the tire structure and the pressure forced the layers apart.
And for those who say they've never had an issue with a plug - I'm currently at a 50% failure rate, so I'm averaging you out.
Why not the sidewall? The motion of the sidewall is complex and repairs just don't hold up.
Why not the outermost tread ribs? That's where the belt ending are - the most highly stressed part of the tire.
And just so everyone knows - even properly repaired tires can fail from the repair. The safest thing to do is replace the tire. But if you chose to repair the tire, remember there is a risk.
Originally Posted By: Audios
If you dont mind diy, I keep a plug kit with a set of cutting pliers and a small compressor in my trunk, fixed many tires on the side of the road this way.
I do this also...but then take the tire in for a professional plug.
If you dont mind diy, I keep a plug kit with a set of cutting pliers and a small compressor in my trunk, fixed many tires on the side of the road this way.
I do this also...but then take the tire in for a professional plug.
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