On Sat, 10 May 2008 22:33:31 -0500, Sarah Houston
<SHoust@pndfnospam.com> wrote:

>I'm wondering if these guys are just trying to sell me a new tire, or
>what?
>
>One of my snow tires looked a little low, so I took them all in anyway to
>get swapped out for the summer tires today and asked them to check it, and
>fix it if necessary.
>
>They said it was a nail in the tread, but being it wasn't in the very
>center of the tread, more towards the outside of where the tread meets the
>road, that the tire is "unfixable" and I should buy a new one ( from them
>) next fall.
>
>Is this true or just a trick they may use on gullible women?

A lot depends on what type of tire it is and exactly where the
puncture is located. Sometimes a nail or screw will go through right
at the edge of the tread and the typical cheap-and-dirty plug won't
stay in the puncture. But if they dismount the tire and use a patch
on the inside, it will be okay. The problem is that the tire flexes a
lot more at the edge than in the middle of the tread.

Tire stores aren't really in business to fix flats, they don't make
any money on a tire repair. Most of them will do simple jobs that
don't take a lot of time hoping you'll come to them when you buy new
tires. But if they spend 1/2 hour on the repair and charge you $25,
they just about broke even.