Tire trouble

[Nubo]

I recommend carrying the tire plug kit that you can buy at any auto parts store. With that, you have all the tools to fix a flat from a nail properly, without the ridiculous slime stuff. The car comes with an air pump.

I also recommend that you get the T-handled version, and not the ones that look like a screwdriver.

http://www.amazon.com/Slime-1034-A-Tire-Plug-Kit/dp/B000ET525K" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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+1

Used this twice on the same tire for screw repairs. Tire hasn't leaked at all in thousands of miles

I've had similar experience for some tires but also more recently had slow leak problems on others. Based on that latter experience I did some reading and learned that plug and patch is the best route for safety. If I can avoid using the goop by inserting a plug I'll definitely go that route. But I would take it to a tire shop soon after for a plug and patch.

http://www.carsdirect.com/car-repair/tire-repair-tire-patch-vs-plug" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Limitations to Tire Plug Methods

Even though a tire plug by itself might be enough, national road safety agencies caution against a simple plug. Here are some of the situations where relying on a plug might be less effective:

* When the hole is near the sidewall - many experts recommend a patch for when a tire puncture is near the sidewall, as the plug may not be able to completely seal the damage.
* When the puncture is not straight - a diagonal puncture is more likely to need a patch solution.

Other Concerns About Plugs

Lots of experts also caution that a plug should not be applied without a patch unless a shop takes off the wheel for a visual inspection. Thorough inspection of the punctured tire helps catch additional damage that may go unnoticed when the tech is simply inserting a plug from the outside of the tire. The best and most effective solution, according to safety experts, is to combine a plug with a patch, to make sure the fix will stabilize the puncture.

 

[ElectricVehicle]

Passing this along from another mailing list. Thanks Paul for passing it to me.

I love my LEAF. It recently turned 1 year old and now has 14K miles on it. Did I mention we love our LEAF.

That said, I have a warning for LEAF drivers. I recently picked up a nail in my rear tire and upon my morning greeting of the car found the tire completely flat. Of course, I was already late for a meeting and my wife had taken the other car. As LEAF drivers know, the car has no spare tire. Instead, tucked away in the side of the rear hatch area, the LEAF has a very cleverly designed electric tire pump and tire sealant kit. The package is produced by Continental Tire. Its called a "MobilityKit" or a "ConvenienceKit". Made in Germany. You stick the bottle of gunk onto the pump and then you plug the pump into your 12V outlet (like the old cigarette lighter) and in about a minute you are set to go. Worked great. Once inflated with the official gunk, you are supposed to travel no more than ~100 miles and at speeds below 50MPH. All well and good...I can do that. I made it to my destination close to on time.

HOWEVER, the official sealant gunk is a temporary solution and the sealant is a one time consumable. So I took the LEAF to the Nissan dealership to have the tire more properly repaired. First, the technicians do not like it when you use this stuff as they have to scoop it all out with their hands and clean up the tire pressure reader in the wheel. Apparently its messy and a pain in the butt. If you use the stuff that comes in the $5 can instead of the official gunk, you void everything and they won't patch the tire or repair the pressure system. Once repaired, I now had no flat tire back up so I asked the guy at the parts counter to get me another bottle of gunk. The very helpful guy at the parts desk looked it up on his screen and then kind of scowled. He said, "this can't be right?...$200.00 for a bottle of this stuff !!" So I said, "how much to replace the entire kit?"..."Let me see", he said. "Wait, that can't be right either...$600.00 for the kit" He said, "ther
e must be some mistake...I will call Japan and get this straightened out...can I call you tomorrow?" I was thinking/hoping maybe that was Yen or at least some terribly wrong conversion from Yen to Dollars.

The Nissan parts guy did call me the next day to confirm...$200 for a bottle of sealant and $600 for a complete kit !! I can buy an entire replacement wheel and tire for less than that. Given that I have 14K miles on my LEAF and have not yet spent a penny on maintenance...and don't foresee any Nissan Service Center costs in the future...I think I might have discovered the EV business model.

On to the internet. At http://www.tirerack.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I found the exact OEM replacement sealant for $28.00 and the entire kit for $78...I bought one of each just to be safe.

Lessons learned.

1) Don't get a flat.

2) If you get a flat in a LEAF, get towed if you can.

3) If you use the gunk and the pump, drive slowly and get to the repair shop ASAP.

4) Never use the cheap gunk you can buy at the auto store.

5) Never buy a part from the dealership before checking on the internet.

6) Pray that tire gunk is not the entire service business model for EV companies.

 

[thankyouOB]

fantastic story.

thanks, electric vehicle!

 

[TonyWilliams]

Or you can carry a spare tire with my available kit. Far less money than just the Nissan "goop" repair kit. Plus, you don't wait for a tow truck. By not using the goop, you won't plug up your TPMS wheel sensors (at over $100 each).

Spare Tire Carrier link

 

[garsh]

On to the internet. At http://www.tirerack.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I found the exact OEM replacement sealant for $28.00 and the entire kit for $78.

Does anybody have links for these two items?

 

[ElectricVehicle]

On to the internet. At http://www.tirerack.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I found the exact OEM replacement sealant for $28.00 and the entire kit for $78.

Does anybody have links for these two items?

I just searched their site for Sealant and found this. I don't know if it's exactly what he was referring to.

Continental Tire's ContiComfortKit $79
Continental Tire's ContiComfortKit is capable of comfortably sealing typical tire punctures making it possible for you to complete the drive home, to work, an important appointment or a tire repair facility.

The ContiComfortKit can be used year-round in temperatures ranging from -22° to 158°F (-30° to 70°C), and features an illuminated pressure gauge, backlit operating instructions and built-In light to make it easy to use at night.

The ContiComfortKit combines a powerful, high-volume, 12-volt air compressor, integral pressure gauge and a latex liquid tire sealant packaged in a compact, lightweight unit that's easy to store in the vehicle. (Kit is 9.5"W x 7"H x 3.75"D.) This product's sealant may interfere with the tire pressure monitoring sensors on vehicles with direct TPMS, possibly leading to error prompts and incorrect pressure readings. Use of this product on direct TPMS vehicles could also result in damage to the tire pressure sensor inside the wheel. Please contact your sales specialist at Tire Rack for more information.

http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/detail.jsp?ID=38" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ContiComfortKit Replacement Parts $28
Includes easy-to-follow instructions along with a new bottle of sealant, adapter and air hose. The kit also includes the special torx screwdriver needed to remove the sealant bottle compartment cover's screws and a pair of plastic gloves. Once the replacement parts have been installed, a new speed limit warning sticker and sealant expiration date sticker included in with ContiComfortKit Replacement Parts should replace the stickers originally used on the ContiComfortKit.

http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/detail.jsp?ID=39" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[ALF]

I too made the same series of sad discoveries that other posters have noted:

- the OEM tires are fragile
- replacing the OEM tires at the dealership is expensive (total bill = $180)
- using the inflater/sealant to limp to a dealer could incur costs that make the tire itself look cheap!

I understand that it will cost more to replace a tire from a dealership; my dealer charged me $150 for the Bridgestone OEM tire that I could have obtained elsewhere for $105. What I was not prepared for was the unconscionable mark-up on the inflater and sealant. My dealer wanted $170 for a half-liter of latex tire sealant! As noted above, you can get exactly the same item (plus a new hose) from TireRack for $28, which is about the cost of the replacement hose ALONE at my Nissan dealer.

 

[LEAFfan]

When I had a flat from a nail on the freeway, I just used the pump and then drove it about 4 miles to Discount Tire where they patched it for free. I always tip them $5 because I really appreciate their great service.

 

[nosuchthing]

I also had to buy that Ecopia tire for $180 at Nissan (the only place that had it readily available) because at the time the 3 other ones were 60-70% and I wasn't about the chuck 'em all to get real tires.

They've done their 30,000-mile duty and it's Michelin Energy Savers now. 50,000 mile tread warranty.