The nail is in the tread, not the shoulder or side wall. It should be repairable without any problems. The tire shop will inspect it from the inside for any damage that would lead to unsafe operation.
The other thing to remember is that AWD requires all four tires to be close matches for tread and circumference, so don't put a new tire on with three worn ones.
so it is going from the shoulder of the tread into the sidewall?
and it is holding air?
I think it is obvious worth fixing, ...needs a plug and a interior patch. typical garage or a tire shop. = 20 minutes of time. (or they might say there is no fix to this and try to sell you 4 new tires for your AWD car,...and then you go somewhere else and try again to get it fixed.....maybe buy 4 replacements online and have them installed locally,...tire rack, tire discount direct, tread depot).
Edit: and maybe the nail is not in there straight. it might have bent before or as it was entering the tire.
...one time I got three bolts that were sheared into spikes by other vehicles into the same tire on a car. one at a time over a month,...all safely and legally plugged without patching needed. (must have been in a container that dropped off a step or a bumper of a contractor.)
I took it to Firestone, they would not repair it since "it is close to shoulder/sidewall".
Yes it is causing a leak. I have to pump it once a week at least. How dangerous is it driving with this nail?
at this time of year, ...not very unless you loose due to it being very cold..
I would pump it daily before driving until you sort it out though.
maybe take it to a regular shop and ask, vs. a tire shop which all they see is four tires to sell you, vs. the shop which you might get minor maint. done at which could see you as a regular customer if tell them you would like to be one.
you can DIY it maybe: get a tire plug kit with glue from a store (Walmart, / Autozone / Advance), and try to plug it yourself with a whole lot of glue.
I would take it off and put on the spare, so you can work at it easier than any problem that could crop up with it being on the car.....If it does not work out then it has cost you nothing. (= Tirerack ships out of Delaware, so you can get four tires in 1-2 days,...christmas will suck though for crowded shipping).
I wouldn't wait - having a flat tire sucks. Plus it's so easy there's no reason to wait. It can be plugged in less time than it took you to post on this forum...much less go to the shop.
Plug it - I'd have it plugged in 7 minutes and never think about it again. It's worth learning how to plug a tire just to not have to go to a shop and wait and get denied or sold tires...saves time.
I've plugged them in the side wall without issue before. not saying I recommend it but not a big deal. but yours isn't even in the side wall.
Get a tire repair kit and follow the directions, they are really quite amazing how easy and well they work. You'll be nervous the first time "is that really how it's done, it can't be that easy"...yep, it is. I showed my 3 and 6 year old how to use one just a couple months ago - i'll let them do it next time...or try.
1. Stuff the plug into the tool - that's the hard part, just work it back and forth back and forth - only takes a minute, just tricky the first time stuffing it in there.
2. Pull out nail ( cut around it with exacto knife if you need room to grip it with needle nose)
3. Plunge the round tool into the hole a couple times (you can skip this step particularly on something this easy - some kits may not even include this second tool for cleanign the hole)
4. forcefully stick plug/tool down into hole so that plug is just sticking out a half inch - to an inch.
5. pull the tool out REALLY FAST - like you're hitting a baseball, quick
6. cut remaining portion of plug off
7. air up tire
done.
It's so easy to do do just have the kit handy when you pull up to some compressed air somewhere (home, garage, gas station). Fill it up when you're done.
I'll be in lancaster, PA Thursday - meet me with a tank of compressed air around 2-2:30pm or 5-6pm and I'll do it for you. I won't have more than 5 minutes - but that'll be enough to fix this for you.
I think I paid $7.00 for this one in a wally mart store recently. plugs in 2 variations and T handle tools. Slime calls the roughening tool a rasp,...but I have heard mechanics and tire people call it a reamer. :13:
A few months ago a relative had my VDC car, and hit a nail and the tire immediately started to deflate. (ABS and VDC lights popped on)
a neighbor guy jacked the car up took my wheel to his house where he had a plug kit and a pump fixed the tire brought it back and re-installed the wheel. (no one bothered to call me to ask if I had such things,...and closer).
because of this thread:
I just bothered to add the plug kit to my trunk load of stuff, zip tying it to the Viair 85 air pump cord. So it is always at the ready, right along side the battery jump pack.
Maybe one day the wise and powerful Bicycle Repair Man will need to borrow it. (or just one of you all).
mix up a half and half soap and water or even use almost straight liquid soap and pour it around the plug to see if any bubbles come up. Give it a minute or so, but if it's leaking it will show with liquid soap.
and when you use the soap and water over fill it,...you might have another leak like around the bead = rim edge.
my brother had a leak at the bead, tire was then dismounted
the bead edge and the rim carefully cleaned up
and sealer applied,.
..then the tire remounted 180 degrees off from where it was on the rim. and it sealed up OK after that. (and a regular garage did that, not a tire shop trying to sell tires).
Just my two cents, I'd still get it patched when you can. Those plugs are really not intended to be a repair, they are only intended to fill the injury, and a patch added inside over the plug. The plugs are ok to get you out of a situation. I know others will disagree, and it's obviously working for others. I've done plugs only, had some last forever, some never stayed put or always leaked. There's nothing but tension keeping them in there without a patch. That's not to say I don't break the 'rules.' I had a sidewall leak, I patched it and it was fine the remaining 40,000 miles of tread life. And technically, anything roughly a thumb width from the edge of the tread is not repairable, and you can't blame shops for not wanting to assume liability for an improper repair.
What's it cost to get a tire fixed, $25? I know you plugged it yourself because your shop said the damage was too close to the sidewall, but that can't be the only shop in town. $25 to let somebody else find a slow leak seems like an easy choice, especially after all the time and energy you've already put into it.
fairly standard for shops to avoid repairing tires like that, he will likely have to call around and basically avoid all the big name places. may need a corner store place that probably doesn't advertise to do that repair.
I have plugged the tire on our outback right on the edge of the tread and it sealed just perfectly for 3 years. IT started to leak a little after I pulled them out of storage on the 4th year but they were due for replacement anyways.
Hose the tire down with a high concentration of dish soap and water. about 75% water 25% soap. The solution will not be as runny and after you checked your tire, use the same solution to check your gas grill for leaks.
***very*** common for aluminum rims to leak around the bead. I have no idea how many countless aluminum rims I've had to get disassembled/cleaned/reseated...more than once on the same set before, very frustrating. Happens all the time, by far the most likely culprit.
There's no fix for that just have to have the tire unmounted, clean the rim, then remount the tire.
Take a spray bottle and fill it with some liquid dish soap and water. Spray on the tire and look for slow bubble formation. Spray the bead, the stem and the repair. Wiggle the stem around and see if it leaks.
I agree with others who say to patch it on the inside in addition or as opposed to a plug. I have had a plug pull out at highway speed leaving me stranded with a permanently damaged tire. Never had a patch fail.
It's possible it took a bit of time for the plug to fully seal.
However, when you plugged the hole, was the tire deflated? What did you use then to re-inflate it -- a garage pump with a large reservoir tank, or a small, portable pump?
If the tire was significantly deflated, and a small pump was used, after just a short while the pump will have heated up and the air going into the tire would be quite warm. If the pressure was set at that time to XX psi, and then checked the next day, it's possible for the pressure to have be down several psi due to cooling of the air in the tire to the ambient temperature.
So after 4 months the air started to leak where it was plugged. Repair shop said it cannot be replugged twice at the same location. And obviously they tried to sell 4 new tires to me. My tires still have good life on them so I don't want to replace tires. Do you guys think the tire cannot be re-plugged?
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Subaru Outback Forums
1.9M posts
188.3K members
Since 2003
Welcome to the Subaru Outback Owners Forum, we have tons of information about your Subaru Outback, from a Subaru Outback Wiki to customer reviews.