How To Repair a Flat Tire
How to Repair a Flat Tire: We all get nails and screws on our car tires once in a while. Instead of paying for a new tire or paying someone else to repair it, you can use a plug kit and finish job within half an hour or so. If done properly, repairing flat tires with a plug will be safe and will last as long as tire itself.
This kind of repair will work regardless of type of tires you have on your used car (winter tires or all season tires).
How to Repair a Flat Tire: Loosen (Do not remove) wheel nuts while vehicle is on the ground. Lift the car and support it on jack stands. Remove the wheel.
Important: A tire plug requires thick rubber to handle air pressure therefore tires can be repaired using a tire plug only on part that makes contact with surface of the road, or where tire treads are located.
If you damage is located on tire sidewall or close to sidewall where rubber is thin then tire can not be fixed and has to be replaced.
How to Find Tire Leak
Sometimes is easy to find a tire air leak and sometimes is not. If you cant identify where tire is leaking. spray water or a soapy cleaning product (Windex for example) on the tire and look for bubbles. If you see any bubbles coming out, there is your leak.
Do not remove nail for now. This repair can be done on inflated or flat tire.
Tools you will need: A tire repair kit, pliers and knife. Tire repair kit is cheap and available everywhere.( Canadian Tire for example, $15 or so.)
Take a tire plug and insert it in plug tool, push until it comes over the hole and use pliers to pull it until centered (image below).
How To Prepare Tire
Nail hole needs to be prepared for tire plug. There is a tool included on repair kit and it looks like a pointy round file. It is designed to round nail hole and rough it up.
Remove nail and insert tool. Move it in and out several times while twisting it.
Insert tire plug tool in nail hole and use your body weight to push it in. It won’t be easy and requires some force.
How to Plug a tire
Push until 70 – 80% of tire plug length is inside the tire. (Do not press tire plug completely inside the tire.) After you reach required depth pull the tool straight out in one fast action. Just grab it and pull it fast and forcibly. Tool will come out and plug will remain inside the tire.
How to Repair a Flat Tire: Use knife to trim tire plug flat, or lower than tire treads. Inflate tire to required pressure.
While you there might as well take a look at How old your car tires are.
(If you are also looking for a fast and easy solution to sell your car, more here on “How To Sell Your Car Fast In Ontario” )
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