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Fix A Flat

BKinzey

BKinzey

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Had to use it. What's the proper procedure for having it cleaned out?

My local tire shop franchise refused to work on my tire since it is over 5 years old:rolleyes: Said I might be able to find someone to plug it. I'd plug it myself but from what I hear it's not good to leave the fix a flat in there so I'd like to know the procedure before I look for an independent shop to clean it up.
 
I don't know about correct, but I have always unmounted the tire & rinsed it out with a water hose, then wiped the tire out with a rag. Same for the rim.
 
Well, you either leave it in there till you replace the tire/tires. Or you can have the tire dismounted and go in there with a small cup and bail the liquid out then wipe out the excess. Then have the tire remounted or repaired first if possible.

Ever since the Ford Explorer/Firestone tire fiasco (circa 94) there have been strict tire rules, regarding age, put in place. This same BS also caused the DOT to require all new cars in the US to have Tire Pressure Monitors on cars 08 and newer. They gave tires a shelf life of 4 or 5 years across the board. Once a tire reaches that age most tire dealers won't touch it unless to replace it. On one hand it's a safety issue. On the other I think it's a ploy to sell more product...
 
If your plugging the hole the tire will have to be unmounted regardless, the fix a flat is just like grey soup, pour it out and rinse the tire out, patch it, re mount, good to go!
 
496truck said:
Well, you either leave it in there till you replace the tire/tires. Or you can have the tire dismounted and go in there with a small cup and bail the liquid out then wipe out the excess. Then have the tire remounted or repaired first if possible.

Ever since the Ford Explorer/Firestone tire fiasco (circa 94) there have been strict tire rules, regarding age, put in place. This same BS also caused the DOT to require all new cars in the US to have Tire Pressure Monitors on cars 08 and newer. They gave tires a shelf life of 4 or 5 years across the board. Once a tire reaches that age most tire dealers won't touch it unless to replace it. On one hand it's a safety issue. On the other I think it's a ploy to sell more product...
Click to expand...


i hate all this crap being mandated. tire pressure sensors, stability control, traction control. hey, they're all fine as options or even as standard features on high-end vehicles maybe but i want the option to not have it or at least a switch to turn it off. stupid government BS. 1995...newest vehicle i ever want to own because i don't even like obd2.
 
The1980BEAST said:
If your plugging the hole the tire will have to be unmounted regardless, the fix a flat is just like grey soup, pour it out and rinse the tire out, patch it, re mount, good to go!
Click to expand...


You don`t need to dismount the tire to put a plug in. Like others have said, if you want the FF out, dismount, clean out the goo, rinse and repair. I have never patched a tire that had FF in it, plugging shouldn`t be an issue.
 
Stopped using that stuff a long time ago. Just never worked for me. I plug the hole with the tire still mounted. Takes 10 minutes and I've never had a problem.
 
I've heard it eats away at the tire(:dunno:) and can do the same to the rim(:dunno::dunno:). I was surprised when the shop said they wouldn't even plug it so I went with a best guess quick fix. Now I think plugging it myself would have been best but I don't want to leave that stuff in the tire so it will have to be unmounted. Something I can't do so it's off to a shop.

So rinse the interior with water should be fine?
 
Lots of options...

129135176722032249.jpg


:haha:

-- A
 
BKinzey said:
I've heard it eats away at the tire(:dunno:) and can do the same to the rim(:dunno::dunno:). I was surprised when the shop said they wouldn't even plug it so I went with a best guess quick fix. Now I think plugging it myself would have been best but I don't want to leave that stuff in the tire so it will have to be unmounted. Something I can't do so it's off to a shop.

So rinse the interior with water should be fine?
Click to expand...

Who told you this? I think they are feeding you a line.

Other than being a mess when you dismount the tire, it should be a problem. I would just leave it in there until you change tires. Plug it from the outside and be done with it.
 
Fix a flat eating the rim... come on. That doesn't even sound believable to me.

And I cant see it eating the tire either. It works by filling in the hole itself... not dissolving the tire to fill it self in. Its almost like rubber cement.

And it wont make your wheels unbalancable either as it spreads across the entire inside of the tire when you drive it. You are not supposed to put the sealant in the tire and let it sit... you are supposed to put it in and drive the vehicle.

The biggest problem I see is when you dismount that tire... what a mess. I wouldnt want to be the one doing it.
 
I`ve had it be an issue when trying to balance a tire before. Never heard of it eating away at anything though.
 
Slime will rot the rims out after awhile--not sure about Fix-A Flat..neither one hurts a tire though,otherwise it would be banned..

The best type of tire plug has a patch on one end and goes on from the inside of the tire..many shops here wont use plugs that insert from the outside,in fact they are illegal,your supposed to dismount the tire to ensure whatever flattened it didn;'t chew up the cords on the inside..(but I still plug them from the outside,storesstill sel the plugs & tools!)..
 
WHat kind if Fix A flat are you guys running? "grey soup"?
I have never used slime, because it has never sealed a leaking tire for anyone I know.

But the fix a flat stuff I used to use worked great! Bought it at the 99 cent store near where I worked. It was a VERY sticky foaming liquid. Sealed EVERYTING, EVERY TIME I USED IT. the label said the fumes were flamable. That's what I assumed the tire shop issue was...
Someone smoking a cigarette, and BOOM... it came with little warning labels to stick to your valve stem.
I always just let all the air out of the tire a day or two later, and then refilled it.
I Never imediatley dismounted any of the tires I had used it on, but saw a couple after about a week, and the stuff had "dried". It was still tacky and rubbery, but no longer a liquid. I don't see why it would ever need to come out. ???
 
First off.....NEVER use that crap....

It is true that most times when its used and gets leftit in there for extended periods of time the patch won't actually work. 99% of the time people put way way too much in the tire, making it almost full:rolleyes: After we manage to scoop all of it out it has and will "eat" away at the tire.

Not literally eat away, but it will soak into the rubber changing the compound somewhat. It makes the rubber "wet" and the patches wont stick.

Personally I don't pay any attention to the DOT date on the tire, unless its dry-rotted. Then if it's bad enough/old enough it gets recomended.

i hate all this crap being mandated. tire pressure sensors, stability control, traction control. hey, they're all fine as options or even as standard features on high-end vehicles maybe but i want the option to not have it or at least a switch to turn it off. stupid government BS. 1995...newest vehicle i ever want to own because i don't even like obd2.
Click to expand...

Really?:rolleyes: I'm all about the old school stuff, but TPMS sensors and OBD2 kicks ass....
 
i work in a tire shop, personally i hate fix-a-flat. it smells, gets you all sticky and is a pain to clean up.

If a customer comes in with it in their tires i usually hose out the tire and rim and wipe it all down with a rag. just make sure you dont leave it in there to long, the longer fix a flat is in a tire the more of a pain it is to clean out. more than once ive had to use a wire wheel to clean out old ass fix-a-flat

As for the age of the tire i usually dont care. as long as its not dry rotted to the point where it leaks then it goes on, hell my own tires have been pluggeg and are dry rotted.
 
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