Looks like a trip to the tire store today

[Lineman North Florida]

I have found that one can save a lot of money on tires buy shopping the internet and then have them mounted and balanced by a local shop, as far as nails and screws ,etc in tires, I have been plugging my own since I was 16 years old, I have probably done close to a hundred through the years and have only had one fail and it was because I plugged it in the sidewall to get home, and while it made it, it was flat the next morning, to much flex in the sidewall.

 

[gsganzer]

They did plug/patches on the 3 that needed fixed. $40 total, I handed him a $50. They couldn't fix the 4Runner tire TPMS sensor, so I'll need to look for other options. However, he did say the spare tire TPMS sensor is working. two of the installed tires aren't. Sounds like Discount Tire tried to pull one over on me.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

They did plug/patches on the 3 that needed fixed. $40 total, I handed him a $50. They couldn't fix the 4Runner tire TPMS sensor, so I'll need to look for other options. However, he did say the spare tire TPMS sensor is working. two of the installed tires aren't. Sounds like Discount Tire tried to pull one over on me.

They sell those replacement TPMS sensors on Amazon and they are very reasonable.

 

[gsganzer]

They sell those replacement TPMS sensors on Amazon and they are very reasonable.

I saw that. I'll buy a set and go back to the small shop to have them installed. The 4runner is our spare vehicle that sometimes my wife and daughter's drive. I'd like to get if fixed, because I'd hate to set the precedent of telling them to "ignore" a warning light.

 

[EddieWalker]

They did plug/patches on the 3 that needed fixed. $40 total, I handed him a $50. They couldn't fix the 4Runner tire TPMS sensor, so I'll need to look for other options. However, he did say the spare tire TPMS sensor is working. two of the installed tires aren't. Sounds like Discount Tire tried to pull one over on me.

I never had any real issues with Discount Tire, but I never liked going there either. They are always packed and the wait is always a lot longer then I want to deal with. I bought from them twice, and felt I got a fair deal, but just hated the experience. I went to Firestone once because they where open on Sunday, and I needed a new tire that day. That was a really bad experience. I got my tire, but they where constantly trying to sell something else to me. They where also very price.

The last time I bought tires, I went to a small tire/repair shop in town that you talk to the owner when you walk into the place. He looks on his computer for the best price for your tires, gives you a few options, and then orders them for you. I came back when they where in and they mounted them while I waited. It was all very quick and affordable. My previous tires where something like $250 each from Discount Tire, and I got a higher load range tire from Allen's Tire in Tyler for $180 each.

 

[ultrarunner]

Good independents are getting hard to find.

A good local manager of a chain earns a lot of loyalty... until he retires and the new guy alienates everyone.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I saw that. I'll buy a set and go back to the small shop to have them installed. The 4runner is our spare vehicle that sometimes my wife and daughter's drive. I'd like to get if fixed, because I'd hate to set the precedent of telling them to "ignore" a warning light.

Yeah, I had one go bad so I bought a set of 4 off of Amazon and went to a local independant tire shop and had the one replaced, as fate would have it on the way home another went hay wire, so I turned around and went right back to the shop and told him to change the other three, that broke me from that habit, in the future when one goes bad I will replace them all at that time.

 

[gsganzer]

...as fate would have it on the way home another went hay wire, so I turned around and went right back to the shop and told him to change the other three, that broke me from that habit, in the future when one goes bad I will replace them all at that time.

I'll buy a 5 pack and replace all of them. I don't know how long they typically last. But on a car that has low miles each year, the tires will be on it for a while.

 

[Gator6x4]

Looks like I need to get all my tire ills sorted today. In no particular order:

The spare on my 2008 4runner is giving me a low air, I suspect the battery in the TPMS is just bad. Recently bought a new set of Yokohama's for it and Discount Tire said they wouldn't touch the spare, because it was 6 years old. They said they'd sell me a new tire though. What a crock. It makes me want to make this the last set of tires I buy from Discount, because of said policy. The only thing that keeps me going back to them is I travel a lot, so when I get a road hazard failure, it's easy to find one of their shops and get it repaired or to get my free tire rotations.

The Kubota L3800 has a leak on the left front. It's just a small hole and can be easily patched.

I got a flat on the Load Trail trailer the other week and replaced it with the spare. Got it home and just noticed it has another flat tire. So, 2 tires to get repaired. What is it with trailer tires? These are all load E quality tires. Just seems like trailer tires are always looking for an excuse to fail. (same with trailer lights!)

I'll throw them all in the truck and run them up to the small tire shop up the road. They always do a good job with repairs, but they don't do much in new tire sales.

Understandable why the Tire Dealer would not touch the spare. If he did he would open himself to civil liability.

Example a gentleman owned a Dump Truck. He had a problem with one of the front tires. He took it to a tire repair facility they dismounted the tire, put a patch inside the tire and a tube. Inflated the tire and put it back on the truck. A couple days later the owner was going down the load with a load in the bed. The tire blew out, the owner lost control, the truck rolled over nultipile times. The owner was ejected and the sudden stop got him. The widow sued. The arguement successful presented at trial that resulted in a huge award was, "The Tire Dealer was an expert in tires and should not have repaired the tire and placed it on the front of a vehicle due to the tires age and visible signs of UV aging cracks. "

 

[Gator6x4]

They did plug/patches on the 3 that needed fixed. $40 total, I handed him a $50. They couldn't fix the 4Runner tire TPMS sensor, so I'll need to look for other options. However, he did say the spare tire TPMS sensor is working. two of the installed tires aren't. Sounds like Discount Tire tried to pull one over on me.

The TPMS sensor have there own battery and a transmitter since they are not connect by wire to the BCM.

"The BCM (Body Control Module) compares each TPMS sensor transmission against a low- pressure limit. If the signal received by the BCM fails to meet established parameters and it is determined that the tire pressure has fallen below this limit, the BCM communicates this on the vehicle communication bus to the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC). Some vehicles also provide a constant tire pressure for each tire on the instrument panel cluster DIC (Driver Information Center of the vehicle.

The batteries last from 5-10 years and the transmitter being electronic can also fail.