Is this tire puncture too close to the sidewall to repair?
Tire shops often say punctures near the sidewall cannot be repaired, leaving owners unsure if they should just plug it themselves to keep going. People also struggle to tell if driving with low air has severely chewed up the inside of the tire, or if minimal rubber shavings still leave a chance to save it.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1plugging the tire oneself despite the shop's refusalDid this help you?
- 2replacing the tire entirelyDid this help you?
- 3moving the repaired tire to a non-steer positionDid this help you?
- 4Posting photos online to get a second opinion from other mechanicsDid this help you?
- 5Putting on a spare tire immediately instead of driving on the low tireDid this help you?
- 6Plugging the puncture at home and hoping the sidewall holds upDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Understood I was just asking if there’s a chance to save it. I remember seeing minimal shavings in tires and my old service manager would tell us just to patch it.”source ↗
“It’s on me she FaceTimed me and showed me the tire I initially thought it looked like it has enough air and should be fine to make her short drive last week and let the car sit. I shoulda reminded to fill the tire up knowing there’s a possibility the inside would get messed up”source ↗
“My question is this tire chewed up on the inside bad? I used to work on cars in college and would do flat repairs on the time. The amount of rubber and the ring I see on the inside of this tire doesn’t seem that bad.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 19How to assess car damage and talk to a mechanic remotely
- 5Does this concrete crack need immediate repair?
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- 6Are my brake rotors ruined if they glow blue after bedding?
- 13How to tell if a broken car part needs immediate repair