05-25-2019, 06:48 PM
I read somewhere that some things will go away in the future, things like manual transmission, a few others I don't recall, and one of them that pisses me off is spare tires. Crank windows have been gone for a while now...
Anyway, I was running an errand in Chevy Volt (2014, 20k miles) and the low pressure warning comes on. I saw the PSi dropping in real time, 20, 15, 10... I was able to pull over into a car wash and I looked, the front wheel tire was flat. now the one I fixed about 4 weeks ago, the other one.
I call AAA, they did NOT renew my membership for some reason. Their computer said I moved out of the area. BS. I asked them to renew it on the spot, they said they can do that but it takes effect tomorrow. Well, I need help now. I hanged up.
My Volt manual said GM offers roadside assistance for 5 years. I don't know exactly when the car was made, but I guess it is outside of this 5 year mark. I used the little tire inflator kit that comes in the trunk, the white sealant went in and pressure increased to about 25 PSI but no more. I drove around a little bit as instructed, so the sealant spreds inside to seal, pressure dropped again to 12 PSI. I was able to make it back to the same spot, pumped more air into the tire, and saw a lot of white goop coming out. I was able to position the car with the hole on the ground, the idea being that some of that goop will drain to the bottom and seal the hole. I was able to get up to 36 PSI, all warning lights went off. I started driving on US 1 (major road, 55 MPH speed limit, people do 60-65) limping on the shoulder at 30-40 MPH and as I was looking at the dash board to see the PSI go down, I just passed a Mavis Discount tire. damn, no way to go back. A few miles more and I was able to reach Costco.
I decided to replace all 4 tires. They had tires in stock, were not too busy, got the job done in 90 min flat. As I was waiting for them to drive the car into the bay, I put more air into the tire and turned the wheel to get a better look at the tire, and the crack was perpendicular to the direction of rotation, and was about 2 inches wide, and was leaking bad in one side. This did not look to me like damage caused by a nail or similar, but like a crack in the tire, may have been a manufacturing defect, or simply an old tire. The car is 5 year old, I assume the tires were also 5 YO.
So now I got 4 new Michelin tires, Costco had $70 off + 60 off if you paid with their citi card, and total was about $630.
Anyway, I was running an errand in Chevy Volt (2014, 20k miles) and the low pressure warning comes on. I saw the PSi dropping in real time, 20, 15, 10... I was able to pull over into a car wash and I looked, the front wheel tire was flat. now the one I fixed about 4 weeks ago, the other one.
I call AAA, they did NOT renew my membership for some reason. Their computer said I moved out of the area. BS. I asked them to renew it on the spot, they said they can do that but it takes effect tomorrow. Well, I need help now. I hanged up.
My Volt manual said GM offers roadside assistance for 5 years. I don't know exactly when the car was made, but I guess it is outside of this 5 year mark. I used the little tire inflator kit that comes in the trunk, the white sealant went in and pressure increased to about 25 PSI but no more. I drove around a little bit as instructed, so the sealant spreds inside to seal, pressure dropped again to 12 PSI. I was able to make it back to the same spot, pumped more air into the tire, and saw a lot of white goop coming out. I was able to position the car with the hole on the ground, the idea being that some of that goop will drain to the bottom and seal the hole. I was able to get up to 36 PSI, all warning lights went off. I started driving on US 1 (major road, 55 MPH speed limit, people do 60-65) limping on the shoulder at 30-40 MPH and as I was looking at the dash board to see the PSI go down, I just passed a Mavis Discount tire. damn, no way to go back. A few miles more and I was able to reach Costco.
I decided to replace all 4 tires. They had tires in stock, were not too busy, got the job done in 90 min flat. As I was waiting for them to drive the car into the bay, I put more air into the tire and turned the wheel to get a better look at the tire, and the crack was perpendicular to the direction of rotation, and was about 2 inches wide, and was leaking bad in one side. This did not look to me like damage caused by a nail or similar, but like a crack in the tire, may have been a manufacturing defect, or simply an old tire. The car is 5 year old, I assume the tires were also 5 YO.
So now I got 4 new Michelin tires, Costco had $70 off + 60 off if you paid with their citi card, and total was about $630.