“They scammed you.”
A Colorado-based mechanic says he bought a brand-new trailer tire after Discount Tire told him his nearly new one couldn’t be patched.
In a TikTok, @swiftmechanical says he got a flat on one of his trailer tires and took it in to get fixed.
“I’ve always gone to Discount Tire or Les Schwab,” he says, where he says he’s had tires patched for free in the past.
This time, though, he says one Discount Tire location told him the tire couldn’t be repaired.
“Tell me if they pulled a fast one on me,” he asks viewers.
He says he didn’t make a fuss with the employee and went ahead and bought a new tire, even though the old one still had “plenty of tread” and was practically new aside from the puncture.
“They said this was not patchable,” he says. “I just wanted to make sure I didn’t get duped.”
He then showed viewers the hole in the tire that he says Discount Tire told him was too “large” to repair and asked them to weigh in. As of this writing, @swiftmechanical’s video had more than 1,500 views.
Discount Tire says it offers free flat repairs when a puncture meets industry safety guidelines. But it can refuse a repair for several reasons, including where the damage is located and how large the hole is.
According to Discount Tire, punctures larger than 1/4 inch, or 6 millimeters, are considered too large to repair. The company also won’t repair damage that stretches into the shoulder or sidewall or punctures that overlap an old repair.
The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) recommends limiting repairs to punctures no larger than 1/4 inch and only when the damage is confined to the tread area. If the injury reaches the shoulder or belt edge, USTMA says the tire should be taken out of service rather than repaired.
The USTMA recommends seeking a professional technician if the tire puncture is no larger than 1/4 inch and the damage is confined to the tread area. If the injury reaches the shoulder or belt edge, USTMA says the tire should be taken out of service.
A proper repair also involves more than simply plugging the hole. USTMA says the tire should be removed from the rim/wheel so that it can receive a complete inspection. The puncture is then filled with a rubber stem or plug, and the inner liner is sealed with a patch.
Les Schwab, one of the other shops @swiftmechanical mentions, follows similar limits. It says it generally won’t repair punctures larger than one-quarter inch on most vehicles or damage close to the sidewall.
So, whether @swiftmechanical got “duped” really comes down to the puncture itself. His tire may have looked nearly new, but if the hole was larger than Discount Tire’s limit—or outside the repairable part of the tread—replacing it would line up with both the company’s policy and industry guidance.
The comments were split on whether Discount Tire made the right call.
“No one can tell by a picture. All these keyboard warriors are just trying to stir the pot. If the hole is more than 1/4” in diameter, it’s too big to safely repair,” one person wrote.
Another commenter thought the tire looked like it may already have been beyond a simple patch.
“[If it’s] bigger than a quarter of an inch typically a no-go, and that looks like it’s starting to split open,” they wrote.
Others were much more skeptical of the shop’s decision.
“I work at a tire shop. You got robbed, you could throw a patch on that or plug it, and it would be just fine,” one viewer wrote.
“As a tire tech, I would’ve patched that lol,” another added.
One commenter had a different theory entirely.
“I think they saw a Schwab trailer tire and didn’t want to repair it for ya and instead did you dirty…” they wrote.
Another said, “I would have at least tried.”
Not everyone was sympathetic to @swiftmechanical’s frustration, though.
“‘It’s all good’ and ‘I’ve been using them all the time for flat repair’ and ‘ I always get free flats repair’ UNTIL they tell you one time it’s not ok, then you feel like they got one over on you?” one viewer wrote.
Motor1 contacted @swiftmechanical via TikTok direct message. We’ll be sure to update this if he responds.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motor1.com?
– The Motor1.com Team