O.T. Repair Light Truck Tire Near Sidewall

Kajun · Oct 15, 2018

Gentlefolk:

Yesterday I tendered a slow-leak-tire to Sam's Club for repair . For the third flat in a row , they refused to repair the tire . These are Michelin and high-quality tires . I was frustrated and asked to see the Walmart or NHSTA reg that prevented repair. The technician pointed to this wall chart :

http://www.rma.org/wp-content/uploads/prp_wallchart1111.pdf

My leak was on the road-surface of the tire near the sidewall but not on the actual side wall. As you can see from the wall chart , basically the Rubber Manufacturer's Association says one shouldn't repair a tire outside of the center-tread area . I'm too much a dinosaur to believe a tire must be discarded with a small puncture outside of the center-tread area. What are your thoughts on repairing such a leak with what we used to call a cold-patch or some kind of space age glue ? [ I'm guessing hot-patches went away with the dinosaurs but this dinosaur is still around .]

Obliged for any and all guidance including get-over-it .

Kajun

coshoo · Oct 15, 2018

If there's one thing Sam Walton stressed above all others, its SELL THEM A NEW ONE. So its not a surprise that they seize upon every excuse not to fix something, when the prospect of selling you a new one is only one gullible customer away from their grasp.

Suggest you move your allegiance to someone like Les Schwab or other tire outfit, that will actually try to do something for the customer rather than hoist yet another Walton granddaughter into the Top 10 Richest Losers in the US.

Steve@Advance · Oct 15, 2018

My opinion, (for what little it's worth), that chart is a convenient way to cover themselves from liability of failed repairs or a tire failure.

It also gives them an out, a reason to refuse repairs, especially when they offer free lifetime repairs.

There is more money (sales commissions) in sales than repairs.

Take it to a real tire shop where they care more about their customers than making some CEO richer.

I am done with tire chain stores, mega corporations, big box side line shops. They have more excuses not to do their job than I care to listen to.

WGM · Oct 15, 2018

Get the supplies and fix it yourself. Retailers don?t want the liability. I wouldn?t chance it.

JMOR · Oct 15, 2018

(quoted from post at 17:21:06 10/15/18) If there's one thing Sam Walton stressed above all others, its SELL THEM A NEW ONE. So its not a surprise that they seize upon every excuse not to fix something, when the prospect of selling you a new one is only one gullible customer away from their grasp.

Suggest you move your allegiance to someone like Les Schwab or other tire outfit, that will actually try to do something for the customer rather than hoist yet another Walton granddaughter into the Top 10 Richest Losers in the US.

our envy is showing, but go ahead and ask your self this, 'if I ran a profitable tire store, would I expose myself to multi-million dollar liabilities by not following established guidelines for tire repair?". It only makes sense.

DoubleO7 · Oct 15, 2018

http://www.rma.org/wp-content/uploads/prp_wallchart1111.pdf

That chart is obviously printed for those tire retailers that really
really only want to sell tires.

A "real" tire shop that knows tires and how to repair them violates more than half of the recommendations listed on that chart.

And that is all they are, recommendations by the Rubber Manufacturers Association. Whose only profits come from selling more rubber, not services.

JMOR · Oct 15, 2018

(quoted from post at 17:59:26 10/15/18) http://www.rma.org/wp-content/uploads/prp_wallchart1111.pdf

That chart is obviously printed for those tire retailers that really
really only want to sell tires.

A "real" tire shop that knows tires and how to repair them violates more than half of the recommendations listed on that chart.

And that is all they are, recommendations by the Rubber Manufacturers Association. Whose only profits come from selling more rubber, not services.

ven if the tire shop owner wins on the basis of "it is only a rma recommendation", he will still be up the creek on lawyer's costs, plus his likelihood of a win where the whole family died, it not too shiny with a people sympathetic jury. Any good business man would tell you to fix it yourself if you insist.

Steve A W · Oct 15, 2018

We had the same thing at Walmart.
She said it was too close to sidewall to make repair.
They didn't have a replacement for that tire.
I asked her to put spare tire on and it wouldn't come
down. The winch is seized.
The suv is only three years old with 27k miles.
We've only had it three months. I'm going to find out
what the dealer service dept and warranty are like.

Steve A W

David Snipes · Oct 15, 2018

I have patched hundreds of tires with holes at the edge of the tread and even sometimes a little higher. Never had one come back. You could also put a tube in it. I had one Firestone store tell me it was illegal to put a tube in a tubeless tire. When I asked her to show me the law, she couldn't.

4play · Oct 15, 2018

You really can't argue with someone, when they have to carry the liability of the repair. Don't blame them, blame the lawyers and sue happy folks.

I would fix this myself if nobody will touch it, even if you have to have someone else dismount and remount later.

ditchwitch · Oct 15, 2018

Its like 4Play said . If they repaired that tire and it blew out on your way home and say it made you cross the line and hit someone who would you blame????. But if you fixed it yourself and that happen who would you blame then. Now days you lucky you can find a store that would even use a plug or a patch. Nobody wants that liability because everybody is so sue happy.

504 · Oct 15, 2018

Yea I have heard all of this before. We had a customer bring in two, two week old, PU tires that had been cut in the sidewall with a knife. We sold him new tires and his insurance paid for them. I patched both tires and put them on my FILs chore truck. He ran them for five years and sold the truck. It was the work truck,(loads of gravel,lumber etc)
I have a tire on my 656 that could not be repaired according to the tire shop(side wall),it has been up for 4 or 5 years.

Kajun · Oct 15, 2018

Thanks , folks.

I always appreciate the breadth of wisdom and insight offered here .

Kajun

Northvale PA · Oct 15, 2018

Glue a patch on the inside. That?s what I do these days. I am tired of the rip off story that insurance won?t allow such and such. Let people with more money and no sense pay someone else?s insurance fees. I?ll pass.

oldtanker · Oct 15, 2018

If you check lots of rules in tires shops today. I know of several reputable shops that their insurance tells em the standards for repairs and even standards for selling new tires. If the tire size you are buying was not available from the factory for that vehicle they can't put em on. It's all about liability and the likelihood of someone suing.

Not arguing right or wrong here. Just what the insurance companies are dictating to the shops and stores selling tires. Kinda hard to ignore the guidelines when it could cost much more in insurance coverage with that increased cost either adding to the cost of a tire or cutting into profits.

Rick

M-MAN · Oct 15, 2018

A real tire store will fix it anywhere in the tread zone.

Too hear some of these guys talk you shouldn't be able to buy gas cause you might have a wreck and it must be the service station's fault cause without the gas you couldn't have gotten there.

ss55 · Oct 16, 2018

Try a different tire shop. Sam's Club probably specializes in replacing tires rather than repairing tires. Worst case, repair the tire yourself and use it on a hay rack or an implement.

Stephen Newell · Oct 16, 2018

I've had countless tires repaired where the patch went half way up on the sidewall and none of them ever failed. I think they come up with this stuff in order to sell new tires. Since they will no longer patch a tire like that I just plug a tire like that.

Blackhole49 · Oct 16, 2018

Plug it with a Camel (or similar) plug and drive it.

JMOR · Oct 16, 2018

DIY and you can do anything you want.....even a "redneck professional" job!

Ozlander · Oct 16, 2018

I think Sears criteria was that any thing within 6 inches of the sidewall couldn't be patched.

O.T. Repair Light Truck Tire Near Sidewall

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