QuestionQUESTION: 2009 Honda CRV EXL with 2,000 miles has Continental tires.
While driving I heard a sound that sounded like a flat. I drove less than 1/4 mile stopped the car and saw the bolt in the tire. I placed the doughnut on car.
I brought the car to an authorized Continental tire dealer. They said a new tire was not needed. The bolt had a sharp 3 inch metal prong that was in the tire. They took the tire off the rim and placed an inside hot patch. They put the tire back on the rim with air and it still had a small leak so they plugged it. After the plug there was no longer any leakage.
Should I feel safe continuing to drive with this patched & plugged tire?
ANSWER: Bill,
No, this doesn't sound like a proper repair, nor does it sound like this tire should have been repaired.
A proper repair consists of a plug AND a patch, but the plug goes in first, not after they discover a leak. No doubt, they put the plug THRU the patch - rendering the patch useless.
But the fact that you drove on it for a short period of time may mean the tires has been damaged - but to tell for sure, I would have to look at it to see if there are signs that the sidewalls touched the pavement.
In the interest of safety, I'd recommend you replace the tire.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thank you for your quick response. The sidewalls never touched the pavement. When I stopped the car there was a lot of air still in the tire it was not flat. I also have a tire pressure monitoring system that did not come on meaning the pressure was higher than 25 lbs.
The thickness of the 3 inch prong is thicker than the typical nail.
Not to disagree with what you responded but a number of web sites said the proper way to fix this tire is to patch it not plug it. It does seem logical that if you patch it then plug it you ruin the patch. I did not see any site mentioning a patch and plug and felt I needed to check this out with an expert and thank you for your advice.
If I get the new tire is my old tire worth anything on a trade in?
ANSWER: Bill,
First, the proper way to repair a tires is a patch / plug combination - not one or the other. Here's a link to a wall chart published by the Rubber Manufacturers Association - and I guess that makes it the "official" way to do it:
https://www.rma.org/publications/tire_service_professionals/index.cfm?PublicationID=11303
What I was referring to was that the patch did not seal the leak - and it should have. The purpose of the plug is to prevent contaminants from entering into the injured area. So putting a plug in to finish the sealing process is just plain backwards - and indicates they didn't do it right.
But one of things I didn't mention in my initial response - and is mentioned in the wall chart - is that the dimension of the injury can not be greater than 1/4". It sounds like that might be the case.
So, at the very least, you need to get the tire properly repaired. And while they are at it, they can make an assessment about the size and location of the repair.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Dear Barry,
Happy New Year! I would like you to see the answer I received from the Continental tire company. Thanks again for your replies.
If the tire dealer followed the tire repair instructions supplied by the Rubber Manufacturer's Association the repair should be okay. The dealer should have a copy of these instructions in their shop. Please speak with them regarding your concerns.
Customer - 12/29/2009 10:44 PM
Thank you for your reply. I would like to follow up by asking if a determination is made that the tire is suitable for repair and upon patching the inside of the tire, placing it back on the rim, filling it with the normal amount of air and noticing that the patched area showed air bubbles in water until a plug was placed in the area. Once the plug was inserted there was no signs of air escaping from the tire. The spot on the tire that had the whole was not near the side wall. Is it alright for the tire to show air leakage once patched prior to being plugged?
Response (Barbara) - 12/29/2009 06:15 PM
Thank you for contacting Customer Relations at Continental Tire North America, Inc.
Only a trained tire specialist who can base his/her assessment on a thorough and comprehensive inspection of the specific tire can determine whether an individual tire is suitable for repair or should be removed from service. This assessment should also take into account the complete service life history of the tire including inflation, load, operating conditions, etc.. If the tire specialist decides to repair the tire, then he should strictly follow all appropriate national tire industry repair standards regarding the inspection process and repair procedures. Continental is not responsible for the specialist's decisions or the repaired tire. Continental advises that a repair to one of its tires invalidates the manufacturer's warranty.
Auto-Response - 12/28/2009 02:21 PM
Customer - 12/28/2009 02:21 PM
2009 Honda CRV EXL with 2,000 miles. It has OEM Continental tires.
While driving at about 30 MPH I heard a sound that sounded like a flat. I drove less than 1/4 mile stopped the car and saw a bolt sticking out of the rear driver's side tire. I placed the doughnut on car to get home. The tire with the bolt did not go flat. The flat tire sound I heard was the bolt hitting the pavement.
I brought the car to an authorized Continental tire dealer. They said a new tire was not needed. The bolt had a sharp 3 inch metal prong that was in the tire. They took the tire off the rim and placed an inside hot patch. They put the tire back on the rim with air and it still had a small leak so they plugged it. After the plug there was no longer any leakage.
Should I feel safe continuing to drive with this patched & plugged tire?
AnswerBill,
I am a little confused.
It sounds like the answer you got from Continental is saying that if the repair followed the RMA procedure, then it should be OK - and I agree. But it doesn't sound like the repair shop followed the RMA procedure.
Since they didn't, the repair may or may not be OK - and there is no way anyone can make that assessment without looking at the repair. I think their 2nd response was appropriate given the situation.
