can't patch a plugged tire?

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted by InhalingBullets
....most if not all of the major tire manufacturers recommend a plug and a patch for a proper repair.

https://www.tireindustry.org/tire-maintenance/tire-repair
They want your car on their lift. There's a reason rope plugs became dangerous all of the sudden even though tires have no fundamentally changed since the introduction of the radial tire. A leaky tire is a sales lead.

Originally Posted by AC1DD
Most of the reluctance to plug a tire today at repair shops is due to possible lawsuits. That is all. It's ridiculous.
Between that and the four year lifespan of a tire, the tire industry seems to rely on misinformation more than other automotive industries. I saw a YouTube ad for Ford dealership early bird snow tire swaps yesterday. It was like 26 degrees C yesterday.

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by InhalingBullets
....most if not all of the major tire manufacturers recommend a plug and a patch for a proper repair.

https://www.tireindustry.org/tire-maintenance/tire-repair



Written by the tire industry, so of course they have no bias.

They want you to buy new tires instead of repairs and say to scrap tires with sidewall punctures. But... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riDyZs1bH7I


You realize that is a heavy truck tire and they are completely different than a passenger radial?

There is no safe way to repair a sidewall on passenger or light truck tires.

OTOH, most tire shops around me wont even patch a tire string plugs all the way.

 

[atikovi]

Sure, it's a truck tire and the repair probably costs as much as a new car tire. Was on a road trip down in Mexico in the early 80's when a nail went through the sidewall. Put the spare on and in the next town a tire shop patched it up for the equivalent of $3 and put it back on the car. Had no problem with it for life of the tread.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I used tiger tails ( orange/black poly rope ) with the reamer and the rubber cement for years no problems - even on the rear tires where we did burnouts as crazy teens in our Chevelle's and V8 Vega's and LTD 429's
Never had a problem wearing the tire right down to the cord - but it was always in the back of my mind.
But we weren't driving over 100 mph for long periods either.

 

[SeaJay]

Originally Posted by AC1DD
Most of the reluctance to plug a tire today at repair shops is due to possible lawsuits. That is all. It's ridiculous.


Agree, that is the reason. Plugs worked very good for all of the flats I've had driving on the pothole & debris laden roads in my neck of the woods.

 

[Hall]

What is the current, preferred repair method ? I remember plugs (which are still sold in every auto parts store, Walmart, etc), then they moved to what I thought were just patches, and later, this combination patch/plug. Is the patch/plug not the preferred repair today ?

 

[spk2000]

Have never had a plug fail and I have always preferred the string type over the rubber ones but they have all worked fine over the years and have lasted quite some time.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson
What is the current, preferred repair method ? I remember plugs (which are still sold in every auto parts store, Walmart, etc), then they moved to what I thought were just patches, and later, this combination patch/plug. Is the patch/plug not the preferred repair today ?


The "proper" repair is the plug/patch combo.

 

[Hall]

Was there a patch only option in between?

 

[Traction]

After repairing hundreds of tires, that would be a case where I would just cut the excess of the plug from inside the tire, then buff, glue, and install a patch. No problem, since
the hole is already filled.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted by Silverado12
Originally Posted by Chris142
I never use the reamer.



If I don't ream out the hole I couldn't get the plug in. FWIW I have a Safety Seal kit with the reamer that supposedly dousn't damage the cords; it spreads them so you can get the plug into the hole. Disclaimer: my plugging experience is limited.


Safety Seal slim plugs do not need a reamer but you need their strong needle to get it in there, a cheapo will just bend. Yes patch and plug is best but I have no fear using safety seal plugs given the speed limits in the US. Look at the test.

https://www.safetyseal.com/whysafetyseal.php

 

[FordBroncoVWJeta]

Walmart won't even do it if you plugged it.

 

[barrysingh101]

Tires have cords that run all around the tread of the tire, the part the makes contact with the road. But on the sidewall, those cords aren't there. So, there's just no way for a plug to fill that hole. The patch won't hold, and it's going to continue to leak.

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted by FordBroncoVWJeta
Walmart won't even do it if you plugged it.
Again good information to know. Imo, what the DT store employee told the OP not unreasonable. Obviously for an RMA plug/patch it must be applied through the puncture hole. If that hole was made too large by diy reamer, then the plug patch might not be safe. While that seems a remote chance, still a possibility. Seeing as they did RMA repair they must have found the puncture opening acceptable. So based on that, unlike WM it seems perhaps not a blanket policy for no repair after rope plug used first.

As aside, in a litigious society I can't blame a corporation like WM for having a blanket policy on this. Takes the decision making out of the hands of the employees.

I am curious if DT had a charge for the repair?

 

[Traction]

Per RMA the maximum size of the hole that can be repaired is 1/4 inch.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by Sayjac
I am curious if DT had a charge for the repair?

Discount Tire promotes their free tire repairs. The store I deal with generally doesn't care if you bought the tire(s) from them or not either. I think they do it as a courtesy with the hope that you'll come to them for new tires one day (which I do). I bought a used car a year and a half ago and all (4) tires had slow leaks that I took to them to look at (anticipating paying). The tires weren't ones they sold but they look up my info and see that I've bought a few tires from them in the past. They dismounted all (4), cleaned up the wheels along the 'bead', checked the tires for holes, and rebuilt the TPMS on all (4). They re-balanced them too. They warned me that the TPMS are ~10 years old with corrosion and are probably the issue but they did the best they could short of replacing them. Cost ? $0.00 Turns out the TPMS were to blame. I bought VDO sensors off of Amazon and paid them to install them.

 

[Sayjac]

Yep, first became aware of the FOC RMA puncture repair on one of my first visits to DT in the mid 2000s, and seen it a couple/few times since. That said, seeing as I've not seen it (free no matter purchase place) specifically advertised I don't take it for granted that it will always be that way. Thus the query to the OP. I do hope they keep the policy, think it's good one.

Recently had a related experience at Honda dealership while waiting for some warranty work. In the waiting area, overheard a service writer explaining the RMA procedure to an older couple, wife seem to be taking charge. Being nosey, after he left I went over to politely inquire how much they were going charge for the service. She said,~$45. With that figure I made the decided to tell her DT would do it FOC. She then got up to find the SW and tell him to forget it and repeated what I told her. He told her that was only for tires purchased at DT. I basically repeated what I wrote at the top and that I had nothing to gain whatever her decision. Closest DT store about mile from the dealership. She came in because tpms light on and they told her they found a small slow leak one tire.

Wife told me they were in town that day for her husband's visit to the local VA hospital and decided to stop before going home. Had the repair price been more reasonable I might have said nothing.

 

[alarmguy]

Have used plugs for decades, never had an issue. Except once, decade ago, plug was on the corner of the side wall of the front tire where it contacts the road, after 15k miles or so it started to slow leak , punched it out and replaced.

 

[MrWideTires]

Learn to plug your own tires at home, and forged about asking shops for their advise and paying them.

I've plugged tons of tires right on the edge with the sidewall, used them at racetracks, rally, 160+mph, anything.. no problem.

 

[Maddog3355]

I've plugged several tires and even seen a guy take a drill bit and waller the hole to get the plug to go in and it worked. If you have implement tires and 4 wheelers you diffidently need to plug.