Can car tires always be patched?

[Lorikr65]

I just found a small nail in my tire. I called BJs and they said, depending on where the nail was, the tire may not be able to be patched. The nail is about 1/2 inch out from the sidewall of the tire, no actually within the tread part.

Thanks - lori

 

[dis-happy]

In my somewhat limited tire knowledge, no, they cannot always be patched, but yours sounds like it might be okay. I think it is actually called a plug they put in the tire. Hoping the best for you!!!

 

[winnapooh]

No, they cannot always be patched. I had a hole in the sidewall, just above the tread, and they said it couldn't be patched because it would just break again. (I was told that at Dunn tire).

BJ's is a good place to get tires though (the best price I found), but beware, they may check the rest of the car out...I was very surprised to see them looking under the hood when they were just supposed to be changing the tire. They said it's a curteousy check, but they supposedly wouldn't change the tire unless you sign off on them doing the check. I wasn't very happy about that since it could have voided my warranty if they did mess with anything.

 

[princessmom29]

If it is in the sidewall or too colse ot it it cannot be patched. The tread can be patched.

 

[BrettS]

I just found a small nail in my tire. I called BJs and they said, depending on where the nail was, the tire may not be able to be patched. The nail is about 1/2 inch out from the sidewall of the tire, no actually within the tread part.

Thanks - lori

That may be pushing it. They say that holes in the sidewall can't be patched, but holes in the tread can. I'm not sure if that hole is too far into the sidewall to be patchable or not.

For what it's worth, if you or someone you know is pretty handy you can buy patch kits at wallmart for about $10 or $15 that include tools and three tire patches. They're pretty easy to do and can be done without taking the tire off of the car.

HTH,
Brett

 

[Gagirl69]

Yeah, my daughter had a nail in her tire. My husband plugged it. He always keeps them on hand just in case

 

[msmayor]

That may be pushing it. They say that holes in the sidewall can't be patched, but holes in the tread can. I'm not sure if that hole is too far into the sidewall to be patchable or not.

For what it's worth, if you or someone you know is pretty handy you can buy patch kits at wallmart for about $10 or $15 that include tools and three tire patches. They're pretty easy to do and can be done without taking the tire off of the car.

HTH,
Brett

I personally wouldn't try to do it myself. The garage where I go only charges $15 to repair a tire, and they remove it, patch it and pressure test the tire before it goes back on. Its hard to pressure test a tire at home.

 

[Lorikr65]

It looks like I probably won't we able to plug it based on this info. My sister knows someone who owns an auto body place so she said he can get me a tire for 1/2 price so I think I'll go that route.

Thanks everyone!!

 

[sbell111]

I agree that it sounds like this one is unpatchable. A good rule of thumb is that if the nail went through the bottom of the tire, you can patch it, but if it went into the side, you can't.

That being said, I would never, ever pay someone to patch a tire. It is just way too easy to do yourself. The kits only cost five dollars or so and come with about three patches. Additional patches are probably about three for a dollar. The kits come with good instructions, but basically all you do is take the one tool and ream the hole just a bit so the gooey patch will stick. You then put a patch on the other tool and jam it into the hole you made. Pull out the tool and the patch will remain. Clip off the exposed tails of the patch and you are ready to pump up the tire.

Several years ago, I got a nail in my Jeep's tire and didn't realize it. The vehicle sat out overnight and presented the flat as a gift to me the next morning. It took me only a few minutes to find the nail, yank it out, and patch the hole. Unfortunately, I was between air compressers so I used my CO2-based bicycle tire inflater to get enough air in to allow me to drive the Jeep a mile or so to the gas station and air it up. I still made it to work on-time. I could have simply changed the tire and worried about fixing it some other time, but that might have actually taken longer and would have surely been dirtier.

 

[LisaNJ25]

I just found a small nail in my tire. I called BJs and they said, depending on where the nail was, the tire may not be able to be patched. The nail is about 1/2 inch out from the sidewall of the tire, no actually within the tread part.

Thanks - lori

Does bj's patch it for free? I know costco will.

 

[Tink113]

You can't always have the tire patched as everyone else has said. However, if you can have it patched, ask to have it hot patched from the inside!!!!

When you patch a tire, you insert a plug into the hole that over time pushes the tread apart. A hot patch on the inside of the tire is a bot more $$, but worth it because you are applying to patch to the inside not forcing a plug into a hole. A must for any newer tires you have that need to be patched.

 

[BillyM]

did you get road hazard if so it will be prorated if it is in the side wall they can not patch or plug it because the side wall can blow out and they are responsible side walls do not have as much rubber as the tread

 

[christinou]

Does bj's patch it for free? I know costco will.

They do, and I have used that service before, if the tire is not patcheable, depending on the life of the tire you also get a discount on your next one.

 

[NVDisMom]

We had this problem just a few weeks ago. Its a PITA! We called a few tire shops around town, Big O type places and they all said they would not do a repair on a side wall ever. But I knew they could be done, my Dad would repair tractor tire side walls all of the time. So I called a local tire guy that specialized in agriculture and DOT tire repairs. He had me bring it in, checked it, fixed it and remounted it. $5 later I had a patched tire. Its been on the car for a couple of months now and we've had zero problems! Chain shops won't usually do the repair because of liability issues. All plugs have a failure rate no matter where they are in the tire, its slightly higher in side wall repairs. The only time they are not repairable is when they are within a couple of inches of where the tire meets the rime.

HTH

 

[bookgirl]

No a tire can not always be patched, usually if it involves the sidewall area the patch will not hold (something about the pressure against the sidewall and the layers of the tire) and the tire must be replaced. Hope that's not the case.

 

[pixiewings71]

I wouldn't take the chance of fixing a side wall puncture. I would much rather get a new tire instead. Tractor tires are made differently than car tires so it's not a chance I'm comfortable taking. We always buy tires that have replacement options if they are non-repairable. We get ours at Big O and we've never had any issues having them repaired or replaced for free.

 

[msmayor]

I wouldn't take the chance of fixing a side wall puncture. I would much rather get a new tire instead. Tractor tires are made differently than car tires so it's not a chance I'm comfortable taking. We always buy tires that have replacement options if they are non-repairable. We get ours at Big O and we've never had any issues having them repaired or replaced for free.

Exactly. That $5 repair might not seem so budget-smart if you're driving 65mph on the interstate when it decides to fail.

Its why I trust a tire professional's opinion of whether it can be patched. I'm not willing to risk my family's safety because I think it should only be patched. I'd rather spend the $160 for a new tire than risk an accident at high-speed because a patched tire blew.