Slow Tire Leak

[HowAboutThis]

Have 2 year old tires 2/3 of the way toward their mileage warranty. One got a nail about 6 months ago and I had it plugged/patched. Since then it loses about 2-3 pounds per month where the others might lose 1 or so. I have a keen eye for low tires and also check every week or two. The dealer checked it again at no charge and said everything looks ok on it and it's such a slow leak it's difficult to find but there are no other nails or anything in it.

I'm used aluminum rims and corrosion and tires losing air. However, these these particular rims and tires are steel and have been very steady with air pressure, except for this one small leak.

Worry or not? I have a summer road trip coming up. I plan on not worrying unless everyone flips out about it on here LOL

 

[csandste]

I'd just keep an eye on it (which you are), and get the treads down to the replacement level. A couple of pounds a month is no big deal. I have a little tool kit/tire inflator from Costco that will get several pounds into a tire if you give it a few minutes. Comes in handy if I'm away from a station.

 

[HowAboutThis]

I have an air compressor but started using a bike pump. 10 pumps per pound, great for those monthly down a pound things. Harbor Freight $10 deal!

 

[csandste]

Originally Posted by HowAboutThis
I have an air compressor but started using a bike pump. 10 pumps per pound, great for those monthly down a pound things. Harbor Freight $10 deal!

And it's exercise.

 

[Wolf359]

I just use a Ryobi tire inflator. Handy to keep in the trunk for those emergencies and I already have a set of 18 volt batteries for it.

Anyway, I'd just take it to a tire store. Local ones fix flats for free and some chains also do it. Goodyear also fixes them for free. Most of the time if you tell them it has a slow leak and they can't find it, they usually take it off the rim and reseal the rim which normally fixes the leak. Just sounds like the dealer is too lazy to do that, but I would think a tire store would do it.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-18-Volt-ONE-Cordless-Power-Inflator-Tool-Only-P737/206159256

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted by HowAboutThis
I have a keen eye for low tires and also check every week or two.


You are doing better than 90% or more of car owners in the USA.

Kudos for your diligence - - proceed as you normally do.

 

[dbias]

Check that valve stem wasnt upset when they repaired the tire.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

So its leaking to many places do free flat repair to worry about this.

 

[ecotourist]

The suggestion of demounting and cleaning the tire and rim surfaces before remounting is a good one. That's stopped many a slow tire leak for me.

If you decide to live with the leak, I'd suggest adding a pound or two of extra pressure. The tire slowly loses pressure toward the ideal and will eventually go a little below. By rechecking and boosting whenever it gets a pound or two low, you'll always be within a pound or two of the ideal pressure, which is about as good as most people get anyway.

 

[HowAboutThis]

Originally Posted by Wolf359
I just use a Ryobi tire inflator. Handy to keep in the trunk for those emergencies and I already have a set of 18 volt batteries for it.

Anyway, I'd just take it to a tire store. Local ones fix flats for free and some chains also do it. Goodyear also fixes them for free. Most of the time if you tell them it has a slow leak and they can't find it, they usually take it off the rim and reseal the rim which normally fixes the leak. Just sounds like the dealer is too lazy to do that, but I would think a tire store would do it.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-18-Volt-ONE-Cordless-Power-Inflator-Tool-Only-P737/206159256



I was out and about today and stopped by a local store. He threw it in the dunk tank and no bubbles. He took it off the rim and we looked with a flashlight. Found what looked like a staple. Fixed it free, told me to come back when I needed tires.

Was expecting at least $10-15...?!?

He said if it kept leaking to come back, too.

 

[DoubleNickels]

Glad your tire shop found a staple and took care of it.

Sometimes there are bead seal leaks. That happened to my ex. No way to fix it. She had to buy new wheel, and stop banging into curbs. Sometimes, air is leaking out of the tire itself, with a puncture. Just old degraded rubber which air is finding a way out slowly. It happened to my brother in law. Nobody ever looks at the date code when they buy tires. The tires look new. Later on, you find out, that they sold you old tires. Last time I went with one of my girlfriends to a tire shop, I asked the service writer to show me the tires so that I could read the date code. Store manager's head popped up, and said, "What? Why?". We left that shop. Better to buy somewhere else where they aren't trying to hide their production date codes.