Tire Repair Calls for Qualified Serviceman
Question: I recently had a puncture in a fairly new steel-belted radial tire, leaving a small hole that extended completely through the tread. It was repaired with a sealing patch on the inside of the tire. Can you give me guidelines for repairing or replacing a punctured tire?--J.C.B.
Answer: Repairing a punctured tire involves removing the tire from the wheel and inspecting the inside of the tire for any obvious damage to the cord body. If it appears undamaged, then a plug patch is applied inside the tire--a patch with an attached plug that fits inside the puncture hole.
But you’ll be lucky to find somebody willing to fix a tire in this manner. Most service stations would rather insert a plug into the puncture from the tread side without removing the tire. This is the least desirable type of repair, because the mechanic isn’t inspecting the inside of the tire and isn’t making sure there’s no foreign object inside that may cause further damage.
Find a competent tire serviceman or mechanic to assess whether the puncture is severe enough to replace the tire. In many cases, a repaired tire can last tens of thousands of miles.
If the cords are damaged, however, use of the tire could lead to further trouble. The patch could leak air if the puncture is not straight through the tread. Worse yet, the cords could be so weakened that the tire could blow out on the freeway.
The puncture should not show signs of severed cords, and the size of the puncture should be very small. Any puncture on the sidewall of the tire generally qualifies the tire for a trip to the landfill.
Q: We just purchased a Nissan Maxima and it runs great. But the glass looks like it has hard-water spots. We’ve tried everything to clean it and now we wonder whether the marks are in the glass. If it is inside the glass, can we force the dealer to replace the glass?--R.C.Z.
A: The marks are probably not inside the glass. Some common glass cleaners to consider are ammonia, alcohol, vinegar or soap. A reader recently suggested using auto windshield-washer solvent for difficult spots, which makes sense. Use care with some of the harsher products, because they can damage paint. And do not use anything abrasive on the glass. If you can’t remove the spots, the dealer should either eliminate them or replace the glass. If the dealer balks, discuss it with the Nissan factory representative.
Q: I have a 1980 Toyota Corolla with 130,000 miles on it. I haven’t had any major problems with it. However, over the last three months, I have had to add three or four quarts of motor oil. Would a car this old burn up oil like crazy? It has never happened before.--H.L.
A: You have gotten a lot of service out of your Toyota, and by any standard a car with 130,000 miles on its engine is an old car. It would not be unusual for the engine to start showing some wear and tear in the form of high oil consumption.
But before you write off the car, it’s possible the engine has a few more years left. You should have your mechanic check the compression in the cylinders to determine whether the cylinder rings are still functioning properly. If those are worn, then the engine is going downhill fast.
If the oil is leaking through a gasket or the valves, however, a valve-seal job could eliminate the problem. A lot of gasket repairs are also low-cost.
Ralph Vartabedian cannot answer mail personally but will respond in this column to automotive questions of general interest. Do not telephone. Write to Your Wheels, You section, The Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.
