Rant about tire installation

In an effort to keep peace around here, my wife drives the Saab convertible as her summer car. At the end of last season, I noticed that one of the tires was slowly losing air and needed replaced due to over/under inflation. When I got it out of storage, that tire was flat. No big deal. Added air, brought it home, popped it off and took the loose wheel and the new tire to get mounted. I specifically asked them to replace the valve stem and clean the bead surface before mounting the new tire. So on Friday I pick it up and put it on the car. I noticed the pressure was only 28, but figured that's where the installer set it and added air. The next morning, I was going to drive it to a PCA tech session (which was awesome BTW). FLAT TIRE. I pulled it off and used some soapy water to find that it was leaking nearly the entire way around both beads! GRRRRR. Not only was the bead not cleaned, but they didn't check to make sure it wasn't leaking!

I wish I had the space for a tire machine!

you're not that far from me. next time you need to do a set bring them over, i'll do them for cheap and show you how. i do have and use bead sealer.

bead sealer on alloys ftw

btdt

Where are you patgizz? I am a stones throw from the Football HOF.

You don't need bead sealer if you wire wheel the bead seat, or at least you shouldn't. Working in the tire industry I found that over time layer of bead sealer where just as problematic as flaking finish on alloys.

When I say bead sealer I'm talking about the spray on stuff, not the tire lube/seal that you mix with water.

i'm a hair north of medina.

i have the bead sealer in a can that has a dauber. we sealed a bent 20" rim with it last week that wouldn't hold air. my buddy has some 20" boyds that he insists on running on his caprice, one got potholed, and he didn't care as long as it held air...

PHeller wrote: You don't need bead sealer if you wire wheel the bead seat, or at least you shouldn't. Working in the tire industry I found that over time layer of bead sealer where just as problematic as flaking finish on alloys. When I say bead sealer I'm talking about the spray on stuff, not the tire lube/seal that you mix with water.

X2. I avoid the stuff unless the rim is physically pitted after cleaning with a wire wheel. It makes future tire changes/sealing a pain in the ass.

put about 40psi in the tire and whack the sidewall with a rubber mallet.. do this all the way around until bubbles stop coming out.. once it stops leaking, release air until you reach your desired pressure.

If it was balanced just chalk the tire and rim. Then deflate and brake the bead and clean as needed. The tire should not move but I always chalk them just to make sure. Then re inflate to fourth psi or so and check with soapy water. Use the mallet trick if needed.

The problem is the guy you spoke to probably wasn't the guy doing the work and likely didn't say a word to the guy that did the work. Truthfully the guy doing the work is getting paid the same if he does the extra work or not so it's not likely he's going to do anything more than the minimum amount of work so he can move on to the next.

evildky wrote: The problem is the guy you spoke to probably wasn't the guy doing the work and likely didn't say a word to the guy that did the work. Truthfully the guy doing the work is getting paid the same if he does the extra work or not so it's not likely he's going to do anything more than the minimum amount of work so he can move on to the next.

This. Unfortunately. I'm glad I have local guys that are solid.

Makes me glad that the local Belle Tire always does good work.

PHeller wrote: You don't need bead sealer if you wire wheel the bead seat, or at least you shouldn't. Working in the tire industry I found that over time layer of bead sealer where just as problematic as flaking finish on alloys. When I say bead sealer I'm talking about the spray on stuff, not the tire lube/seal that you mix with water.

I always use bead sealer any time I have to clean corrosion from a wheel. If it corroded, then the paint is gone, and certainly the paint will be compromised if cleaned, so sealer needs to go on to prevent bare aluminum.

Brush-on rubberized sealer. I've never seen spray on.

(And damn people who still use that Freylube junk as sealer. Almost as insidious as antisieze as far as how hard it is to clean off if you get any on you)

evildky wrote: The problem is the guy you spoke to probably wasn't the guy doing the work and likely didn't say a word to the guy that did the work. Truthfully the guy doing the work is getting paid the same if he does the extra work or not

Not always true. If work is being charged for and is being willfully ignored, that's the kind of dishonesty that should result in no longer having employment.

Well they fixed it today. Wire brush+bead sealer. Its the first time I've had an issue with this shop, and they've hooked me up a bunch of times before.

The Saab rides again!

Knurled wrote:

evildky wrote: The problem is the guy you spoke to probably wasn't the guy doing the work and likely didn't say a word to the guy that did the work. Truthfully the guy doing the work is getting paid the same if he does the extra work or not

Not always true. If work is being charged for and is being willfully ignored, that's the kind of dishonesty that should result in no longer having employment.

There is always an exception, but that's what you'll find at 90% of shops.

I often rant about this, right now that fronts off my wagon are in the bed of my truck for this exact reason and its even a steel wheel!

My other complaint is the complete lack of interest in mounting or dismounting tires without scurfing the wheels. It takes literally 5 seconds to set the height and adjust accordingly...

I drive my setups from cincy to columbus just because i have a friend who actually takes that 5 seconds.