Tire plug kits contain the tools and materials need to fix the majority of flat tires. For a tire to be repairable, the hole causing the flat cannot be outside of the tire's tread area. When a puncture falls outside of the tread area, the thickness of the rubber is too thin to hold the rubber plug in place. This can lead to a dangerous situation, as the tire plug could free up while you are traveling at speed and cause you to lose control of your vehicle.
Apply the parking brake of your vehicle to keep the vehicle from shifting while you plug the hole in the tire.
Loosen the lug nuts on the wheel and place the jack under the car at a point specified by your vehicle's owner manual.
Jack up the car and remove the loosened lug nuts from the wheel.
Place one-teaspoon of dishwashing liquid in a bottle and fill the bottle with water.
Fill the flat tire with air from the air compressor and coat the tire with the soap and water mixture from the bottle to find the air leak. The leak will cause the soapy fluid to bubble rapidly.
Ream the leaking hole with the T-handle reamer from the tire plug kit.
Pull a tire plug half-way through the slot of the T-handle plug insertion tool or needle and coat the tire plug with rubber cement to lubricate the tire plug.
Push the T-handle with the rubber cement coated plug into the hole in the flat tire and quickly pull the T-handle back toward you to finish installing the tire plug.
Re-fill the tire with air and check the repair area with the soapy water solution to ensure that the leak is fixed. If the repair area leaks, repeat the process to place another plug in the tire.
Re-install the repaired tire onto the vehicle, lower the jack and release the parking brake of your vehicle.
