WEIRD BUT TRUE!

[chief38]

So about 5 months ago I decided to purchase a professional grade tire repair kit (Safety Seal brand-just like the Pro's use) and a real high quality portable air pump (Viair brand). Now let me just say at the time I bought it I had not had a flat or nail in my tire in many years.

Since I purchased these kits 5 months ago I have repaired THREE nail holes in my family's tires! Today I used it once again on my new Yukon that only has 900 miles on it. I guess new means nothing at all when it comes to nails. I just wonder how I survived without this kit all these years......

Thankfully I discovered the nail in my garage so it was nice and warm in there while I was working on it - really cold & windy here today! It took longer to figure out how to put the Jack and Tool kit back in the Yukons storage area than it did to repair and reinstall the wheel. Glad I finally got these kits as it could have happened anywhere! As my Dad use to say...... Previous Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance!

PS: I was VERY GLAD to see that GMC now puts an actual "Jack Pad" right on the axel that the supplied Bottle Jack fits into. It makes jacking up the car safe & easy and MUCH BETTER and SAFER than previous design when it coms to lifting up the rear wheels of their SUV's.

 

[k22fan]

I used to use a tire repair kit because I was getting short screws in my tires on a job site. The screws moved around in the gravel so that some wound up point up. Generally if they are still straight long nails and screws lay flat so they do not give you flats. If they are sticking out of a board they are more hazardous. Unlike nails screws create a very slow leak.

All the tire stores around me sell all their tires with life time free flat repair. I learned the hard way that they do not honor that warranty if after pulling the tire off the rim they discover you've been patching flats yourself. Lesson learned: throw out the kit and let the tire store fix your flats for free.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I have been carrying a 12 volt air pump, and a repair kit for the last 25 years. All of my tires come with a warranty for flat repair too, yet I have fixed probably at least 15, because I am seldom in town when the tires go flat!

Ivan

 

[Arik]

Sell it and you'll never have a flat again!!

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[gregintenn]

I keep a plugging kit in my toolbox, and in each vehicle. They're used fairly often.

I bought my son a new set of Michelins for his birthday last year, and I've already plugged three of them. I don't know where he goes.

 

[Double-O-Dave]

I drive a 2013 Ford C-max - the newest car in our family's fleet of cars. As it's a hybrid, Ford does everything they can to shave weight and save space. The car does not come with either a spare tire, nor a jack. Instead, they provide a "kit" under the front passenger's seat consisting of a small compressor, and a can of "Fix-a-Flat". By the way, I developed a slow leak in my driver's side front tire, and had to go to a garage specializing in tires and brakes to get the tire fixed. $30.00 to fix a flat...I guess that's the normal price today. Sigh, progress.

Regards,

Dave

 

[JSR III]

I am going to market a guaranteed no flat book on the interweb and sell it for like $5. Once I get your $5 I will mail you the book where inside it will give you a guaranteed way to never get a flat tire again.

When you open the book it will say in large bold letters:

DON'T DRIVE

I figure if folks are willing to send money to get millions from the wife of the former Nigerian president, I ought to sell a few hundred thousand books.

 

[tops]

I am going to market a guaranteed no flat book on the interweb and sell it for like $5. Once I get your $5 I will mail you the book where inside it will give you a guaranteed way to never get a flat tire again.

When you open the book it will say in large bold letters:

DON'T DRIVE

I figure if folks are willing to send money to get millions from the wife of the former Nigerian president, I ought to sell a few hundred thousand books.

Are you the person that was selling the guaranteed bug killer? It was 2 blocks of wood. Place the bug on 1 piece of wood and hit it with the other block. Larry

 

[chief38]

The new vehicle comes with a one year road hazard warranty on wheels and tires (full replacement of need be), GMC has a 3 year Road Side Assistance Program, my Insurance Company includes Road Side Assistance at no charge, but it took me no time at all to fix it and I did not have to sit around and wait for them to show up. Plus the fact that I was lucky this time and it happened in my garage - next time I may not be so lucky. Add to the mix that I do not mind getting my hands dirty - I'm really glad I bought the repair kit & pump. It's just ironic how when I did not have them I never seemed to get a flat

Maybe Arik is right - if I sell the kit and pump = NO MORE FLATS - LOL!!

 

[rwsmith]

I should probably try....

I should probably try a professional kit, I bought a cheapy and the reamer wouldn't cut past the steel belt really hard to get in and then it wouldn't come out. PITB

It seems the last dozen or so tire failures I've had the sidewall is punctured or torn by some object.

 

[chief38]

Sidewall punctures are a real bummer since there is really no way to safely repair them. I've had a few of those but thankfully not for a long time.

 

[WR Moore]

Sidewall punctures are a real bummer since there is really no way to safely repair them. I've had a few of those but thankfully not for a long time.

Actually, there is. It ain't cheap but if you're dealing with large, expensive tires, it may be worth it. I had one done and years later it was still working. Essentially, they locate the fault, use what amounts to a cookie cutter to remove the defect. There's a patch with wire ends that are welded to the wires in the sidewall and then the seam between sidewall and patch is filled. Any tire shop that does big truck tires can probably do it, look for Bandag signs. I get the feeling that the trendy tires with very low sidewalls won't be able to get this type of fix.

I read an article the other day on the LA auto show. It seems something like 30% of new cars don't come with a spare, jack, etc. Some cars also come with run-flats but those are expensive and apparently really, really fun to replace. Sorry Charlie, a couple cans of tire goop and a cheap air pump doesn't cut it for me.