XPost: alt.home.repair   
   From: NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com   
      
   In alt.home.repair, on Sat, 29 Apr 2023 23:19:38 -0000 (UTC), Maxmillian   
    wrote:   
      
   >In your experience, what percentage of your flat tires have to have the   
   >tire replaced versus just having the flat repaired?   
   >   
   >I realize everything is up to chance, but in the last couple of years, my   
   >household has had three flat tires, all due to nails or screws (there is   
   >always some construction going on nearby) where I took the tires to   
   >GoodYear and all three had to be replaced.   
   >   
   >One, as I recall, was too close to the shoulder, the other had been driven   
   >on (they said) when they removed the carcass, and just yesterday, the third   
   >they said was worn to a wear bar (as it had uneven wear) but it seemed to   
   >me to be barely above the wear bar at the one wear bar he pointed to as   
   >most of the tread was about two or three mm above the wear bars so he   
   >picked the lowest one at about a millimeter or less above the wear bar).   
   >   
   >After waiting two hours in the waiting room, the guy came back and said he   
   >can't repair a dangerous tire, so again, for the third time, I had to buy a   
   >new tire, where it took another hour for them to have the car ready for me.   
   >   
   >Given I had to remove the tire anyway to put on the spare, the whole ordeal   
   >took about five hours or so in elapsed time just to fix a basic flat.   
   >   
   >Could I have more easily just repaired the tire at home?   
      
   Years ago I used to get quite a few flats.  Maybe because I lived in a   
   city with glass and nails on the street (although not every flat was in   
   the city.)   
      
   I fixed quite a few flats myself, first with plugs and later with   
   "strings"   They sell them at any auto parts store.  They also selll   
   them with a tool to insert the string, but when I'm depressed, I cheer   
   myself up by buying a new tool, so I bought a better insert tool.  That   
   seems to be the best way to stop havign flats, spend $3 on the better   
   tool.   
      
   On one and only one occasions in the last 50 years, I've been able to   
   inflate a tire with Fix-a-Flat and drive on it without losing much   
   pressure at least until I got home -- without removign whatever made the   
   leak.    But other times, the air went out almost as fast as it went in.   
      
   Nonetheless, I still carry it.  One can is not enough because if you   
   need it and use it, you have no more for the next flat.  Two cans is not   
   enough, because if you use one can, you only have one can left and I   
   just determined that one can is not enough.  So I usually have 3 cans.   
   That also prevents having flats in  the first place.   
      
   Now I carry an ectric tire pump but when I didn't, afte4r I patched it   
   myself, one can of Fix-a-Flat would put in enough air to drive to   
   somewhere there was an air pump.   
      
   >I realize everything is up to chance but has it been your experience that   
   >almost all the tires you want to repair, they say can't be repaired?   
      
   Once someoen even repaired a hole in a sidewall for me.  I don't think   
   they are lying when they say y ou can't do this, but somehow he did.   
      
   At a shop I expect them to take the tire off the rim and patch it on the   
   inside, and he did that to a sidewall. AIUI, removing the tire and using   
   a patch is better, but it's so much extra work and couldn't be much   
   better since strings work fine except in sidewalls.   
      
   But I saw shops where all they do is put in strings, which btw doesn't   
   require  taking off the tire, and if they're going to just do that, I   
   can do that as well as they can.  Once the tire is off the car and the   
   leak is found, inserting a string takes 5 minutes or less.   
      
   In one case, I removed the nail and patched the tire without even taking   
   the tire off the car.   
      
   >Then there's the added cost of sales tax of around ten dollars, mounting   
   >and balancing at around fifteen dollars, and the tire valve of five dollars   
   >and the disposal fee of about another five dollars. It all adds up.   
   >   
   >I'm wondering if it's worth it to buy a "tire press" or whatever it takes   
   >to change a tire (I have a small portable compressor already) at home.   
   >   
   >Anyone repair your own tires at home when you get a flat?   
   >Is it worth the money if you can save a few tires?   
      
   I thought so, not just the cost of the tire but the time and effort like   
   you say.   
      
   I doubt you will find a place like Baltimore has, but ... Back in 1970,   
   when someone borrowed my car and wrecked it, he bent the frame and one   
   tire kept wearing out sooner than it should, so I started buying used   
   tires for it. Maybe logically that reason is not a good one.   And if   
   you drive 20,000 miles a year maybe it's not worth it   
      
   But I continued it and in Baltimore there is one place that always has   
   the size I need, and it takes under 10 minutes start to finish to buy a   
   tire or two. (I've never bought mroe than 2 at one time.)   
      
   They have space for two cars inside the shop but if they run out of   
   space, guys some out to the sidewalk and the street.  They know why   
   people are there, so they don't need to waste more than a few seconds   
   talking.  If you need two, two guys jack up two corners, they take off   
   the wheels and give them to someone else who takes off the tires, Then   
   they go in the back to find the tires, give them to that rim guy who   
   mounts the new tires and igves them to another guy who bubble tests   
   them, then to another one who balances them, dynamically, who gives them   
   back to the two guys (or maybe two other guys) who put the tires back   
   on.  While they do all that, I'm going into the office to pay, a middle   
   aged woman.   
      
   All this takes under 10 minutes, once only 5, but once it took 13   
   minutes counting waiting.   It's a 20 minute drive from here but I enjoy   
   the drive.   
      
   They work on up to 6 cars at once, 12 or 14 guys at busy times. They've   
   all been nice guys.  All they sell are used tires.  Well it says they   
   sell new tires too, but they assume I'm there for used tires. If they   
   ever didn't have my size, I guess they'd sell me new.   it's been 5   
   years since I bought a tire, but I think prices were 15 to 50 depending   
   on how much tread is left, and the size of the tire.  My tires are not   
   especially big and I don't think  they've ever asked for more than 35.   
   https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=dana%27s+tires I'm   
   surprised it's only 4.4 stars on 373 reviews.  A good friend found them   
   separately from me and never bought tires anywhere else   
      
   Many used tires look pretty good, except maybe the 10 dollar tires   
   (which I've never looked at)  with more than half the tread left, mmany   
   (most?) from accidents where the car is totalled and the tires might be   
   like new.   
      
   It used to be some new-car buyers would have the original tires replaced   
   with better ones and the ones removed were sold as used, but I don't   
   know if that still happens. CAn't imagine it's many.   
      
      
   They don't use plugs anymore aiui.  Plugs require rubber cement be   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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