Tires are one of the most important parts of your car. Without it, your car would not run. This is the best reason why tires should be maintained in proper working condition. One problem of having a car is a flat tire. It is the number one problem car owners experience.
Having a flat tire will surely slow you down. This is the reason why if you own a car, you should expect that it would happen now and then. There are many ways to repair a flat tire, but the easiest one is letting other people fix it for you while you just have to wait. But with that, you will have to spend. The question is, how much does it cost to fix a flat tire?
Average Flat Tire Repair Cost
Usually, you can fix a flat tire at your home. You will just have to buy a repair kit for your tire. Normally, it would cost you around $5 up to $20. The price was given already includes the tools and plugs. Plugs are used to fill the puncture in your tire. If you want to buy a much larger kit, you will have to spend around $20 up to $50 or more. The kit consists of a sealant and a pump or sometimes a compressor that will be used to inflate your tire again. You can simply buy these repair kits at an auto shop near you, or you can buy them online at Amazon. For the instructions on how to change your tire, you can visit Bridge Stone Tire’s website. Normally, a do it your repairing is just temporary. It is only used so that you can make your car get back on the road and deliver it to a professional repair shop. Usually, they will replace the interior of your car or just simply patch them.
The average price to fix a flat tire in an auto repair shop typically runs around $5 up to $40. The price given is for a standard tire. If your car has a run flat tire, the average price to fix a flat tire will run around $30 up to $60. What is a run flat tire? It is a tire that is specially designed to make driving safe even if it you have flat tires. If you want to save money, some auto repair shops offer free flat tire repair cost when the tire you purchased is from them. There are also programs that offer free flat tire repair.
There are times where the damage of your tire is too big or times where the area that is damaged can’t be repaired. If you encounter this situation, normally you will have to avail tire replacement. Usually, a single tire replacement would cost you around $50 up to $200. The price given is for a passenger car. If you have an SUV or a pickup, you will have to spend $60 up to $350 for a standard tire replacement.
If your car is an SUV or a pickup and its tires are an all-terrain tire, you will have to spend $110 up to $750. If you want to have the finest result, it is great to have matching tires to have your suspension system works at its best. If your car only needs one tire replacement, it should match the other three tires.
Extra Costs
There are times where an auto repair shop does not include wheel balancing in their service. Wheel balancing is a service where the auto mechanic will place weights on your car’s rim so that the tire will rotate evenly. If the shop you are availing does not include this type of packaged service, you will have to pay an extra $6 up to $20 for each wheel.
There are times where you will have a flat tire in the middle of the road. Also, sometimes, you forget to bring your tire repair kit. Another solution would be to use your spare tire. But there are also times where your spare tire is also flat, and you forgot to change it. When this happens, you will have to avail a towing service. The cost of towing your car to the nearest repair shop would run around $35 up to $125. The cost depends on what type of car you have and your location.
Inclusions
Now that you have an idea on how much does it cost to fix a flat tire, you should know more information about fixing a flat tire.
During a flat tire repair, your tire must be detached from your car’s rim, and the work should be done on the interior side of the tire. The tread area is the only place where the repair should be made. The size of the puncture of your tire should not exceed more than ¼ inches in diameter. Overlapping of repairs should not be done. To fill the puncture, a plug shall be used to seal the inner line. A patch should also be applied. There are also times where a plug and a patch is a single unit.
Importance
What is the importance of having a tire that is properly repaired? The number one reason is for your safety. You will be in danger if you continue driving a car that is continuously losing air and has a puncture. It is very important that you will have a professional to inspect the tire of your car, whether it should be repaired or replaced. Usually, a professional flat tire service should include:
- Repairing punctures in your tire’s tread properly
- The repair shop should prevent further damages in your tire
- There are levels of pressure that manufacturers recommend, the shop should maintain the air pressure at that level.
Maintenance of Your Tires
One way to maintain your car’s tires is through inspection. You should do it regularly or once a month. You should check if your car has excessive or irregular wear in its tread if it has scrapes, or snags or cuts.
You also need to check if your tire has bulges and cracks, damages from impact, and small punctures. Also, getting to inspect if your tire has stones or other fragments embedded in its tread, or any other damages is also necessary.
If you notice that your tire has any of these conditions present, you should immediately dismount your car’s tire and let a professional further inspect for damages inside and if repair is needed.
Avoiding Flat Tires
To be honest, flat tires are unavoidable. However, there are ways to lessen that chance of having a flat tire too often.
- Rotating your tires. This is to make sure that your tires do not have irregular tire wear.
- Watch where you drive. Whenever you are driving, always avoid areas that have debris from construction and broken glass. You should also be careful on driving over gravel and dirt since it is possible that there are sharp rocks lying in there.
- Check your tire regularly. You should always check the depth of the tread, and the tire wears regularly. If you check it before you drive, you can avoid the possibility of having a flat tire on the road.
Always keep your tires aligned and balanced. This is to avoid uneven wears and other problematic issues for your tire.