News You Can Use

RTA NEWS YOU CAN USE
August 2, 2014

IS IT A GOOD IDEA TO PLUG A FLAT TIRE FROM THE OUTSIDE WITHOUT REMOVING THE TIRE FROM THE WHEEL? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!

What you are about to read is a true story. It actually happened and is totally factual.

By

Harvey Brodsky
Managing Director
Retread Tire Association

We have a lovely woman who is our housekeeper and the other day she came to work and told me about a tire problem she had the prior day. Somehow one of her tires ran over a wire coat hanger and the metal end punctured the tire. She was very close to a local service station and immediately drove there and was told how lucky she was that she got there in time "before the tire was entirely flat."

The attendant told her he could repair it while she waited and proceeded to pull out the wire coat hanger and replace it with a plug from the outside of the tire without removing the tire from the wheel. He then aired up the tire and charged her $25.00 (TWENTY FIVE DOOLARS!!!) for a repair that probably took no more than 5 minutes.

Not knowing any better, she was convinced that she had done the right thing and went on her way.

When she came to work and told me what had happened I felt very bad and told her I was sorry she did not call me before going to the service station. But it was too late! I then explained to her that she was driving on a tire that could come apart at any time because it had not been properly repaired. I went on to explain that the ONLY way to properly repair a tire was to remove the wheel from the vehicle and then remove the tire from the wheel and, assuming the tire was not beyond being repairable, having the tire repair made from the INSIDE of the tire.

Since she had no knowledge of proper tire repair procedures I went to my office and printed several articles about how to properly repair a tire. I had written some of the articles, and some had been clipped from various tire magazines to be kept in our TIRE REPAIR files.

I suggested that she take her car back to the service station and tell them that she now understood that her tire should have been repaired from the inside out. She showed the worker the articles and he told her that we didn't know what we were talking about and what he did was the only right way to repair a tire. He insisted that the articles were "wrong."

He refused to honor her request to have the tire repaired properly and she had no recourse but to leave, saying to herself that they would never get her business again.

Since her tires were close to getting to the wear bars and since I know she did not have much money I promised her that I would make her a gift of a new set of four retreaded tires, which I immediately ordered. In the meantime, until the retreads arrived I told her to not drive any more than necessary and to be VERY careful since if the tire did fail it could cause serious damage to her car and to others who might be effected. I also said it would be a very good idea to put on the spare in place of the poorly repaired tire and to keep it on until the four new retreads arrived.

THE MORAL OF THIS TRUE STORY: If and when you ever have a flat tire, be absolutely certain you insist that it be repaired from the inside out. If the person who would be repairing tire doesn't agree, find another place to have your tire PROPERLY repaired.  You can always call me at 831-646-5269 if you need the name of a tire shop near you –wherever you are – and I will give you one or more names to choose from.

If is sad that far too many service station staff people have NO IDEA how to properly repair tires. We as an industry need to increase our efforts to explain the difference between a proper and an improper tire repair and to educate those who repair tires why it is important. By doing so we may be responsible for saving lives.

If you have comments about this true story I would like to hear from you. I can be reached by email to info@retreadtire.org of by telephone at 831-646-5269.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

"The hardest thing to see
is what is in front of your eyes."

- Goethe