Screw in brand new tire… patch or replace?

Yeah we had 4 patches on one tire for the family car before we finally got new ones. Tread was still okay but long trip and bought a full size spare that needed a tire. I’ll patch everywhere but sidewall and have never had one leak in 5+ years.

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rangerguyCNS8892@reddit

Patch.

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JLOBRO@reddit

I can’t remember the last time I didn’t buy tires from Discount Tire (or similar), buy the hazard warranty, and never have to worry about this again. 20 years ago? Idk.

Not sure if that nail is far enough away from the sidewall to be able to patch it though.

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TheW83@reddit

I bought the road hazard warranty for my Mazda tires and I hit a chunk of concrete or something in the road and the sidewall was looking VERY sketchy. I got a free tire but still had to pay for mount/balance. I got the warranty because there's always so many nails and screws in the road.

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Nidos@reddit

I never understood people who argued against it. I used to work at a Firestone and that was probably the only "upcharge" that I genuinely recommended to customers.

There were so many times that a customer declined the warranty and was back a few months later to get a flat repair, found out the nail is in the sidewall (or they ran over a large blade, happened a total of three times in my time working there) and needed to be replaced but couldn't get them for free or for a heavily discounted price because they declined the warranty. Some would argue with me, but there was genuinely nothing I could do. But it felt good when a customer had an irreparable nail in their tire at a low mileage and they got a brand new tire for free. Or when they'd come in and want their tires replaced because the treads wore out quicker than the mileage warranty was for, and they'd get a set of 4 tires that would cost $1000 but instead they paid $200.

To summarize my unnecessary rambling, get the road hazard warranty. I don't work in the automotive industry anymore and in no way benefit from people buying it (not like I benefited from it as a sales associate in the first place). The warranty is worth it.

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Gweedo1967@reddit

Because most times when you have tire failure it’s not in the area of the tire shop. While on vacation I don’t have room to haul the tire carcass around until I get to the nearest chain store. The low amount of money isn’t worth the hassle to me.

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ieatwhiterice@reddit

If Costco is close by, has the tires and sizes you want get them there...same price as the big online tire stores BUT they include....FREE road hazard warrant, flat repair, install, "lifetime rotation/balance" and delivery to their stores.

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8P69SYKUAGeGjgq@reddit

Yeah man, on my last set of tires I had to replace the same tire twice within three months because of nails. Worth it lol

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RecoverSufficient811@reddit

It doesn't cover everything. My rears aren't covered by road hazard because the wheels are 12" wide

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JLOBRO@reddit

12”?? Doesn’t surprise me they wouldn’t cover top fuel dragsters out on the roads 😉

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Trollygag@reddit

Michelin PS4S was $275 a pop. The road hazard warranty was $54.5/$218 for all 4. If it happens once in the entire life of this set of tires it will have paid off immediately.

How y’all can argue against it is beyond me.

Math

If isn't over the life of the tire. It is for a finite time window and is nontransferrable. Meaning, it carries no intrinsic monetary value beyond that time wjindow or before the end of that time window. Unlike the tires. So you are paying 1-2x the value of a replacement tire in insurance up front.
Tire warranty only covers replacements OR repairs. Which means often, you are only getting the fraction of a replacement tire worth back.
The value of the repair is pro-rated by wear. As in, you will never get full value of a tire near the end of its life when the insurance has the least value to you anyways (since without it, you would have just replaced the tires for wear regardless).
It only accounts for the prorated tire price at the time you bought them, meaning 5 years later, there is a good chance the replacements are more expensive and you are out of pocket the difference.
Only applies if the tires are correctly balanced, even wearing, all that jazz, which means getting one tire replaced may very well invalidate the warranties on the other tires from irregular wear caused by the larger new tire.

So, it doesn't pay out what you imagine it will, and costs a bunch, and that is if you have a chance to use it at all - which you would in this circumstance, but wouldn't in many others. Anecdotally, I have replaced 1 tire in 4 sets, midway through its life. I would have paid $1000 to get $100 in value back.

If it happens once to a tire, you will have paid for the tire. If it doesn't, you will still have paid for the tire.
And that is only if the tire is new. You have to replace the tire eventually anyways, so you are buying not a new tire, but to reset the life of the tire. I.e., if you got a nail the day after a new tire, that sucks real bad. If you got a nail
That is only during the window where a 1 tire replacement isn't going to prematurely wear the other tires from being a different size
That is only during the window

I replaced 1 tire prematurely due to hitting something over my last 5 sets.

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Competitive-Fee6160@reddit

It isn’t prorated. They’ve always given me a new tire for only the cost of disposal. I’m not sure about the time window but my understanding was that as long as it’s within date and treat limits, they’ll replace it. It definitely doesn’t only apply to “even wearing” tires as long as they have the minimum tread.

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beerfest@reddit

So you’re paying for 5 tires up front?

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beerfest@reddit

You realize you’ve definitely lost money over the 20 years right? Discount Tire makes money on that in the long term or they wouldn’t offer it.

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mini4x@reddit

It's just like any other insurance, if this is a brand new tire, and they can't fix it, you get another new tire, well worth the $7 they paid for it, if they can fix it they fix it free, saves you $20-30 on the repair, so you are still ahead.

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EliminateThePenny@reddit

That's... not how insurance calculations work. You're assuming each tire has a 100% chance of getting a screw in your math. If it's less than 20% chance, over a long enough period of time, you come out behind.

These companies don't offer these warranties for free.

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mini4x@reddit

car insurance, health insurance, etc etc, is all the same 'bet'.

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EliminateThePenny@reddit

Yep, pretty much. However, you also have to consider the cost of catastrophic lost.

I can easily cover the cost of a $180 dead tire.

I cannot easily cover the cost of $180,000 of medical bills of the family I plowed into.

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beerfest@reddit

Exactly. Insurance is for when you can’t handle the expense “if shit happens”. If I’m paying $25 on insurance per tire and the tires are $250 each, I’ll keep my $100 and if I have to replace the tire then ok. Like u/EliminateThePenny said, it sucks to replace the tire but I can afford it. I can’t afford to replace my house if it burns down or my car. That’s insurance. The “tire warranty” is not insurance - it’s not a scam either, it’s just not worth it.

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beerfest@reddit

This guy gets it

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Suby06@reddit

yeah I'd rather get a great price and then have to pay for a patch etc if needed. I usually buy tires online now and get them installed

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JLOBRO@reddit

It’s not a “free patch” that’s the upside. They replace the entire tire at no cost if they can’t patch it.

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RobotVo1ce@reddit

Well, it's not "no cost". You paid the $30-$40 for the certificate. But yes, if you average 1 tire replacement every 3-4 years then it's basically a wash.

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Suby06@reddit

in 20+ years of driving I've had just 1 tire get ruined/ be not patchable. People are paying more for a sense of security/ lack of diy ability

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FrameSquare@reddit

How do you think car insurance works you silly goose? Or do you not have any of that either?

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Themimic@reddit

Sure but piece of mind if nice if you worry about that sort of thing. I don’t, but I could see why some people would

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WishingYouBetter@reddit

no shit, that’s how businesses work

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Gweedo1967@reddit

Patch, if u can find a place that will do it. Good luck.

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illigal@reddit

Did you get a warranty on the tire? If not here’s my thought process:

Is this my wife’s car? Then get a new tire.
Is this my car? Then I find a neighborhood tire place (not a chain - some place that sells used tires) and I pay them $20-40 to put a patch on.
Is this my car and I’m on a road trip? It gets a simple plug and I monitor the tire pressure.

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Fit-Masterpiece-1713@reddit

Not in the sidewall so fine to patch

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PoointhaLoo@reddit

Honestly plugs should only be use as a ladt resort, and should be installed by a shop if the owner isnt handy

I bought a vehicle with a plugged tire, but due to the previous owner inexperience, the hole was made huge and too big so the patch wont even last now...

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crysisnotaverted@reddit

Are you saying plugs should be a last resort because people are dumb and reamed out the hole too much?

RTFM and you're fine.

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rookiepartschanger@reddit

This is the right answer.

I’ve been driving cars for over 40 years. I’ve never taken one if for a patch. I’ve always plugged my own. Even when I was 16. I’ve never had an issue.

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Lack240sx@reddit

This. I've plugged several tires and never had an issue and they always made it to EOL.

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Col_Leslie_Hapablap@reddit

Man, the amount of times I’ve plugged a tire and it’s been completely fine for years until I bought a new tire has been shockingly more frequent than once. They are absolutely the best layman way to repair a tire, and if you have the basic tools to properly install, you don’t need a combo patch or anything.

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crysisnotaverted@reddit

Yep. The hardest plug I've ever done wad what appeared to be an 18 gauge brad/nail. Couldn't stab the reamer into it, so I used a 1/8 drill bit. Plug is still working fine!

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Little_Swan2455@reddit

Weird.

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AcidicQueef@reddit

buy a new car

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Glum-Bullfrog-375@reddit (OP)

If she ain’t a Chrysler, I ain’t buyin’ er

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Ok-Bat5661@reddit

Easy patch

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buttbongofiesta@reddit

My shop would patch this no problem…

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Glum-Bullfrog-375@reddit (OP)

UPDATE: ended up being a small screw and it didn’t puncture all the way thru since it was in the thick part of the thread :)

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DamILuvFrogs@reddit

As a technician. I have a plug closer to the edge on my own car, I would never do that for a customer. One thing to put myself at risk when I only drive my car 4 miles total per day. Another thing to put a family at risk.

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foxtrotuniform6996@reddit

Plug and never think about it again

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Lxiflyby@reddit

I won’t do it for a customer but I would do it on my own vehicle, yes

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deleted_by_reddit@reddit

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Z34_Gee@reddit

A shop will patch the shit out of that

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Novel_Thought7575@reddit

Go to a parts store and get a plug kit. Fix it yourself. It’s not that hard to do. It works, Great!!! It doesn’t, then you get a new tire(s). That’s what I have done in the past. It’s close to the sidewall, but I really think a plug would work.

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militaryintelligence@reddit

It's patchable. Many shops won't because of liability but I've patched many that were closer to the sidewall than that and every one has held.

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turbomommo@reddit

Patch it

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Berzerker9398@reddit

Plug it and forget about it

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Wolfgeorge@reddit

Patch it..

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Yahmei@reddit

A plug is fine, but have a backup patch place just in case. Big box stores won't touch that since it looks to be within an inch of the side wall, but the cash places don't care by me. My last set of tires had over a dozen plugs in them until they were completely bald yet I never had an issue with it leaking (no glue either).

I mention the backup spot because my new set of Cross Climate 2's have a weird groove pattern and it was difficult to plug causing it to leak air. $20 patch job from the tire place had it set and done.

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LengthinessMobile239@reddit

Replace nail is too close to wall

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Apx1031@reddit

A small shop with a twenty something won't hesitate with patching that with a little HAWK TWUH love.

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billford4@reddit

If no road hazard warranty, then I would do a combination patch from the inside

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40ozkiller@reddit

Road hazard coverage has saved me so much money on rubber.

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couchpatat0@reddit

Pit a plug in it. I bought brand new toyo mud tires for my hunting truck, and within the first two weeks, I put a rock through it. I was in the woods, so I plugged it and went to the tire shop. They said that was all they were going to do, send it. That was about 60,000 miles ago and has never leaked.

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noohpyT@reddit

I've patched many tires like that but with the caveat that there's no guarantee. It didnt leak when i pulled it out so godspeed

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hsammy2004@reddit

Plug

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karschmallow@reddit

I had a screw in about the same place. I have Falken tires. They have free replacement within so many miles or tread depth. I’d look into the brand and the shop who installed them. I got a whole new tire mounted free.

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Leneord1@reddit

If this was my car, I'd plug it and wait until the tread was lower. If this was my mom's car, I'd replace

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Novogobo@reddit

it's close enough to the edge that a shop will say it's not patchable. but it is actually not so bad, the patch would probably hit the edge, and that's the justification for why they'll say it, but it can be done by someone who is skilled at tire patching. so ask around.

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SteelDingus@reddit

Patch.

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MoonWalkingSausage@reddit

A traditional patch is unsuitable and you should be turned away from most tyre shops. You can however get a hot vulcanised repair whereby they bake the tyres in a dedicated oven, but only perhaps 5% of tyre places have the equipment to do so. Ask specifically for, or search for tyre shops that can perform vulcanised repair

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Reygle@reddit

I was taught that within an inch of sidewall is too dangerous to plug. Do I know that's 100%? No, but it's the general rule I was taught.

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CapTexAmerica@reddit

Sam’s gave me 4 new tires free the last time that happened under warranty because they couldn’t replace 1. Warranty was WORTH IT.

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Alone-Marsupial-4087@reddit

I've put numerous plugs in roughly the same area on my daily for years and never had a problem.

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Drzhivago138@reddit

I put a 4" lag bolt through a tire once (very close to the sidewall like this), got it plugged, ran fine for another 20K miles.

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BeerStop@reddit

Does it leak?, i would be inclined to unscrew it some slather on a bunch of bead sealant or rubber cement screw it back in and let it set until it dries.

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mini4x@reddit

Terrible advice.

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Quentin718@reddit

Discount tire will fix it for free!

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FrameSquare@reddit

No, they will not patch this it’s too close to the sidewall.

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Frsbtime420@reddit

A shop will patch that, yes they absolutely will. It will need to be taken off the rim, drilled and then patched but lots of shops will patch that.

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AMGSiR@reddit

Replace.

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Suby06@reddit

It's not in the sidewall so should be able to patch. Sucks to get a puncture on a new tire but not the end of the world.

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Born_Cockroach_9947@reddit

puncture that close to the sidewall, no shop will patch that anymore.

at most, a plug can work but i will not bet on it. for peace of mind just get a new one

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YippieKayYayMrFalcon@reddit

No chain place will touch that but I know a semi-sketch 24 hour tire shop near me that wouldn’t hesitate to take $20 from me to plug it.

Go find one of those shops.

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turbocomppro@reddit

Buy tire protection or buy from a vendor that includes it like TireRack. I hit a pot hole and rip the sidewall on a month old tire. They replaced it without fuss. Didn’t even ask me for a photo.

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SlomoLowLow@reddit

That’s outside of the repairable zone for a shop to patch it but you can use a tire plug kit yourself and prolly get it fixed up

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Twinsta@reddit

Shop will say no.

But go to the store and grab a plug kit and do it yourself.

I wouldn’t even take the tire off the car just move the car till the screw is at a good spot to pull it out and throw a plug in it

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HuskyPurpleDinosaur@reddit

No shop will do it, but you can go to Walmart and for a few bucks buy one of those tar string plugs, and in just 90 seconds you'll have it repaired and IMO it will be good enough.

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GldFx@reddit

Replace the screw, it seems rusty, might be dangerous

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ferg2jz@reddit

A shop won't patch it. I patched my own there though.. 🤷‍♂️

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95alle95@reddit

I would watch and put it as a rear wheel. Worse to get a flat on front wheel while driving

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RusskiHacker@reddit

Take to a small tire shop and ask to patch and plug if worried. Plug should be fine though. I ran over a strip of nail gun nails, 4 in a row. Patched and plugged, been fine for half a year now.

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uglyugly1@reddit

Plug and send.

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SirAlfredOfHorsIII@reddit

It's not fixable, unless somebody wants to risk it.
Otherwise, get one of those rope repair kits from your local auto parts and accessories store. I'd assume they have them over there. Should hold for a bit. If it leaks, chuck a new one in (next to a tyre pump)

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