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OT - brand new tire leaks

M

mkirsch

Well-known Member
Bought two brand new rear tires for my truck on Monday.

Tuesday at lunch, someone flags me down on the road and says my left rear is almost flat.

I pump it back up and by the time I get where I need to go, it's already lost 5PSI.

Took it back to the tire shop, where two guys sprayed gallons of soapy water on it, took it apart, looked inside and out for punctures. Found NOTHING.

The rim is steel, smooth, and clean. The old tire was holding air just fine.

They put it back on with a new valve stem and bead sealant.

I go out this morning, and it's going flat AGAIN!

The tire shop won't replace the tire because there's no visible defect. They claim there is nothing else they can do, as there is no leak that they can find.

So, either I live with pumping the tire up twice a day for the next 30,000 miles, or I buy another new tire.

If I can't get them to fix this, is there something I can put in the tire to seal it? Slime maybe?
 
(quoted from post at 11:24:43 04/10/13) Bought two brand new rear tires for my truck on Monday.

Tuesday at lunch, someone flags me down on the road and says my left rear is almost flat.

I pump it back up and by the time I get where I need to go, it's already lost 5PSI.

Took it back to the tire shop, where two guys sprayed gallons of soapy water on it, took it apart, looked inside and out for punctures. Found NOTHING.

The rim is steel, smooth, and clean. The old tire was holding air just fine.

They put it back on with a new valve stem and bead sealant.

I go out this morning, and it's going flat AGAIN!

The tire shop won't replace the tire because there's no visible defect. They claim there is nothing else they can do, as there is no leak that they can find.

So, either I live with pumping the tire up twice a day for the next 30,000 miles, or I buy another new tire.

If I can't get them to fix this, is there something I can put in the tire to seal it? Slime maybe?
Click to expand...

If the shop definitely won't replace it and you are not going to buy a new tire, then Yes some sort of sealer is the last resort. Slime has worked well for me, but I've never had to put it in my truck tire; ATV's, tractors and such.

A lot of places won't service a tire or rim that is full of slime or similiar product. I've seen that first hand...FIL filled my wife's tire with Fix a Flat and I took it to shop to finally get replaced. When they dismounted it, showed me the wheel said they were going to do anything till the left over was cleaned out. Took wheel home, cleaned it and they fitted the new tire.
 
With the tire at high pressure, put the tire and wheel under water, laying down flat and watch for small bubbles.
 
It does have a leak all right. Take it somewhere that can dunk the whole tire in water. Discount tire will fix the flat tire for free. I would take it there, and explain to them the other shop said there in not a leak. Did you check the valve stem? Stan
 
I bought 4 new Goodyear Wranglers at the Chevy dealership last Fall. Two of the 4 BRAND NEW tire stems ended out being defective. They replaced them. No problems since.
 
Mix up a bottle of water and dish soap and spray it
all over the tire and wheel. Use a brush to spread
it around so that no spots get missed. Make sure
everything gets wet. Lay it down and spray the bead
area and then after awhile flip it over and do the
other side. Also check the wheel itself. Could be a
crack anywhere the air pressure is on the inside. It
only takes a very small leak to go down 5 lbs in an
hour. While you are brushing you will likely hear
the leak and see the bubbles. HTH
 
Been mounting tires most of my life, never heard of a tire going flat that has no leak, I suspect your tire guys aren't looking hard enough to find the leak. If the old tire wasn't going flat then the only other cause has to be either the tire or valve stem. get some soapy water and pour it all over the tire and valve stem, there has to be a leak somewhere, a brand new tire that won't hold air has to be defective and they should replace it.
 
they can spray all they want... but the tire has to be submerged in a tank then the leak will be found... idiots.
 
get ahold of the shop owner or if it is a chain store get the manager and if you don't get any sadisfaction from him get ahold of the tire manufacture. If no help there go to the BBB.

Bob
 
(quoted from post at 11:24:43 04/10/13) Bought two brand new rear tires for my truck on Monday.

Tuesday at lunch, someone flags me down on the road and says my left rear is almost flat.

I pump it back up and by the time I get where I need to go, it's already lost 5PSI.

Took it back to the tire shop, where two guys sprayed gallons of soapy water on it, took it apart, looked inside and out for punctures. Found NOTHING.

The rim is steel, smooth, and clean. The old tire was holding air just fine.

They put it back on with a new valve stem and bead sealant.

I go out this morning, and it's going flat AGAIN!

The tire shop won't replace the tire because there's no visible defect. They claim there is nothing else they can do, as there is no leak that they can find.

So, either I live with pumping the tire up twice a day for the next 30,000 miles, or I buy another new tire.

If I can't get them to fix this, is there something I can put in the tire to seal it? Slime maybe?
Click to expand...

What kind of a trie dealer is it that won't guarantee satisfaction for at least 2 days?? No visible defect? Baloney!! That tire is defective and they know it. I'd give them one more chance to make it right by replacing BOTH tires, or you will start spreading the news.
 
If you were my customer I would have done the same,
check it over real good, installed a another valve
stem and so on. When it went flat again you would
have gotton another new tire, no questions asked!
That's POOR customer service to tell you "that's
just the way it is!" The tire shop can easily mount
up another new tire and warranty that one out.
Sounds like incompetence to me.

Casey in SD
 
Water and soap don' it make it on that kind of leak.
I use leak finder. It's Pink and looks like dish soap but works a lot better. Just spray until damp, If you have a leak it will make a bubble there. I have found leaks that take 2 weeks to go down.
Most good tire shops use it.
 
i've seen lawnmower and atv tires leak right thru the rubber.

got a new set for my mower.. they went flat.. 1st day. new. i did the same.. repalced stem.. rims were painted.. and use dbead sealer.. went falt again.

mixed up real soapy water and put on there.. in 30 seconds a FOAM came up on the surface of the sidewall.

putting the tire into my horse trough it made micro bubbles form on the surface of the rubber.. and eventual MICRO bubble trails.

for my offroad tires.. i went and got a can of SLIME fix a flat.

note.. this is not the regualr green slime.. this is actually the slime based tire puncture sealant and inflator can.

I put it in with valve setup so all the slime went in.. then went and mowed the yard.. later on i deaired the rire and put in air as I don't like the explosive fgasses inthe tire. the ? rubbery sealer in the fixaflat sealed the inside of my tire. i now only have to air that tire 1 per year... it gets a lil lower than the other 'good' tire.. so I live with it at 1x per year.

soap up yours again.. or dunk.. if it's loosing 5psi air in minutes.. there is a leak.

if it is a steel rim.. don't discount pin holes that may have been sealed by paint.

I like balkamp bead sealer...
 
If they can't fix the tire they must replace it. If they will not do it, wait until there are 4-5 customers in there, and the manager, and then call the tire manufacturer on your cel phone. Tell him in a real loud voice where you are what the man's name is, and how you are getting a runaround. I think they will get it right for you.
Don't YOU lift a finget to fix this . It is THEIR business. I haven't heard of that poor customer service my entire life.
 
"If the old tire wasn't going flat then the only other cause has to be either the tire or valve stem."
One more possibility, the tire shop damaged the rim.
If they won't fix it, I would ask them to pay a "real" shop to fix it.
Most of the time they don't want the bad publicity.
Only tire dealer I've ever had refuse to fix one was a Michelin dealer.
I left the defective tire hanging on the outside wall of the Firestone dealer
across the street as a customer endorsed "advertisement" for how good
Michelin's warranty is. Tire was 8 weeks old with about a 1000 miles on it.
Firestone was happy to have it. They had quite a display.
 
The shop I deal with would replace that tire, apologize profusely, and fix my next couple of flats for free, and they would have figured out it was defective the first time. I would threaten to post complaints on every social media you can think of if they don't replace it immediately, and of course, do it loudly when there are lots of customers around. If you feel intimidated take a big strong buddy with you or mention your brother in law the lawyer. If all else fails go to the manufacturer of the tire and tell them about the lousy service. That may create trouble for the shop to.
 
Welcome to the wonderfull world of Chinese tires. The sidewalls are porus. I have gotten 2 lawn tractor and 2 lowboy tires in the last year that leaked through the sidewalls. From now on I look at the tires before I commit to buy and if it says China, I walk away.
 
Did they remove the bar code sticker from the bead area. My tire people have told me that sometimes this slick sticker will not seal.
 
Mix a couple drops of dishwashing liquid with some water and pour it over the tire.It will make bubbles where it's leaking.
 
I've missed them with the soapy water and found them with the dunk. Dunkin doesn't lie and I'm not talking about Dunkin Doughnuts. Grin.

Mark
 
I have a set of Shield bias ply on my utility trailer from China. Been on there for about 10 years, only use it maybe every 6 mos and holds 40# of air the whole time. I have a set of their radials on my boat trailer and they hold their pressure over long periods of sitting too. But I have Good Year Double Eagle LS2s on my P/U and they're made in the USA. They hold air too.

Do the dunkin test and find your smoking gun.

Mark
 
Just because beavis and butthead didn't find the leak doesn't mean there isn't one... Air it up and then get a pop bottle with and inch of dish soap in the bottom and fill with water... Start on the beads and valve stem. Also check the points on the wheel where it's welded or otherwise attached to the center. It could be cracked. Failing that start coating the tire with soapy water and see where it's blowing bubbles... Also MAKE SURE it is a tubeless tire. If it's not... it may not hold air.

Rod
 
well well well what goes around comes around welcome to the world of chinee tires. you get what you PAY for
 
In addition to the other good comments I would add to check on the valve cores in the stems. Don't assume they are tight. I have seen them not be. Might be something else to check. Mike
 
Go to Wally World and get some bubble soap. I went through the same thing with an elusive leak. I didn't dunk it, but I did use dish soap and there were no bubbles. On a second try I stole, er, borrowed the granddaughters bubble soap and this time a great big bubble showed up at a small leak. Jim
 
Make them put a tube in it, I hate tubeless tires! Dumbest
thing I ever seen is a tubeless tire!
 
if it's leaking that fast soapy water ought to find it, when I can't find a leak I submerge it in the cattle tank, my dad was a tube fanatic, I think they are a pita unless the rim is too rusty to seal, tubes will give you more problems
 
You do not need to do anything. No slime, no add air. no install tube. no check for leaks, no check valve. You paid for the tire and you have nothing. I would not leave the shop intil matter was resolved or my old tires put back on. The tire you paid for is worse than your old one.
 
Did the guys screw up and put last year"s winter air in it?

Did they put the tire under water to check for leaks or just sprinkle it with water?
 
Make them take the wheel off and put soapy water on it and leave it for ten min, the leak will show up, try at 15 PSI and at 50 PSI. If you paid with a credit card, dispute the charge with the card company and they will put a new tire on fast . DO NOT let them put in an inner tube,there are a lot of reasons why tires are tubeless, heat is the biggest. My last job was as a service manager in a busy tire store(13 yr)
 
Another way is to be there at opening hour every day for the next month until they fix it.
I would put my ugliest pair of big boy pants on for these shysters.
 
tell them to dismount the tire and take the sticker off of the bead. used to work in a tire shop and it was fairly common for the upc sticker to cause a leak. We started to take them all off to avoid any trouble down the road with them.
 
Had a similar problem with 3 of my truck tires. My mechanics dismounted all 4, cleaned the rims and used sealant and put in new valve stems. No problems since. The valve stems weren't sealing to the rims. May not be your problem, but there is a leak there!
 
The leak has stopped.

Since that second morning, the tire hasn't lost any air.

The tire has a rough bead or something, and the sealant did the trick. Those rims are like new on the inside. Or, I have gremlins.

They're BF Goodrich Long Trail T/A Tours: MADE IN USA!

I've got 3 more pairs of these tires, one pair slightly wore, one pair wore down almost to the bars, and one pair completely bald. Had really good luck with them, and they're fairly inexpensive.
 
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