Got my oil changed today, never again

[Redbug]

Tally...something I was wondering...I do all my own plugging too, but nothing like you have. When you get a number of plugs in a tire, do you have it rebalanced? The most I have ever put into one tire is about 6 plugs and it rode OK. Did yours ride squirrelly?

I use one of these kits...and buy replacement plugs when I get low...Use them on my atv's and on the tractor, (only 1 nail so far).
Auto Kits

 

[tallyho8]

Tally...something I was wondering...I do all my own plugging too, but nothing like you have. When you get a number of plugs in a tire, do you have it rebalanced? The most I have ever put into one tire is about 6 plugs and it rode OK. Did yours ride squirrelly?

I never considered rebalancing them after plugging them because this would have been more expensive than the tire repairs.

The plugs are very small and light and since they are usually spaced around the tire instead of all being in one place, I doubt that they get it out of balance much.

I never did feel real safe at high speeds with a lot of plugs in the tires and always told my wife not to go over 60 mph and to slow way down and check things if she felt any pulling or vibration. (she might have listened to me)

 

[Bird]

I never did feel real safe at high speeds with a lot of plugs in the tires

I can understand that. Of course, I was fixing flats in my Dad's service station when the first tubeless tires came on the market. We used to break them down and patch the inside of the tire. And then the first plugs came on the market a year or two later. And yep, high speeds could sling a plug out of the tire. Prior to 1991, I would not allow a plug in one of my tires; had to be patched on the inside. But after several generations of "plugs", I think now the plugs are as safe, if not safer, than a patch on the inside of a tire.

 

[Egon]

I am not sure of this but up here the plugs may no longer be legal???

 

[Bird]

I am not sure of this but up here the plugs may no longer be legal???

Egon, the very first "plugs" I ever saw or used looked like a mushroom and we put a liquid on them that was supposed to serve as both a lubricant to get it into the hole and an adhesive. I think the lubricant part worked, but not the adhesive part.:laughing: The newer "plugs" that actually look like a soft rubber impregnated cord sure work better. I haven't used a lot of them, but have used them on my old 1981 F250 Ford, my 1993 Ford Escort, my Cub Cadet lawn tractor, and my Kubota tractor with no failures. My brother used to have a tire dealership in Anchorage and said he'd never had a single complaint about one of them.

One thing I've heard; theory maybe that I have neither proved nor disproved is that those plug are actually better than a patch on the interior for steel belted radial tires. The theory is that the flexing may let the broken steel cords chew a hole in a patch while the plug is flexible enough that it keeps the hole plugged. There's also the theory that a patch on the inside does not close the hole on the outside, so dirt, moisture, etc. gets into the tire while a plug stops up the hole and doesn't allow any external debris to get in.

 

[Redbug]

These plugs I am using are like a nylon rope fiber impregnated with a rubber compound and very sticky. The instructions say the rubber vulcanizes to the tire. You smear a silicone lubricant on the plug and push it in with the special tool. I have never had one fail. I have doubled up and used two patches at one time on bigger punctures that one plug would not completely fill. It is sure cheaper, (and convenient), doing it yourself than taking a tire in to have it done.

 

[Bird]

Dave, I think that's the good kind. They worked for me, even when some of them were 5 to 8 years old when I used them.

 

[dddenden]

Earlier in this post someone mentioned torque wrenches on lug nuts. Used to frequent a particular tire store and always asked that they torque the lug nuts to the proper spec. Upon picking up a car one time the tire changer (so-called technician) told me not to worry as he set the torque until the wrench clicked - and then gve it an extra quarter turn...... Why do these guys waste money on tools they have no idea what they are for.

Now for my ultimate "mechanic" screwup. Bought a new 2009 Harley Davidson Ultra Classic in July of 2008. I have owned other Harleys and still own my '95 Badboy. I always did my own maintenance includung removing tires and wheels and taking them in for new tires. I was always paranoid about getting them scratched. When I bought the '09 they had a great deal on a service contract which I purchased. Long story, short - I took the bike in for the 1000 mile checkup, and on the way home I thought I was hearing a funny whirring noise. Thought it was the stereo so I turned it off - still making strange noise. Turned around and went back to the dealer. Three different people test rode it and decided the belt was too tight. I took it home and proceded to go on a ride with my fiance the next day (Sunday). While out in the country the noise reappeared and got so loud we thought the bike was going to blow up.

As it turned out the tech emptied the transmission fluid but never refilled it. Took over 3 weeks to get me back on he road. Neither the dealer nor HD had a good system in place on how to order a new transmission serial numbered to a the bike. And while waiting for the transmission the technicians severely scratched one of my new custom slipon mufflers. Took about 4 weeks to get that replaced.

Now only the shop foreman attends to my bike and they have done a pretty good job since then.

 

[Bird]

As it turned out the tech emptied the transmission fluid but never refilled it.

This reminds me of a guy who was supposedly an experienced service station worker that my dad hired in 1957 or '58 when service stations really were service stations instead of just gas stations. So this new guy changed the oil & filter in the mayor's Oldsmobile, then he came in the office and told me there was something wrong with that Olds because when he went to back it out of the bay, it wouldn't go. He had drained the transmission and added 5 quarts of oil to the crankcase. Fortunately, no damage.

 

[MossRoad]

I mentioned tire plugs in a family conversation just last week and my brother-in-law went off about it being illegal to plug a tire in Indiana. I told him the garage down the street plugged one for me and he said I bet they didn't give you a receipt. I got to thinking and now that I think about it, I think the garage guy said no charge on that one. Hmmmm. I have to think about that. Anyhow, I usually plug my own with a kit from the auto parts store. I have one or two plugs on both of my vehicles right now.

I wonder where I could find if it is illegal to plug them in Indiana?
I have also heard that it is only illegal on commercial vehicles. But that is all hearsay, not fact. I want to see it in writing....

Anyone got it in writing?