Traveling is a desired fantasy. It is the best way to relax, explore and enjoy. However, it can become worrisome if you meet with uncertain situations that can damage your car and risk the lives of your family. One such common issue is the flat tire. It often occurs when you travel on bad roads, especially on adventure trips or off-road driving. There can be several factors such as sharp objects on the road, tire system failure, vandalism, overload, excessive pressure, etc., that can affect the tire.

You should be aware of such issues and fix or replace the tire as a safety measure. Here is how you can go about it.

What Causes a Flat Tire?

Before resolving the issue of flat tires, you must understand what causes it. Here are a few causes that lead to a flat tire commonly.

1. Sharp objects – It is more often possible that sharp objects present on the road, especially over debris, can puncture and damage your car tire.
2. Ripped tire – Due to an overload or excessive usage, the tire’s sidewall can get damaged and cause slow air leakage.
3. Over pumping a tire – If, in any case, the tire is over-pumped, there is an excess pressure condition that can lead to a tire blowout.
4. Valve stem damage – The small opening that you use to inflate the tire is the valve stem. A damaged, clogged, or corroded valve stem can cause a leak.
5. Tire and rim separations – While driving or parking your car, if the wheel gets rubbed against a sidewalk, the tire and rim will get separated, leading to slow air loss.

How to Find the Hole in a Tire?

Now that you have understood the causes of a flat tire, the next step is to find the hole first. Here are different ways to find the hole in a tire.

1. Check the tire throughout its outer region to find an object such as a screw, pin, nail, stone, or a thin rod inserted and stuck to the tire.
2. Mix water with dish wash soap or use a cleaner and spray it on the tire after inflating it. The hole will show up with tiny bubbles coming out like a small explosion.
3. Check for a hissing sound while inflating the tire to the exact pressure level.

Step by Step Instructions to Fix a Flat Tire

After finding the hole, you are good to go with fixing the flat tire. It is not always possible to seek help with changing a tire. Here is a simple guide with step-by-step instructions.

1. Using a lug wrench, loosen the lug nuts. Ensure to do it before you jack up the car because loosening will cause excessive spinning leading to dangerous effects.
2. Jack up the car and assure that you have a hard surface below. Use the vehicle manual and learn to use the jack stand to stabilize the vehicle.
3. Remove the lug nuts and take off the wheel from the base. Clean the leaking area. Use the rasp tool, insert it, and take it out multiple times to clean it thoroughly.
4. Fix the plug with the insertion tool at the middle. You can push the plug into the hole with a lubricant for an easy passage and strong fit. Leave the plug untouched for a while and later cut out the portion protruding outside.
5. Inflate the tire with the appropriate pressure, fix the wheel, remove the jack and attach it. Ensure to tighten the lugs before you use the car.

If a flat tire fixer does not help, you can go ahead with replacing it with a spare tire in your car. Run flat tires can buy you some time until you find help. After removing the damaged tire:

1. Check if the spare tire is present in the right condition.
2. Place the tire in position
3. Attach the lug nuts into the bolts.
4. Lower the jack until the weight of the vehicle is moved onto the tire.
5. Remove the car jack and lock the lug nuts.

Importance of Getting Your Tire Repaired

If your car has a damaged tire, you must either fix it or replace it, considering the safety of the car and the occupants. Running on flat tires cost more than regular tires but can help you in an emergency. Maintaining the appropriate air pressure at the manufacturer’s recommended standards, repairing the punctures in the tread, and taking timely actions are necessary to prevent complete tire failure. You should also get the assistance of a professional and confirm the necessary steps taken to fix the flat tire.

If the tire has a deep cut and gone flat due to a complete blowout or develops blisters on the sidewalls, it is extremely important to replace the tire immediately. Seek out “flat tire service near me” to find help immediately. It can lead to excessive imbalance, damaging the car completely on the road.

CAASCO Roadside Assistance Coverage 

Roadside assistance is the best and cost-effective way to manage flat tires repair. The CAA Insurance Company offers varied coverage benefits associated with car insurance. With a CAA membership, you can avail of basic, plus or premium level roadside benefits like CAA flat tire repair.

CAASCO Roadside Assistanceis one such reliable, prominent and supportive feature. CAASCO can cover the repair or replacement for a maximum amount of $25 plus the taxes applicable when the tire is damaged due to a road hazard condition. The following conditions are also checked before ensuring the coverage:

1. Damaged tire tread is at least 2/32 of an inch measured from the lowest tread point.
2. The tire’s manufacture date should not have been greater than six years.

You can call their customer service executive team or register a service on their app for a prompt response and to avail of the CAA auto service or CAA road service. Their technicianseven offer home tire change service where they come to your place of residence to help you change your tires.

Conclusion

A flat tire can be considered a common issue. However, negligence towards taking the appropriate action can cause serious damage to the tire and the car. You can seek professional help to decide between fixing or replacing the tire based on the problem. Drive safe and stay protected, more importantly!

Reference Links Used

• https://www.readersdigest.ca/cars/maintenance/change-flat-tire/
• https://www.goodyear.com/en-US/learn/tire-care-maintenance/how-to-fix-a-flat-tire
• https://carfromjapan.com/article/car-maintenance/fix-flat-tire-step-step-instructions/
• https://caaneo.ca/automotive/roadside-assistance/
• https://assets.ctfassets.net/mdrpj0354v2y/1vDVn5NMZqTHqGYBApLv0Y/e729d53bb7a478680a455a4ec575dec5/CAA-Tire-policy-coverage-details_Mar_29_2021.pdf