One of my tire is leaking, is it ok to use a patch kit? I have a Prius C -3. Will any of the sensors get screwed up? Thanks !
Slow leaks & punctures are what happens when you run over debris. If it is in the tread it is probably repairable. If it is in the sidewall you'll be buying a new tire.
If it's in the tire tread, you could buy a plug kit and fix it yourself. I carry plugs in all my vehicles and a small 12V air pump too. I ride motorcycles and have a kit on it too. You never know where you'll need it and we've needed it on some lonely faraway roads. Works great and you con run the tire until it's worn out. I do it a lot on my motorcycles.
Most tire places will do a simple patch for free. They know that will keep you coming back when you have a real tire problem.
Yeah! They've had to develop better customer relations to stay in business. It's nice to have a shop that will do it for free. It's about time, IMO!
Yes! As a shop making a tire repair, it's the only proper way. As a DIY, the plug works perfectly and will last the life of the tire. I do it all the time and have never had a problem over the last 15 years of doing so. Most repairs have been done on my motorcycles due to the higher rate of motorcycle VS automotive tire vulnerability.
I took the plunge and did my first plug repair last winter. It was one of the OEM all-season tires, off the car while the snow tires were on, so no rush. The problem was a thin finishing nail, near the edge of the tread, so close that the dealership declined to patch it. I got a plug repair kit with 2 diameters of plugs, used the thinner type. It seems just fine, the tire is not leaking, has been back on for months now.
In today's world, most shops won't repair tires that might be a higher risk TO THEM. Although the tire isn't necessary damaged, it's not worth the lawsuit to take the chance. Repair guidelines are clear and tire failures have become a major issue. As the industry loses it veteran mechanics due to low wages, you get unskilled kids working in shops with very little or no training. The owners are to cheap to train anyone and they don't keep people for long because of low pay and poor working conditions. The public suffers and tire repairs can easily be done improperly. They had a huge lawsuit over an improper repair after a family was killed due to negligence. The person who did the repair never buffed the tire and only used a patch. The patch came off and they had a major accident. Some places will use this as a tool to sell you something and the dealer would be the one most likely to do so, IMO I hate unscrupulous shops that pray on the unsuspecting consumer. In today's market, they're closing places like these because of bad reputations and that's a good thing.
