i got a real slow leak in one of my tires. does anyone use any of those tire sealants to fix flats, or am i better off just taking it to a shop?

 

plug it the $10 plug kit, very easy to use, best to just take off the tired to locate it and junk. the fix a flat stuff is ok, ive used it, but i only used it to drive and get it fixed the next day. i dont like it.

 

Are you able to locate the leak? How slow is slow?

 

i haven't been able to find the leak - but i haven't exactly looked for it either. the tire seems to be losing about 5psi per day. i've been busy lately so i've just been filling it up every other day. i'm just wondering about those sealants. its a little more convineient for me to do it up with the sealant but i want to know if its a good idea to use it or not.

 

HaHa...
You just reminded me of my poor days as a teenager with my Prelude.
I was even working at a parts store! I tried the fix a flat and that didn't work. the leak was so bad that I would have to fill it 2-3 times a day (I had a cigarette lighter pump)!!!
Eventually, instead of getting a new tire, I just kept doing that and the tire went from filling it up 2-3 times a day to not filling it for two months!
I don't know how the hell it managed to do that, but it did.

Fix a flat is designed to get you to a repair place.
I never used the green shit that claims it would be fine to just use it and your all set.
If you have a hole on the tread portion, a plug would work perfectly (that's what shops use).
If there is a hole on the sidewall, you can't plug it.
If you curbed your rim, you may not be getting a tight seal on the bead of the tire and may need to replace the rim.

 

Oh, one more thing.
You may have a leak on your valve stem.
If this is the case, it may be as simple as tightening the valve (inside the stem), which you can do with a cheap tool from a parts store.
It may also be the seal on the valve stem (rubber part outside of it where it goes through the rim) and you will have to have the tire removed and replace the valve stem. Benefit of this is that you are only going to pay a few dollars instead of buying a new tire and it still leaking or replacing the rim .

My Mustang (project car) has been sitting since 1999 and I would continuously fill the tire (for several years). Eventually I just put a new valve inside of the valve stem and it stopped leaking. Cost me a few dollars for a tool and a few valves in the kit.

 

Take it to a shop

 

it only costs like $5 to take it to a shop and have them patch it

 

ness or if it's a slow leak, they can remount the tire after finding the gap or leak

 

what he said!! ^^^

but that green stuff works if you want to use it

 

Discount will patch for free reguardless of where you bought your tire. Unless its on the sidewall, in that case you would have to buy a new tire.

 

cool. i don't think we have discount up here but i'll take to a shop anyways.

 

just take it to a shop to get it patched for like 10 bucks.

 

will do. i was just wondering about that green stuff. figured it would be easier to do.

 

paying someone to do it for the same price is wayyy easier

 

if your on aluminum rims, sometimes the inner lip of the rim and become pitted and the seal on the bead might not be as tight and that's where the slow leak is

at least that's where it was on one of my OEM rims, just took it to the tire shop and they took off the tire, cleaned the rim and remounted/ rebalanced the tire and voila !

no more leaks