I recently had one tire losing pressure, so I took it to Car-X, where I've previously received prompt and effective service. They found that a nail had penetrated the tire. Years ago I remember tires being fixed by taking a rubber "noodle," heating it I think, and using a needle-nosed pliers to punch it into the hole. The Car-X people told me that what they do is place a patch on the inside of the tire because that's safer.
I wonder if it is safer, or whether I was suckered into a more expensive procedure. It's not a big deal, because it was just $10 for the patch and $30 for the labor, but I'm a little suspicious because they also suggested flushing the coolant because of "high levels of nitrate in the current coolant" and when I declined they quickly lowered the price for that from $130 to $100. I still refused, and I'm always wary when refusing a service results in a lower price being offered. I know nothing about nitrates in coolant as indicators.
Any comments re the best (or safest) way to repair a tire puncture would be appreciated, and any experiences you-all have had with Car-X.
Don't have Car-X in Tennessee, but if it's a drive-up repair chain like Jiffy Lube, etc, expect to get the full treatment. The managers have quotas that require outright falsehoods. That you were going at the end of the month meant that your coolant had somehow become infused with bacon and as such the nitrate count was too high.
ReplyDeleteThey still do the rubber noodle repair here in California. It seems a bit old timey, but it worked for me and fixed the flat in about 20 seconds and was just $10.
ReplyDeleteRubber noodle repairs aren't a good idea for a modern high-speed radial tire; they can fail at the high speeds people drive at today. When they do, it can cause a blowout.
ReplyDeleteAmerica's Tire Co/Discount Tire will do free tire patches (from the inside, the right way), even on tires they didn't sell you, but I don't know if you have them in your area.
@anonymous - thank you. I feel better.
ReplyDeleteMy local repair shop does tire repairs for $10 (total). Not sure how they repaired mine, since I didn't watch, but I'm almost positive they put a patch on from the inside.
ReplyDeleteI think $40 for a repair is steep, when you can buy some new tires for not much more than that.
Changed and patched tires for a few years myself. You'll want the inner patch job, as it's the best and safest. I'm from North Ontario though, and my dad owned the garage - mom & pop thing.
ReplyDeleteIf you are being charged -anything- over $20, go and find someone else. Seriously. Patching a tire takes ten minutes tops, so that $30 labour is utter bullshit.
Check out small shops and see if you can get a better deal.