The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Flat tire repair

Has anyone had a flat repaired lately? I removed the wheel/tire and took it to the Hispanic tire repair place. Simple straightforward repair. No extra work involved, no balancing. Total bill for approximately 12 minutes of work....... $20. Even the tire fixit guys are getting close to $100 an hour. When I was in the business it was $2.50 and folks complained about that. Times are changing.

I take mine to Discount Tire. All flat repairs are free there.

I've repaired dozens of tires for $1.00 each- - - - -tube types! Of course, I was earning 90 cents an hour at the time!
Jerry

In 1967 I was making a $1.00 an hour fixing semi flat tires, at the DX station.

I just have to say, as hopefully you’re all aware anyway, that a business charging $100/hour for labor does not equate to what the employee is paid. A lot of overhead costs incorporated into that rate.

Count your blessings.

The Subaru owner's manual says it is critical to have tires with even height.
Took my wife to the hospital for an operation. Came back to put some stuff in the car and the tire is flat.
Installed the spare and removed the 4WD fuse while trying not to get my clothes dirty.
Went to a nearby Goodyear store. Sorry sir, our policy is not to plug patch a tire.
I tried to explain that I can't have a new tire with 3 half-worn tires on a Subaru.
Sorry sir, it's Goodyears' policy. I told them that means I would have to buy 4 new tires.
No sympathy. New tires will be around $500+. I turned around and walked out.
The next day I took the car to my local tire shop.
I asked them if they can fix it. Of course we can as long as it's not in the sidewall.
I told them about Goodyear's policy. They laughed and said too many lawsuits.
I took that to mean they had problems with poor patch jobs so they just stopped it all together rather than re-train the staff.
My $25 plug job lasted until it was time to buy new tires.

If you got anything done for $20 today I wouldn't complain!

Martin It's about 20 bucks at Chevy here !

I agree.

John

The labor rate at most of the dealerships where I used to do warranty claim inspections was $100.00/hr. or more, recently. Now, I'll bet the flat rate mechanics they employ aren't making 50% of the labor they book every day, like I once did when I was bending wrenches for a living. A journeyman mechanic provided his own tools, work clothes, and other necessities to get the job done, paid his own income tax (all of it) and if he wanted to go on vacation he just took a week off without pay. The shop provided him with a place to work, jacks and stands, and other major equipment. The mechanic was "contract labor" to the shop's bookkeeper. The shop got the other half of the labor charge, and the profit on parts sales.
Once amenities like uniforms, sick leave, unemployment insurance, retirement plans, and other perks started becoming popular, the flat rate percentage had to come down so the shops could stay in business.
Jerry

Last tire I had fixed was $25.00. It was one of the new low profile tires.

I generally fix my own flats, which are rare. Usually just a small nail hole. But $20. for a repair job isn't something I would complain about.

Recently an elderly fellow from out of state hit a pot hole and burst the inside wall. He had finally stopped right in front of my house and came knocking on my door. It was a Honda with low profile tire so I had him pull it to the shop door. While jacking the car up he informed me the car came with NO spare tire what so ever. Not even a donut......its Saturday so off to wally world we go.
He found a tire and when asked about getting it mounted, as I had his old one in the back of my truck, the shop foreman hollered and ask the "tire guy" if he would mount a new tire. The EMPL:OYEE yells back yeah, in about 3 1/2 hours. I explained the situation an how it'd 10 minutes and I could get the old man on his way. He made us stand there for 40 minutes while he wrote down oil changes "3 cars back". We were stuck. All my tire guys are closed on Saturday.
So I told him it was the first time I ever seen an employee tell the foreman how to run his job!!
Then I ask how much and how long it'd be....$18.50 to mount/balance and he made the guy come pick the tire up at 5pm closing time. In my area 90% of the folks will mount and balance it free if you buy a new tire.

Now, like Jerry, I changed many tires back in the day, tube type, for the station "special" of $1 and with the old manual set up where you broke it down physcially.
Another place here in town will not plug a tire and changes $25 to patch it no the inside. He is not a nice guy anyway so nothign lost there.
I've plugged many tractor trailer tires (ran new tires on steering axle) and never had a problem. The strips are longer for the bigger tires.

For myself, I USED to plug my own but after all the surgeries I no longer have the upper body strength to plug one but my neighbor does!!!
My LOCAL tire guy pulls the nail out and plugs 95% of tires on the vehicle and I'm gone in 5 minutes usually with no charge.
Whats this world coming to..........oh, I know, I'm not in Kansas anymore Toto.

ok ok, ,I'm through.

I carry a plug kit and a 12 volt air compressor in our tow vehicle.
Plugged many tires on the truck and trailers over the years, by the side of the road.
We have a a 2011 Subaru Forester and if a tire goes bad, either fix it or buy a new set.
It does do really well in snow though, with the all wheel drive computers system.
As a disclaimer, it’s the wife’s car.

Don

About a month ago I had a flat on my Equinox. Took the tire and wheel off, and took it to the local Firestone dealer, said he was booked and couldn't get to it for two and a half weeks. End up dropping it off at Walmart, and picking it up a couple of hours later.

Were you being charged by the hour, or is $20 their flat rate for fixing a tire? If it had taken 20 minutes instead of 12 would the price have been the same, or twice as much?

In about 1960, I fixed flats where I worked at a service station. Emphasis on "service." Pulled out the nail and patched the tube. When they started plugging tubeless tires, I wasn't working there thank goodness.

When steel belted tubeless tires came along, the only effective repair method was a patch for the inner liner, and a plug that sealed the belt from contamination by water, mud, salt etc. I started installing "patch plugs" with a rubber stud built into the center of the patch in the late 1970's, and that's the only kind of tire repair I'm willing to bet my life on, regardless of the cost. I don't intend to be a dead cheapskate!
Jerry

Jerry, can you still buy those?

Rich, $20 flat rate unless required more than one patch. I’ve used the guy for years and he’s good at what he does. It’s been about 5-6 years since I had one fixed and I paid $6 for that one. Inflation