Where do I take my car to have a tire checked for leaks?

<p>Just when I thought all the car troubles were done…<em>sigh</em></p>

<p>Went out to drive my car yesterday and noticed the driver’s side front tire looked a little flat (not bad, but noticeable.) Called mom and dad who suggested I call AAA and have them put air in it first to see if it will even hold air. AAA just left…so far it is holding air (I’ll check again in a few hours), but the truck driver suggested I have it checked for a slow leak and that it’s usually no more than $10.</p>

<p>Where can I take it to have this done? Autozone? Pep Boys? I’ll only have it with me at school for another 2 weeks (then I’m taking it home after GRADUATION!!! :D) but I’m afraid it’s going to blow out or something…though I suppose that isn’t too realistic if it’s just a leak.</p>

<p>Can you tell how little I know about cars? (And how nervous it makes me when mine misbehaves?)</p>

<p>Wheel Works in Rhonert Park about 3 miles away.
There are also WW in Petaluma and Santa Rosa.</p>

<p>It’s a terrible feeling when there’s car trouble and I know how you must feel…</p>

<p>Any tire store or “full-service” gas station can check your tire for leaks, including Pep Boys and Autozone (assuming Autozone has service bays adjacent to their sales area). As long as the tire is holding air, just drive it to one of these places. Maybe call ahead and let them know you are coming, just in case there is a long wait when you get there.</p>

<p>We have a Tire Kingdom nearby that checks stuff like that for free. They are great, but it all depends on who the local owner/manager is. Some are great (like ours) while others will rip you off. Many gas stations have people that can help you (or rip you off also). When I have a leaky tire the first thing I do is very carefully look at the tire to see if there is a nail stuck in it. (This is better as a 2 person job, one drives VERY slowly while the other watches the tire). You could move slightly, check tire, move slightly, check tire by yourself if you had to. Another thing you can do by yourself is put some soapy water in a spray bottle and spray all over the tire. Even a slow leak will show up as blowing bubbles. :slight_smile: Good luck! It’s a PIA. Oh, the guy at the gas station could pull a nail out of my tire and stick a plug in it without even removing the wheel. He charged $10. Tire Kingdom won’t plug a tire anymore. They say it isn’t safe, so they remove the tire and patch it on the inside. If the leak is on the sidewall it generally can’t be repaired :frowning: If it is on the tread it can usually be plugged or patched.</p>

<p>p.s. If you actually see a nail in your tire and it is not flat, do not remove the nail! Limp to the tire shop and let them fix it.</p>

<p>Autozone doesn’t do it and I personally wouldn’t trust Pep Boys even though they s/b able to check it.</p>

<p>I’ve had good luck at Discount Tires so if you have one of those you can try them. If you bought the tires at Discount they may well not charge you for the fix. Sears can usually check as well.</p>

<p>Where were the tires purchased? You can take it there to check. </p>

<p>If you have a slow leak you likely have a nail or screw in the tire. If so, don’t take it out yourself or else your tire will go flat right away. Go to the tire place and tell them it needs to be repaired. The proper way to repair it is for them to mark the leak (as well as test it in a tub of water to confirm it), dismount the tire, patch the tire from the inside, remount the tire, pull off the balancing weights, confirm the leak is fixed in the tub of water, and then rebalance the tire.</p>

<p>The leak should ‘not’ be fixed by just plugging it due to safety concerns and if the problem is with the sidewall then you’ll need a new tire since it’s unsafe to try to repair a sidewall.</p>

<p>Other possible causes are a leaking valve or bent rim. The leaking valve is an easy fix but the bent rim would mean buying a new rim.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the tips!</p>

<p>The tires were purchased in SoCal so that would have to wait until I got home. I will talk to my parents some more and see what they want me to do (if anything)…if it keeps holding air perhaps the pressure just got low and it will be okay until after Graduation.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t risk the chance of a blowout on the highway or flat late at night.
Spend the money to get it checked.
Make the executive decision that your safety is more important than a few bucks.</p>

<p>I have all of my tire work done at NTB. I have had problems over the years with my allow rims and they have developed corrosion leaks - this is a slow leak that isn’t caused by a puncture. In general, I used to add air at local gas stations until it got so bad that I had to fill it weekly - then I usually took it to NTB - they would clean the rim and put a sealant on it - this typically lasted about two years. I get the insurance so there’s no charge - it’s about $15 without insurance.</p>

<p>So you might have one of these leaks (happens with some allow rims) or you might have a puncture or a faulty valve stem. I finally had three of the rims refinished by a shop and no more leak problems.</p>

<p>You could always pop the spare on if it’s a full-size spare for peace of mind before you get it looked at.</p>

<p>We go to our local take 10 or walmart. They both seem to do a competent job. I know when take ten found a leek in the tire of my new car, they did not charge us when we decided to go back to the dealer thinking it might be covered by warranty (it wasn’t as it was damage in the wall from a piece of wire). But that may depend on individual branch owners.</p>

<p>Unfortunately I only have a temporary-size spare =/ otherwise that’s probably what I would have had done.</p>

<p>Install the spare tire.</p>

<p>Then take the leaky tire and inspect it for nails and other damage.</p>

<p>If you cannot find anything, if you have a big tub of water, pump up the tire and then put it in the water to see where bubbles come out.</p>

<p>Don’t wait until you’re back in southern cal to check on it - you don’t want to have a blowout or even just have it get worse. You should have it checked as soon as possible - before you really drive it again would be best - at least before you drive anywhere other than to the tire fixit place.</p>

<p>The tire won’t just randomly leak unless there’s an issue with the tire, wheel, or valve - there’s something wrong.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t worry about the tub of water check since you already know it’s leaking and you already know you can’t fix it yourself. Just take it somewhere.</p>

<p>You could check around to see if someone has a device to inflate tires. I have one of these and most people I work with have one. Many carry them in the trunk of their cars - they can run off the cigarette lighter.</p>

<p>A floor pump usually used to inflate bicycle tires can be used to inflate a car tire.</p>

<p>Any reputable tire store would be best ,or your mechanic . Someone you trust ! Costco ,if you bought your tires there .</p>

<p>You have pretty good advice above.</p>

<p>If you take your time and have good light, you can visually inspect the tread for nails or other issues. If you find one, don’t pull it out.</p>

<p>You can check for leaks yourself by having the tire inflated and using a lemon joy sudsing solution. Use an excess of the soap so it won’t run off too quickly, and if you have a small leak, it will show up as very small bubbles emerging from the leak spot. If its leaking around a nail, you’ll have to take your time as the leaking is slow. </p>

<p>The first place to check should probably be the valve stem. Soap up your sponge and put a bunch of bubbly soapy solution on the valve stem with the wheel oriented so the stem is close to the ground. Watch carefullly for awhile. If its leaking from the valve, you’ll see a steady generation of tiny bubbles. </p>

<p>You need an accurate gauge. Now that you are on alert, a gauge will let you know sooner whether its actually leaking. By the time your eye can detect it, your pressure will be way down.</p>

<p>We’ve used our bicycle tire pump to inflate our car tires many times. We had a car with a very slow leak and filled it this way for weeks, usually every few days. (we only drove locally.) It cost us around $20-25 to have the leak fixed. If you have the money, don’t put off fixing it. Depending on the cause it could get worse very quickly.</p>

<p>I’ve found that leaks are usually the result of a bad valve stem. Takes about 15 minutes for a tire place to yank the tire, replace the stem, and remount the tire. No big deal. NTB always does it for free (I bought the tires there).</p>

<p>If anyone is looking for a great product, the Black and Decker Air Station is fantastic. Little motorized pump that inflates any tire to the desired pressure. Runs off the cigarette lighter in the car or you can plug it into an AC outlet. Comes with the attachment to do car tires, bike tires, stabilty balls, basketballs, pool floaties, whatever.</p>

<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Black & Decker ASI300 Air Station Inflator: Home Improvement](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-ASI300-Station-Inflator/dp/B000IE0YIQ]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-ASI300-Station-Inflator/dp/B000IE0YIQ)</p>

<p>Discount Tires is where I go to get my leaks checked out. My recollection is that they do it for free…and they are fast!</p>

<p>There is no point checking the tire yourself. If you find a leak what are you going to do? If you don’t find a leak what are you going to do? If the tire is loosing air you need a professional to fix it. So get it to a tire shop or Sears, some place like that.</p>