QuestionI have a subaru forester. About 18,000 miles one of the year tires went flat. I used a tire repair kit and drove right away as the directions said to do. About 6,000 later the went flat again and this time I took it to a garage. they could not find anything wrong it and put it back on. Again, after about 4000 it again went flat. I used the tire repair aerosols again and it has been of for two weeks but I am worried about it because the car is now fairly noisy.
I am considering either buying two new tires for the rear or buying three new ires and using the spare which is than three years old and only used for about 500 miles.
What would you suggest? thanks
AnswerJohn,
It's obvious that the sealant didn't work, so stop trying this product to fix this situation.
You need to find the leak and it's probably a slow leak. So slow the tire repair shop couldn't wait long enough to see it.
First I suggest you get a tire pressure gauge so you can see if the tire is losing air before it goes flat. They are only $5.00, and you should be checking your tires every month anyway.
Next, I suggest you give the tire shop another try.
If they can't find the leak, try to find it yourself, by getting a spray bottle of detergent and spraying the tire. Look for bubbles, and especially look for them around the rim and the valve.
I can't remember, but if the Legacy is an AWD, so replacing the tire could present a problem as AWD is sensitive to tire diameter. So you have to make a decision: How much risk to my driveline do I want to take? Be aware that you may have already done enough to cause a problem that will show up later by not checking your tire pressures.
Obviously the best situation is 4 tires of the same type. But after that I don't have a good feel for what an AWD will tolerate, and I suspect it's a 4 or none situation. But Subaru will have the answer as they know their system better than anyone.
