not sure exactly where to post this, but i got a flat tire today. took my car to the service station and they put that plug into the hole.

anyways, not sure how permanent that repair would be. i was wondering if there was any harm in using those "fix-a-flat" sprays with cars equipped with tpms sensors? i was thinking that the spray would really gunk it all up. that wouldn't affect the function at all, would it?

thanks in advance.

 

I don't know but I've been told on TMS by a respected member that the TPMS should be replaced once fix-a-flat is used.

 

I wouldn't use that stuff at all. It makes a mess in side your tire. Take it to a good tire store and have them check the repair and re-do it if necesary. Some tire stores will charge you extra if you've used it cause they have to clean it out first.

 

plug a cheap used up tire....patch a good tire with lots of tread left on it. Plugs are bad. They work to fix the leak but I wouldn't use one on a good tire. Fix a flat is good if your stranded on the side of the road

 

Don't the 07/08 GT500's & Bullitt come with an OEM type "fix-a-flat" repair kit and air pump?

 

They do! No spare tire just a can and a pump...

 

Glenn, plugs aren't that bad. When my dad mounted/balanced my new Shelby wheels, I drove the car that day. Next day at a cruise night, I looked at the right front tire. Looked low, so I checked. Sure enough, I drove over a nail. I bought a tire inflator at Wal-Mart (the show is held there and is huge, 350+ cars normally, up to 500+). Inflated it enough to get home. When I did, dad has a plug kit in his garage (he's a 55+ year veteran mechanic, and has every tool, lol). Pluged the tire, and that was last June. No issues at all with it. The excess wore off and you can't even see it. I didn't want to have to get a tire, and I still had decent tread left on my OEM BFG's.

As for Fix-a-Flat? If your car doesn't come with it, DON'T USE IT!!! My dad told me it makes a mess inside the tire, and most shops hate it with a passion. A real PITA to clean up.

 

Use it as a last resort. We charge an extra 10 bucks when we repair a tire with fix a flat.

Also don't plug the tire from the outside. It voids the warranty on the tire. For a reason! Its considered an improper repair and if a tire failure happens because of it, lawsuit city for the "shop" that did it.
I have had tons of tires with "rope" plugs come in still leaking.

A patch, or plug/patch from the inside is the best way. Plug/patch imo.
The patch seals the leak, the plug seals the tire from moisture entering the hole left by the nail into the steel belt package and causing them to rust and separate.

Just another opinion, but I have 18 years in the tire industry.

 

thanks everybody. i will stay away from the fix-a-flat spray. they used that "rope" plug, and it seems fine, but i will see if someone can fix it with a patch.

appreciate all the input.

 

I had one of my tires fixed at the dealership. They had plugged/patched it from inside and it had held out fine.

 

DO NOT and I Repeat DO NOT use Fix A Flat that stuff is junk and it will corrode and rot the inside of the wheel and destroy it.

 

So Richard are you saying that Ford is all those Ford GT, Shelby and Bullitt owners who no longer get spare tires?

If you look in my trunk you'll see something similar to this where the spare tire should be:

 

If that is Fix A Flat in that yes I am saying that. That stuff is horrible. I have seen many times what it has done to the inside of wheels including my own whihc is why i would never use it again.

 

The only thing I will ever and have ever used fix-a-flat in is wheelbarrow wheels.

 

For the most part yes it is... and from some of the rumors I've been hearing kits like the one above may eventually find their way into more and more Ford vehicles. Almost sounds like the writing is or soon will be on the wall for donut spares...

 

Not much of a shelf life on it. It expires 02/2009