:(
It's been a long day. It's 2:30 and I've only been at work for 20 minutes, and it's already been a long day.
I got my first flat today. In Ryan's car...which actually JUST had a flat LAST week. Different tire, same situation. I was driving along about a block from work and the road noise seemed unnaturally loud. I looked at the dash for some light to tell me what was wrong, nothing. So, I kept driving for a few feet and then it dawned on me, PULL OVER, it's the tire.
So, I pull over and my initial reaction is to call Ryan, even though he was working and wouldn't be able to help me. I panicked a bit more than I normally would because, well, here's the WORST part: When the front tire went flat last week, we used the spare. Now, the back tire was flat and I had no spare. I knew this couldn't be an easy fix. It wasn't. I had to call a tow truck (and wait out in the heat for him to show up). I was standing on the side of a busy street and had to wave off many nice fellows who offered to change my flat. They all gave me the same "you're crazy" look when they heard I didn't have a spare, but, what can ya do?
Next, the assessment. I get to the tire place and the first thing the guy says is "looks like you'll need two new tires and an alignment. Whoa whoa whoa!!! "Sir, let's just see if we can repair the one tire so the car is drivable, I'll deal with the other stuff later".
Turns out, once you've driven on a flat, they won't repair it...something about liability. I got my diagnosis. This tire AND the one from last week went flat because when we bought 4 new tires at Big O last year, they didn't replace the air valves. Apparently, those should be replaced EVERY time you get new tires. They rot and then the air seeps out...and THAT's what happened to us BOTH TIMES. SO, I ended up replacing both flats, throwing the spare (which is a normal tire) back in the trunk and getting new valves on all 4 tires so we don't get 2 more flats in the next week.
Moral of the story: Always make sure your tire people put new valves on. I've NEVER heard of valves going bad, but it's a real problem, and the guys who fixed mine said Big O hardly EVER replaces them. GOOD TO KNOW!
This whole experience caused me to be 2 hours late to work and now I get to stay here until 8 instead of 6. FANTASTIC.
3 comments:
Ewww - sorry to hear that, Mis. That's a pain. I've replaced many a tire in my day - I recommend Costco. Great service and warranties. Tires also always seem to go in pairs. I don't know why that is, but I had the same situation last year, where I dealt with two flats in a week. Not fun! Hang in there, friend! :)
Oh, man! That sucks. Sorry about that! Car trouble is the worst...
So sorry. There is nothing worse than car trouble. It always happens at the most inconvenient time. Glad you are okay though.
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