What is Tire Repair?
Tire repair refers to the process of replacing a faulty tire with a new one or simply repairing a tiny puncture. While it sounds like a job anyone with two hands can handle, it’s recommended to go to a shop that specializes in repairing tires to ensure that you get your problem solved completely.
Why You May Need Your Tire Repaired?
Years ago, car owners frequently dealt with the superfluous hassle of repairing their tires due to the quality. Thanks to the manufacturers and present day technology, tires are meant to withstand even the worst conditions on the road. While this holds much truth, it is not uncommon for people to find themselves needing to have their tire(s) repaired due to weather or other hazards on the road.
How Much Will A Tire Repair Run You?
While a tire repair won’t cost you an arm and a leg, it will cost you a bit of your time. If you’re looking into having a puncture repaired on a tire, you’re looking at spending on average between $10 to $20 dollars. The size of the puncture makes a huge difference and will determine the amount you will spend on getting your tire repaired.
Important Facts You Should Know About Tires
What Process is Used When Repairing a Tire?
A tire plug is exactly what it sounds like; a sticky expandable plug that is inserted into the puncture in hopes of keeping the injury secure long enough for the tire to re-inflate with air.
A patch is also pretty self-explanatory when it comes to description. Better known as a radial patch, this piece of material is used to seal up the damaged tire. Due to the heat caused by driving, the patch eventually melts into the tire completely erasing all notices of repair.
Most vehicles are equipped with a spare tire if you happen to be running on a flat. In some cases, you might have to go to your local car shop to purchase a tire depending on the circumstances.
The Difference Between a Plug and a Patch
While the plug takes less time and can be down without removing the entire tire in comparison to the plug, it’s more likely for a car owner to come back in a shorter amount of time for yet another repair after getting a plug opposed to a patch.
Sources:
http://www.tirereview.com/back-to-basics-1-basic-tire-repair/
https://www.carsdirect.com/car-repair/average-tire-puncture-repair-cost
http://txtire.com/blog/view/fixing-flat-tires-tire-plug-vs-radial-patch
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Tire patches are a huge money maker for auto shops.
They don’t require much labor, and the cost of a patch is really low compared to most other auto parts.
But what is a good price to pay to get a tire patched? Well, that depends. If you patch the tire yourself, expect to spend $6.00. If you take it to the shop, you’re looking at spending anywhere between $10-$40, depending on the situation.
Patching tires yourself is always everyone’s first instinct, since the cost is so low. But many people are deterred when they find out they can’t, due to any number of reasons. Deciding when to do it yourself, versus taking it to the shop is what we’ll explore in this article along with why tire patches can be so pricey. We’ll outline the different reasons you should, or shouldn’t do it yourself. We’ll also examine the different types of patches and the pros and cons of each.
I used to work at a shop on a main highway. Every day, during rush hour traffic, at least 3 customers came in requesting a tire patch. Over the years, I’ve learned the simplicity of the tire patch can be deceiving.
Not all tires are created equal and the same goes for patches.
When a shop patches your tire, most of the cost stems from the mechanic’s time.The wholesale price of a tire patch is less than $2.00. The glob of bead sealer that’s used to seal the patch costs less than $0.10.
But it takes the average mechanic about 15 minutes to patch a tire. Most shops charge around $120 per mechanic hour, so you’re looking at $30-$40 for time and parts. If you want the tire re-balanced, as is recommended, tack on another $13.00.
While a tire patch is among the most simple jobs, it takes time away from mechanics who could be working on higher paying, more demanding jobs. Hence, the hourly rate being applied to the job.
Not all tires can be repaired. There are some tests that mechanics, or you yourself, can perform. Doing these tests will give you a good idea as to whether or not your tire can be repaired.
When your tire becomes flat, the first thing to do is not drive on it.
Driving on a flat tire, even for a short amount of time, can damage it beyond repair. When a tire is operated without air, the vehicle’s weight crushes the tire’s innards turning it to dust.
The next thing to do is see what caused the flat. Nails directly in the middle of the tread are a common occurrence. They can be easily spotted from a distance. If you can’t see it, running your hand around the tread will reveal the location of the nail.
Tire punctures that occur within 2 inches of the sidewall are considered non-repairable. This means neither you, nor the shop, can repair this.
It’s actually against the law for auto-shops to repair tires that have punctures close to the side wall. The issue is, tire patches placed close to the side-wall often result in tire blowouts, due to the shifting nature of a tire’s sidewall to tread relationship.
A good test to measure the distance between the puncture and the sidewall is to place your thumb in that space.
If the puncture is a thumbs width (or more) away from the side wall, you’re in the clear.
If not, sadly, it’s time for a new tire.
The length of the puncture is the next thing to look at. Most nail punctures are just as wide as the nail itself. In this case, with the puncture being so small, it’s ok to plug the tire yourself. But if the length of the puncture is 2 ½ inches or more, you cannot patch it.
You cannot patch it, or a shop cannot either. Punctures this large are not repairable, because patches aren’t meant to hold in air over that big of an area.
The inner tire liner doesn’t become fully sealed, even with the largest patches available. If your puncture is more of a gash in the tread, it’s time for a new tire.
Fully patching a tire requires you to complete the following steps.
So as you can see, the full, official way to patch a tire is quite involved. This is why you can see prices up to $45.00 for a simple patch.
If the tire has to be rebalanced, that’s around $13.00 and if it needs new valve stems, or a TPMS sensor, this can also tack on extra costs.
This patch is so effective that it saves you from having to purchase a new tire. You can enjoy the full length of the tire as if no puncture ever happened. Patching a tire can be quite the life saver when you’re in a jam.
The obvious issue here is that tire machines aren’t commonplace in the average driver’s house. So doing it yourself this way isn’t really feasible, but the method we discuss next can be done almost anywhere.
Tire plugging is a simple fix applied to various types of tire punctures. The majority of tire punctures can be repaired by doing a plug yourself.
To plug a tire, just push the plugging strip with the T-Handle in as far as it will go. Then, with all your might, quickly pull the t-handle out. This will plug the tire, and all that’s left is for you to cut the excess plugging strip away.
Tire plugging is looked down by Tire Shops because they consider it not fully seal the surface. But I’ve plugged well over 500 tires, and have never had an issue. Most independent shops are fond of tire plugging as well, since it keeps prices down for them, and the customer.
Tire plugging can be done by yourself, in your driveway. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it, call up an independent shop and ask if they plug or patch tires. Most likely, they probably offer both, but they’ll charge half for a plug, compared to what they would for a full patch.
Plugging tires, while usually a simple task, can turn into a complex issue.
For example, if you plug a tire, and you can still hear a slow hissing noise, it can be a pain to hunt down the source of the leak.
Or if you spray the whole tire down with soap in order to locate the leak, and can’t find it. You might start to question your sanity. Don’t! These issues can take up hours, even for master techs.
There’s actually a machine in some tire shops that puts the tire under water using a crane-like object from above. Even this machine still fails sometimes, and mechanics are left scratching their head. So if you start to encounter any issues of locating the leak, or plugging a leak, it’s time to take it to the shop.
If the tire is totally flat when you walk out to your car, you should be able to use your spare tire, and repair the issue at home with a plugging kit. But if you plug the tire, and it’s still leaking, take it to the shop and let them repair it.
If you are questioning the length test or edge test results, it’s also recommended that you take it to the shop.
Some mechanics will say, “use double the amount of plugs”, to fix large gashes. This is wrong. If one plug can’t fix it, take it to the shop and see what you can recoup.
But for the majority of situations, where a nail has punctured your tread somewhere in the middle of the tread face, it’s totally acceptable to purchase a plug kit, and do the repair yourself. It will save you a couple bucks, and you will have had the opportunity to go under your car to do a quick visual inspection. Or take off the tire and glance at the brake pads.
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Nail, rebar or sharp stone - sometimes you can damage a tire almost from scratch. First of all, the scale of damage is important, and often rubber can still be repaired.
Most often, motorists turn to tire shops for repairs in the middle of autumn or spring - just in the season of replacing summer tires with winter tires and vice versa. In order not to stand in lines, it is worth knowing exactly when to go to the tire shop and when to go to the store.
The most common "injury" to rubber is a puncture, and it can most often be repaired. Professionals in the nearest service will do it much faster, and your hands will remain clean. But if the puncture caught you in a deserted place, and there is a pump and a tire repair kit with harnesses in the trunk, you can patch up the tire yourself. Most often, when repairing the front tires, the wheel can not even be removed, it is enough to turn the steering wheel in the right direction and find the puncture site.
First, the hole is cleaned with a helical awl, the repair harness is smeared with glue and tucked into the eye of the awl, after which it is inserted into the tire hole. With a sharp movement, the tool is removed, and the tourniquet remains inside and securely clogs the hole.
The tails are cut with a knife, but it is recommended to leave about 20 mm. After that, the tire can be inflated and the pressure checked.
Repair with tourniquets is not considered long-term, because after some time they dry out and begin to let air through. A more advanced puncture repair method is vulcanization. The hole is sealed with an elastic plaster, and the funnel at the puncture site is filled with a special compound. A vulcanizer is put on top, which heats the patch and solders the excess.
Under service conditions, the puncture is also repaired with cord fungus. The puncture site is processed and drilled to roughen. Everything is smeared with glue, after which a fungus is introduced from the inside of the tire, its cap is rolled, and the excess legs are cut off from the outside.
Photo: PA Images / TASS
A puncture can also be repaired with sealant. Many car manufacturers with run flat tubeless tires put compressor repair kits in the car instead of a spare tire - a bottle of pressurized sealant.
The car is raised on a jack, after which the sealant is pumped into the damaged wheel through the nipple. Next, you need to spin the wheel and pump it up. After repair, the car should be driven a couple of hundred meters to check the tightness of the tire. If it has not recovered, the procedure is repeated.
It happens that a self-tapping screw or a nail closes the hole in the tire, remaining inside. Do not rush to pull it out - until the pressure drops, you can safely get to the service for vulcanization. Sometimes the wheel begins to blow off a few weeks after the self-tapping screw got into it. Therefore, it is better to check tire pressure periodically, and if the pressure sensor lights up, you should at least visually inspect the tire for a nail head.
A bump or bulge most often occurs on the side of a tire after hitting an obstacle or hitting a hole at speed. From the impact, the sidewall carcass threads are damaged, the tire ceases to hold the load and pressure, swelling appears.
Any small bump eventually turns into a larger one, and with such a defect, the wheel can burst at any time. This is a direct safety hazard because a sudden flat tire can cause loss of control and a road accident.
Some bulges can be repaired, but no patch will ever restore a tire to factory stiffness. The ideal option in this case is to replace the tire. If a hernia has appeared on the tread, then you can extend the life of the tire with the help of cord patches - ready-to-use patches with an adhesive layer. But if swelling is found on the sidewall, the likelihood of repair is minimal, the wheel is easier to change. Blisters on low profile tires are generally not repairable.
Only car service professionals can repair a side cut. Cord patches will be needed to repair the damage, but after some time the wheel will still have to be changed. This method will work only if the gap is not in the shoulder area of the tire, then no one will repair it.
In general, cuts or punctures, unlike punctures, are considered non-repairable, since the integrity of the frame is violated.
And breakdowns do occur on the go, when the tire abruptly loses pressure and has time to make only a few turns “on the rims” before it comes to a complete stop. In this situation, the cord breaks and the layers of the tire are destroyed. Even if it is possible to close the hole, it is not recommended to use such a weakened tire.
Photo: Mikhail Pletsky / Russian Look
Cracks, sidewall abrasions and unprofessional tire fitting can also lead to tire problems. Cracks can occur as a result of improper storage of tires. Their danger is that moisture begins to flow to the cord, and this already renders the frame unusable. Air can also escape through cracks. Cracks cannot be repaired and tires will not last long. A tire with cracks is deformed, blistered, and may even break while driving.
Rubbing against curbs or driving on uneven roadsides can damage the tire sidewall. When driving like this, it is worth inspecting the tires for damage regularly. If a slight wear is found, the wheels can be swapped, which will slightly extend their service life and allow you to delay the purchase of new ones.
Improper fitting can damage the tire bead. In this case, the tire will lose its geometry and sit on a disc with a bevel, “eights” will be visible during rotation, and the driver will feel vibration while driving. It is impossible to repair this defect, the wheel must be changed as soon as possible, otherwise there is a risk of damage to the suspension.
How to Tires
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A tire is a round piece of rubber that is the main part of a car's wheel, allowing it to move. The tire also provides traction and shock absorption while driving. Over time, stones get stuck in the tires.
How to remove them, we have already told you in one of the previous articles. But stones are not the only enemies of tires. There are also nails, self-tapping screws and many other sharp objects that can easily pierce a car tire. If, having caught a self-tapping screw, a flat tire, it is clear to everyone what to do. But what if the pressure continues to hold in a punctured wheel? Can I keep driving, and if so, for how long?
See also: Is it safe to drive with a screw in a tire?
So, if you happen to know that a nail (or self-tapping screw) is stuck in the wheel of your car, but the tire is still holding pressure or deflating slowly, then in no case try to pull the nail out. Leave it in the cover. Next, check the pressure in the wheel and, if it does not correspond to the one recommended by the automaker, inflate the wheel to the norm.
Otherwise, pulling out the nail that prevents the pressure from escaping from the tire will cause the tire to zero.
Of course, there is another option - to flatten the tire, pull out the nail, take a tire repair kit and repair the puncture yourself, and then re-inflate the wheel. But, unfortunately, not every motorist has such a repair kit, and not everyone will be able to repair the wheel on their own. In fact, in order to install a tourniquet into a puncture, remarkable strength is needed.
Unfortunately, a wheel puncture with a nail or a self-tapping screw happens quite often on our roads. Many punctures do not cause the tire to flatten almost instantly. As a result, many drivers notice that the wheel caught the self-tapping screw, not immediately. True, if your car is equipped with tire pressure sensors or a wheel rotation monitoring system (the system tells the driver about a sharp change in wheel rotation parameters, which usually occur when the pressure in the wheel changes sharply), then the security system will inform you of a possible problem in wheel.
If there are tire pressure sensors, you will be able to know which wheel has changed pressure. Unfortunately, very often this system gives false warnings (for example, when there is a sudden change in road grip or a sudden change in temperature outside). As a result, over time, many drivers stop paying attention to the warning of the tire pressure monitoring system. But in vain. After all, the system can warn of a broken wheel.
To prevent this from happening, carefully inspect the wheels for punctures after each ride. If a self-tapping screw is found, contact the tire service as soon as possible.
This is another question that is often asked by car enthusiasts on various thematic forums. We want to upset car owners right away. If you have a punctured wheel, in principle, you can not ride. After all, a car is not a toy, but a vehicle of increased danger.
And not only for you and your passengers, but also for other road users. Therefore, you should contact the tire service as soon as possible, even if the punctured tire does not flatten. You are not clairvoyant and cannot know at what point the wheel will instantly lose pressure. Can you imagine what will happen if this happens at speed while driving on a motorway?
As we have already said, it is IMPOSSIBLE to drive with a flat tire. This is dangerous. But we understand that not everyone has a spare wheel or tire repair kit in their car. Of course, if the tire is slowly losing pressure, you can continue driving by pumping up the tire first. But you don't have to drive fast. First, it's dangerous. And secondly, the faster you drive, the faster the damaged tire will bleed air.
See also: That's why big wheels hurt modern cars
If it is far from the tire fitting, then every 2-3 km stop and check the pressure in the wheel.
