So you’ve got a flat tire and wonder how much it will cost to patch it. This article will briefly discuss how much different establishments charge to patch a flat tire and where the best place to take to get it patched is.
It could well be that you have cover from when you bought the tire. Many retailers now offer tire insurance when you first buy them.
Tire road hazard insurance covers the cost of puncture repairs so before you even think about taking your flat elsewhere, look at the paperwork you got when you bought the tire to see if you have this cover.
If you don’t have tire hazard insurance, expect to pay between $20 and $40 to patch a flat tire. The patch itself is very inexpensive, and most of the cost is the tire shops’ labor and overheads.
That’s not the full story, though!
Let’s ensure you understand the difference between a patch and a plug, as some use the terms interchangeably.
To patch a flat tire, you need to take the wheel off the rim and get to the inside of the tire.
After being cleaned and the patch applied, the seal eventually molds and melts into the rubber on your tire as you drive, creating a good quality seal.
A plug is usually fitted from the outside and doesn’t require the tire to be removed from the rim.
Many DIY mechanics use plugs rather than patches because it means they don’t have to take the tire off the rim.
The most effective patch repair also involves a plug inserted from the inside of the tire outwards and normally comes as one with a patch.
These are the best patches and last the longest.
Some people swear how good plugs are and that their flat tires are good as new, and they had thousands more miles out of them after fitting a plug.
This may well be the case, but often they will leak very quickly and are generally looked upon as a temporary fix.
What’s The Cost Of Patching A Flat Tire?
Firstly if your tire is flat, you should not drive on it. Not only is it dangerous, but it will also mean that your car is driving on part of the sidewall and not the tread.
This means that having a hole in your tire that needs patching is the least of the problems with the tire. The structure of the side wall has been compromised.
Look for signs of rubbing where the sidewall has come into contact with the road. This will confirm whether you have ruined the tire by driving on it while it is flat.
If you have the tools to remove the tire and want to patch the tire yourself, a tire patching kit will cost between 10 and $20.
The benefit of buying a kit is it will come with more than one patch, so you can save money if you have to patch tires in the future.
It can also give a sense of satisfaction doing something yourself that will save you money long term.
A quick look on Amazon will show you which are highly rated and give insights into how easy to fit and effective the patch was medium to longer term.
If like many, you haven’t got the tools or time to remove the tire from the rim or don’t want to go through the hassle, plenty of places will patch your flat tire for you.
Important Facts You Should Know About Patching Flat Tires
- A tire sidewall can’t be patched.
- A tire shoulder – the curved tread area – can’t be patched
- It may be more cost effective to replace a tire with less than 5/32 of tread left on it.
- It is recommended to balance the tires after a patch repair as it will never back on the rim in exactly the same place.
What To Expect At A Tire Shop
Most tire shops will inspect all four tires as a matter of course when you go to get one flat tire patched.
There are two reasons for this,
Firstly it allows them to identify other issues with your tires and maybe offer repairs or replacements, thus increasing their business.
Secondly, it would not look good on them if they missed an obvious dangerous fault on another tire that led to an accident.
For businesses that want to mitigate the risk of bad publicity and lawsuits, it makes perfect sense that they offer this to customers.
Many tire shops include a section in their receipts they give to customers that they have advised on additional repairs, and the driver has either accepted or rejected the advice.
- The usual procedure to patch a flat tire is to first remove the tire from the rim.
- The rest of the inner tire is inspected for additional damage.
- The area is sanded down and prepped to accept the patch
- The patch backing is taken off, and the patch is applied to the hole.
- A roller is then used to push down on the patch to make sure it tightly seals against the tire.
- The tire is then fitted back onto the rim.
- The tire is inflated and balanced.
- The tire is given one final check before the car is returned to the customer.
The whole process should take no more than 30 minutes. As you can see, a fair bit of time goes into ensuring the tire is safe and prepping the tire before any patch can be applied.
What Do Dealerships Charge To Patch A Flat Tire?
Dealerships are at the top of the price scale for replacing a patch on a flat tire. Generally, their overheads are higher, and the hourly labor rates are more.
However, some luxury brand dealerships will patch a flat for a competitive price to get you back into the dealership in the hope of upselling you to another vehicle or better rims.
If you don’t want to be up-sold and just want your flat tire patched, there are much better options, as seen below:
Walmart charges $15 for a tire repair.
Discount Tires Offer a FREE tire repair service.
Costco : Offer a Free Lifetime Repair if they originally fitted the tire.
Resources:
https://www.tireindustry.org/tire-maintenance/tire-repair