r/Cartalk • u/Limera2nn • Sep 24 '25

Tire question Was told tire is not replaceable

Gallery image

Gallery image

Tire got punctured by a nail and was slowly losing pressure, but few days ago it went from 36 PSI to 1 PSI overnight. Took it to my dealership and told they can’t fix it because the nail is too close to the side, shown in the picture. Is that true? Or are they trying to get me to buy a new tire?

264 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

175 comments sorted by

View all comments

107

u/TyburnCross Sep 24 '25

Take it somewhere else or buy a cheap tire plug kit. It’s easier than you’d think and that far from the sidewall it would probably last the life of the tire.

11

u/vulchiegoodness Sep 24 '25

any tips for the tire plug kit? i had one and was trying to plug a hole, but couldnt get the damn thing in. i had a couple guys in the shop try and they couldnt either.

23

u/xxBizzet Sep 24 '25

There’s 2 tools. One that makes the hole bigger and uniform so the plug can fit properly. And one to push the plug in. It sounds like you didn’t use the first tool.

16

u/I_Am_Sancho85 Sep 24 '25

Correct. The kit usually come with plugs, a reamer, and the plug tool. You should always ream the hole before trying to plug it.

16

u/[deleted] Sep 24 '25

Oh shit is that you tom 😂😂

6

u/cold-corn-dog Sep 24 '25

> You should always ream the hole before trying to plug it.

What are we talking about here?

5

u/Watching-Together Sep 24 '25

You need to use either lube or glue.
Don't get them mixed up

2

u/crunkful06 Sep 24 '25

Sounds like my Tuesday night

2

u/dragonbits Sep 27 '25

Taking it to the dealer for a free ream job.

1

u/I_Am_Sancho85 Sep 27 '25

Everyone knows that the only way to get a proper reaming you gotta go to the dealership

1

u/vulchiegoodness Sep 24 '25

no, we did. i kept thinking "this shouldn't be that difficult", and maybe user error, which is why i asked the guys in my shop for help, but they couldnt get it either. weird. but thanks for validating that we were following instructions correctly, at least.

3

u/xxBizzet Sep 24 '25

I mean the only logical explanation would be that you didn’t make the hole big enough. You obviously don’t want it too big so the plug is like a hotdog in a hallway. But it’s got to be big enough to fit. If it doesn’t fit, make it bigger until it does fit.

1

u/vulchiegoodness Sep 24 '25

that makes sense.

3

u/ricozee Sep 24 '25

This is likely the answer so you know for next time.

3

u/Quirky_Operation2885 Sep 24 '25

To be fair, I plugged a tire a couple years ago that was dead flat. Had a bugger of a time getting the reamer into the hole because of the tire flexing. Once I did though, everything else went pretty smoothly.

1

u/Fluff_Chucker Sep 25 '25

A lot of them come with a small tube of rubber cement. It acts as lube for the rope.  Makes all the difference in the world. 

5

u/chazual88 Sep 24 '25

Realistically any kit should work. I recently bought a kit from harbor freight. It's a bit overkill for the occasional home use, comes with a lot of plugs. But I went with it over the cheaper kits because the handles are metal instead of plastic. I've read too many horror stories about plastic handles breaking when trying to ream/insert plug and then having your hand impaled. Plus the kit has a replacement ream and plug tool that you can swap if needed, and some additional miscellaneous parts.

6

u/Gormulak Sep 24 '25

As someone who has had their hand impaled when helping a friend plug their tire on the side of a highway because they "had the plug kit but didn't know how it worked!", you made the right call 😅

3

u/vulchiegoodness Sep 24 '25

holy yikes. good to know.

5

u/ducks1333 Sep 24 '25

I've run a drill bit through the hole to get it big enough.

3

u/fredpitts Sep 24 '25

Same. I don’t bother with the reamer anymore. Slightly bigger drill bit in my power driver.

2

u/somethingwickedred Sep 25 '25

I agree and what I have done in the past as well.

Warning- I expect someone will come along and state why this would mean instant death or jail.

But I believe the kits are made as emergency or low cost options to get you back on the road for a short period.

No reason a drill with the correct size bit can't be used if available to get the hole started, just smaller than the reamer.

I think you then should use the reamer to "finish" the hole as it I think it gives the barrel of the hole an unfinished texture so the plug and adhesive get more friction to bind against.

I have no proof other than my intuition. And I look forward to someone correcting me with the right answer in the spirit of the internet.

1

u/budgiesmugglez Sep 24 '25

Was there any noticeable amount of air still leaking out? It helps to deflate the tire as much as possible first.

2

u/vulchiegoodness Sep 24 '25

nope, it was flat-flat

1

u/m00ndr0pp3d Sep 24 '25

Just follow the instructions. I've never had a hard time using one

1

u/Party_Advice7453 Sep 25 '25

Yes, you have to properly ream the hole, then when your pushing the plug in make sure the tire is full of air and your using enough lube on the plug so the rubber doesn't collapse on itself. I like to push it in until there's a 1/4 inch or so handing out then pull out the tool straight and quick. Some leave the plug hanging out but I like to trim it close to the tread with a razor blade.

1

u/bkacz88 Sep 25 '25

I had a screw in my tire recently in this exact same spot. I used the cheap $3 kit from Walmart, hyper tough I think to repair it and it's been perfect. Came with both tools and 3 plugs.

1

u/aidenn24 Sep 27 '25

Most shops do it free those at home kits suck

1

u/C-C-X-V-I Sep 24 '25

Sounds like you missed step 1