Repairing flat tires that have been ignored

[The Critic]

Boss sent me to get the tire repaired on his car. The tire in question only has about 8,000 miles on it, but has had a slow leak for the last 2-3 months. I think the tire loses enough air to require topping off once-a-month, so it has probably been ran with ~25 psi for a few thousand miles.

IF the tire has no visible damage and looks OK internally after repairing the puncture, is the tire still considered serviceable? I cannot imagine that running a tire on very low pressure for several thousand miles, is not detrimental to its life.

Thanks.

 

[bigjl]

I would only be concerned if it had been run low enough that there was actually wear on the shoulder.

If there is no apparent damage I would be happy to use it, but only subject to a personal inspection of the tyre inside when removed, no damage visible the. I am good to go.

The wife ruined a perfectly good tyre due to driving 5 miles with less than 10psi in the tyre!

Not happy, visible wear to outside shoulder due to running partly on the sidewall and a 5000 mile tyre was scrap.

 

[eljefino]

It's fine. Does his car have TPMS and was that his nag?

What's the car, and what's the tire rating compared to the weight that was probably on it?

 

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Boss sent me to get the tire repaired on his car. The tire in question only has about 8,000 miles on it, but has had a slow leak for the last 2-3 months. I think the tire loses enough air to require topping off once-a-month, so it has probably been ran with ~25 psi for a few thousand miles.

IF the tire has no visible damage and looks OK internally after repairing the puncture, is the tire still considered serviceable? I cannot imagine that running a tire on very low pressure for several thousand miles, is not detrimental to its life.

Thanks.


Yup, running a tire underinflated is detrimental to its life. A tire never forgets that this has happened.

So there is a BIG concern about the tire's future - not withstanding that there is no damage. Had there been damage, there would be no question about replacing the tire.

Oh, and since the tire has been repaired, there isn't warranty coverage anymore.

 

[bigjl]

This is something I find strange to say the least.

Warranties on tyres, we have never had these in the UK other than a few years ago at Kwik Fit when you bought their own brand budget, which wasn't really that cheap or good.

How can a tyre company make a profit if they offer a warranty against punctures?

I assume that is the kind of warranty coverage you think may be invalidated ?

 

[DuckRyder]

Originally Posted By: bigjl
This is something I find strange to say the least.

Warranties on tyres, we have never had these in the UK other than a few years ago at Kwik Fit when you bought their own brand budget, which wasn't really that cheap or good.

How can a tyre company make a profit if they offer a warranty against punctures?

I assume that is the kind of warranty coverage you think may be invalidated ?


Tire manufacturers warranties are against defects and in some cases mileage. Most tire retailers offer "road hazard" insurance for an additional cost at the time of purchase. Typically it is about 15.00 per tire. For example:

Quote:
Additional Information Related to This Order:

195/60R-15 Michelin Primacy MXV4
Road Hazard Program is available for these tires until 14 days from invoice date. Your Price $60.16

 

[PandaBear]

Also check the valve stem. I had one tire that leak slow because "Just Tires" was putting low quality Chinese valve stem on it. It may not be the tire.

For a tire that has been riding too low on air for permanent damage, the tire tech should be able to spot it and refuse the work, so no worry.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
It's fine. Does his car have TPMS and was that his nag?

What's the car, and what's the tire rating compared to the weight that was probably on it?

08 passat, 215/55-16 97H XL rating. Michelin Primacy MXM4. Yes on TPMS.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: CapriRacer

Yup, running a tire underinflated is detrimental to its life. A tire never forgets that this has happened.

So there is a BIG concern about the tire's future - not withstanding that there is no damage. Had there been damage, there would be no question about replacing the tire.

Oh, and since the tire has been repaired, there isn't warranty coverage anymore.


The tire has not been repaired, I have an appointment at the shop later today.

 

[bigjl]

It's an Extra Load tyre so running at 4/5 psi under pressure is not going to do anything to the tyre.

If there is no sign of external damage and none is noted when they do the repair then there is unlikely to be any structural issues hiding inside the sidewall.

If there was there would surely be some external signs such as bulging.

 

[The Critic]

Took the car to the tire shop this afternoon.

It turned out both rear tires had a small sheetmetal screw in them. I knew about the one in the LR, but the one in the RR was news to me.

After dismounting, both the outside and the inside of the tires showed absolutely no damage whatsoever. The shop and I both agreed to patch the tire and return both of them to service.

Oh, and the other two Primacy MXM4 tires were still in perfect balance after 7,000 miles - amazing.

 

[moto94536]

hi the critic, it is very dangerous to drive with low PSI, the tire can blow up anytime. I will take it to the shop, and check for any nail or damage.

I had nail on my tire 5 months ago, the shop fix it. They insert the needle and then plug. It is near sidewall, the shop did it for me. It is working fine and no leaks.

 

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted By: bigjl
This is something I find strange to say the least.

Warranties on tyres, we have never had these in the UK other than a few years ago at Kwik Fit when you bought their own brand budget, which wasn't really that cheap or good.

How can a tyre company make a profit if they offer a warranty against punctures?

I assume that is the kind of warranty coverage you think may be invalidated ?


Actually, No. The warranty coverage I was referring to is the basic "materials and workmanship" warranty. That warranty is invalidated when a tire is repaired.

Why? Because someone other than the tire manufacturer modified it (by repairing it).

- and before folks chime in about having recieved warranty on tires with repairs, here's how this works:

Tire dealers MAY do warranty on tires that is outside the tire manufacturer's warranty limitations - in order to make the customer happy. This is a common occurance.

- AND -

Tire manufacturers will do a warranty on a repaired tire IF the repair do not CAUSE the issue in question. This last point becomes a bone of contention by tire dealers. They feel that since they performed a warranty, the tire manufacturer should back them up - and to some extent they have a point. But tire dealers have been known to do warraty on tires that were clearly undeserving. Needless to say, this is an on-going issue.

 

[fdcg27]

Unless the car was run at high speeds and heavy loads under hot conditions, I doubt that running at 25 psi really damaged it.
25 psi is close to normal inflation for many vehicles.
Not really that low.

 

[eljefino]

You could probably have run that tire down to about 6-7 PSI and still had it pass the tire store's inspection. As long as the rim didn't cut into the scalloping inside, making rubber dust in the process, it'll look fine.

There's a point where the structure is what you should worry about but I agree it's way less than 25 PSI gently loaded.