Fixed my own flat tire

[Emg03063]

Got a nail puncture in my tire last week, threw on the donut and purchased a tire plug kit for $6.99 from advance auto parts.  A quick call to my ex-mechanic friend confirmed my thinking that as long as the puncture was inside the belts, a plug is basically as good as a patch and plug.  Popped the nail in, plugged the hole, and $1.00 worth of air later I'm back on the old tire.  It's held for 5 days of regular driving now, and I'm pretty confident the repair will last the remaining life of the tire.

[Dyk]

Excellent, well done!

[guitar_stitch]

It should last, assuming you drive fairly regularly.  If not, it is easily removed and replaced.

A tire shop would say that a patch is the proper repair, but I say fuck all that.  I have successfully used multiple plugs in the same tire with no ill effects.

The biggest kick in the ass is the $1.00 for air!

[Bob W]

I always carry a can of Fix-a-Flat.   It repairs almost anything.       I had a nail in a tire last week when having the tires rotated.   They fixed it or so they thought.   Next day tire leaking.   Grabbed the fixaflat and fixed it in 10 minutes.   I have used this with nails and just leave them in.  Been doing this for at least 15 years with no problems.

[BlueMR2]

A tire shop would say that a patch is the proper repair, but I say fuck all that.  I have successfully used multiple plugs in the same tire with no ill effects.

I've even had a plug in a sidewall that lasted many years, and that's about the worst possible case.  What actually works and what shops can do are entirely different things.  Nowadays in my locality, plug only repairs aren't legal anymore, it's patch + plug and shops can't even do that  unless it's in the very middle 1/3 of the tread.

[carloco]

I was trying to slide on the wet leaves when I heard something pop.  Then, there was tock tock noise from the rear tire.  The next morning I noticed the tire was very low.  I took it off and found a triangular piece of black plastic embedded   in the thread.  I pull it off, went to the garage and found and old plug kit.  Applied the kit and used the bicycle pump to bring it up to pressure.  Fixed.
Not too long ago I would have place the spare and drove somewhere to have the tire repaired....   

[TheThirstyStag]

Nice work, OP.

My experience has been hit and miss with plugs.  I had a plugged tire that lasted the remaining 20k miles of the tire's life.  I had another that started leaking within a year.   Anecdotally, it seems like most plug jobs are perfectly fine for normal driving. 

[Greg]

Anecdotally, it seems like most plug jobs are perfectly fine for normal driving.

Yes.  If you drive, er, enthusiastically, or often carry others (like to show real estate) or haul heavy loads, or take your car to the track once in a while, you will want the extra margin of safety provided by an inside patch.

One thing I just thought of, some tire places might have disclaimers in their warranties that state that for the tire warranty to be in effect, they have to do any repairs.  Makes sense.

[zolotiyeruki]

I did the same thing about a year and a half ago.  We were about to head home from my in-laws' home (a 1200 mi trip), and just as we had all our kids and stuff packed in the van, we noticed a nearly-flat tire.  All the mechanics and tire shops were closed, so we went to AutoZone to see if they had any suggestions.  $12 for a tire repair kit, and we were on the road within an hour.  When we sold the van 10 months and 8,000 miles later, it still had that plug.

[forummm]

A number of tire shops like Discount Tire will repair fixable flats for free.

[TheThirstyStag]

A number of tire shops like Discount Tire will repair fixable flats for free.

Good info.  I forgot to mention that.  The plugs I had in the past were from tire chains that did them for free.  They did tell me that they would patch it, only to plug it instead.  Beggars can't be choosers, though :)

[guitar_stitch]

I always carry a can of Fix-a-Flat.   It repairs almost anything.       I had a nail in a tire last week when having the tires rotated.   They fixed it or so they thought.   Next day tire leaking.   Grabbed the fixaflat and fixed it in 10 minutes.   I have used this with nails and just leave them in.  Been doing this for at least 15 years with no problems.

Not a fan of fix-a-flat for long term use.  I've had belts come apart because of the liquid inside the tire pressing against it under centrifugal force at high speed.  This stuff will also wreck any TPMS sensors (for newer vehicles).

[dragoncar]

The tire shop would only charge like $20 to patch, right?  I mean, saving money is good, but hopefully this is a once-every-five-years type expense.

[BlueMR2]

The tire shop would only charge like $20 to patch, right?  I mean, saving money is good, but hopefully this is a once-every-five-years type expense.

All the shops around here do it for free now.

[dragoncar]

The tire shop would only charge like $20 to patch, right?  I mean, saving money is good, but hopefully this is a once-every-five-years type expense.

All the shops around here do it for free now.

Good point, I heard america's tire does this.

[cleverscreenname]

Wonderful job Emg03063, I just did the same thing! My tire patch kit for $10 is just what a local shop uses and charges $15 for, if they don't have to remount or rebalance. I just plugged a tire in the Honda Fit I'm borrowing. (sensible mustachian car, but really too small for me to work out of. Also it's been years since having an automatic transmission, boy are they touchy and annoying. My last 4 cars have been unbreakable CVTs, and stick shifts before that.)

This is the 9th time I've used this patch kit, so that $10 saved me 9x15=$135 so far, and still has 5 patch pieces left. One downside is I just barely have enough hand strength to operate it.

To all of you who read this, would you give me your opinion:
-Was it appropriate to "necro-post" to this thread considering it was exactly what I would have wrote anyways....
-Or do you think I should have started a new (identical) thread?

[ATtiny85]

Wonderful job Emg03063, I just did the same thing! My tire patch kit for $10 is just what a local shop uses and charges $15 for, if they don't have to remount or rebalance. I just plugged a tire in the Honda Fit I'm borrowing. (sensible mustachian car, but really too small for me to work out of. Also it's been years since having an automatic transmission, boy are they touchy and annoying. My last 4 cars have been unbreakable CVTs, and stick shifts before that.)

This is the 9th time I've used this patch kit, so that $10 saved me 9x15=$135 so far, and still has 5 patch pieces left. One downside is I just barely have enough hand strength to operate it.

To all of you who read this, would you give me your opinion:
-Was it appropriate to "necro-post" to this thread considering it was exactly what I would have wrote anyways....
-Or do you think I should have started a new (identical) thread?

I like it....since a lot has happened in the world since this thread was active, it should be interesting to get current data on how some tire shops are operating these days.

[Dancin'Dog]

We used to drive on a lot of gravel mountain roads and got flats a few times per year.  I learned to carry a plug kit and a mini 12-volt air compressor in the trunk.  We were able to plug most flats without even removing the wheel from the car.  You only need to locate the leak & have a clear access space to shove the reamer & plug tool into the tire.  Btw, I always lubed the plug material with a liberal coating of rubber cement to help it slide in and to seal better.


I also found that small independent tire shops were more helpful than the big chain shops in helping fix tires.  The big franchises tended to rather sell you a new tire if the hole was "too close to the sidewall". 

[dragoncar]

I like it....since a lot has happened in the world since this thread was active, it should be interesting to get current data on how some tire shops are operating these days.

Actually had americas tire (discount tire) patch one of my tires recently.  It was free, pretty good service.  I had considered buying a patch on Amazon but the tire wire new so I thought it would be a better long term fix to get it from the inside and I don’t have the tools to dismount the tire from the wheel.  Had actually forgotten about this thread.

From what I’ve read since then it’s a good thing I didn’t need to do a temporary plug  myself because they probably wouldn’t have done a patch (it’s not allowed or recommended to patch over a plug or something like that).  May or may not be true but it was a penetration with extremely slow leak (took days to lose enough for TPMS to complain and even then I wasn’t visibly flat).  So I just carefully drove it there the next day after making an appointment online

I actually felt bad since the guys were pretty busy and I threw them a few bucks (beer money level) since they got me in and out so fast/friendly.  I know the business offers it free for goodwill and it’s not charity but that doesn’t really make the employees happier

[cleverscreenname]

Btw, I always lubed the plug material with a liberal coating of rubber cement to help it slide in and to seal better.

Light bulb! Thank you so much. I get frustrated after spending the time and effort to find out a plug still leaks, so I give up and pay a shop! Now I have another piece of knowledge in my arsenal.

[BlueMR2]

I also found that small independent tire shops were more helpful than the big chain shops in helping fix tires.  The big franchises tended to rather sell you a new tire if the hole was "too close to the sidewall".

With the liability issues now, the guidance on what is considered safe to repair has drastically changed.  It's a very small portion of the tread now that is considered safe to repair.  Old school rope plugs are completely out now too, need to be a patch from the inside.

[Cozzmo]

Having been a mechanic for 18 years, I have plugged many hundreds of tires with nails in them.
Sometimes just without even saying anything.
It is a really great fix!
I have yet to have one come back on me.
My wife ran over a piece of glass with her new tire several years ago, the plug was too loose (Or so I thought) due to the size of the hole.
But, I put the rubber cement, and shoved it in there.
I usually twist a few turns to get a good ball below before pulling the plug insertion tool back out.
Anyways, that tire never did leak, and so another permanent fix for a perfect track record.
Thanks,
Chris