Best Practices For Car Tire Repair And Maintenance: Act Fast And Save Big

Looking to save money on car tire repair and maintenance? You’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn some best practices for car tire care and cost control, or contact your local TIRECRAFT to speak directly with a car tire repair specialist.

Best Practices For Car Tire Maintenance: Invest A Little, Save A Lot

According to IMR Insight’s “Delayed Vehicle Maintenance Tracking Study,” nearly 10% of drivers regularly delay routine maintenance, mostly due to a lack of time (33%) or fear of high service costs (30.3%).

But as any auto expert will tell you, putting off tire maintenance doesn’t pay. Sure, you might save yourself a marginal labour fee or a few minutes of toil, but skipping tire maintenance will cost you much more over the long term in the form of:

• Shortened tire tread life
• Serious tire failure (e.g. tire blowout)
• Loss of warranty coverage
• Increased wear-and-tear on braking, suspension, and engine systems
• Drastic drop-offs in fuel economy
• Loss of winter tire insurance discounts

Fortunately, all of these costs can be controlled or prevented outright with a small investment in tire upkeep.

To maintain your tires’ performance and warranty coverage, max out their service life, and minimize the strain on your vehicle systems, the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada (TRAC) recommends that you:

• Actively manage tire pressure, committing to monthly air pressure checks and top-ups as needed to meet your manufacturer’s inflation recommendations, which can be found on your placard, in your owner’s manual, or included in your tire information. To make life easier, your local TIRECRAFT offers free air pressure checks and top-ups, and we sell gauges and compressors for home use, too.
• Inspect your tires regularly, as early detection will greatly increase the odds of an effective, economical car tire repair. Watch out for subtle signs of tire damage, such as dry rot or sidewall bulges, as well as any uneven wear, which could indicate a misalignment. Finally, make sure your tread depth is sufficient. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, or you’d prefer to leave the inspections up to the pros, get in touch with your local TIRECRAFT.
• Rotate your tires according to the manufacturer’s schedule, most of which typically recommend swapping tire positions in 6-month intervals. This simple, low-cost service can drastically improve tread life, and it is a requirement of many Limited Manufacturer’s warranties. If you’ve signed up for the Advantage Plus program, your tire rotations may be covered.

If you’re struggling to find time for these tire maintenance practices, you need to purchase a quality tread depth gauge or compressor, or you want to take advantage of our free inspections, pressure top-ups, and rotations, get in touch with your local TIRECRAFT.

Best Practices For Car Tire Repair: Act Fast And Save Big

Your tires are damaged—now what? Don’t despair: many types of tire damage can be fixed, and, in the event you need a replacement or more drastic retreading service, your local TIRECRAFT can simplify the entire process.

To minimize the car tire repair costs and get the best possible results, we recommend that you:

• Act fast—Schedule a free inspection as soon as you notice any tire damage or air pressure loss exceeding 1-3 PSI per month. The longer you drive on damaged tires, the more it will cost to repair them, if that option is available to you at all! Every inspection and estimate is free, so you’ve got nothing to lose and lots to gain.
• Skip the DIY patch kits—Most DIY car tire repair kits aren’t worth the effort or the expense. “Tire slime” sealants can make matters worse, leaving a big mess that makes it harder for professionals to do their job down the line. Moreover, according to the Tire Industry Association, “a plug by itself or a patch by itself is not an acceptable repair because the plug does not permanently seal the inner liner and the patch does not fill the void left by the penetrating object, which allows water to enter the body of the tire and start corroding the steel belts.” There’s a lot riding on your tires, so always go pro!
• Understand what can and cannot be fixed—Generally speaking, car tire repairs will only be an option if the puncture is less than 3/8ths of an inch in diameter, located on the crown area of the tread (i.e. 1 ½ inches in from the edge of the tread), and not overlapping with any existing car tire repairs. Puncture repairs up to 5/16th of an inch may be possible on the tire shoulder, but this must be determined on a case by case basis.
• Find warrantied car tire repairs—Your local TIRECRAFT offers a 1-year / 20,000km Mechanical Warranty on all car tire repairs, so you never have to worry about paying extra to correct repair errors.
• Take Advantage of free car tire repair promotions—Your local TIRECRAFT offers complimentary car tire repairs for eligible customers participating in the Advantage Plus Program, which you can learn more about on our website. If you signed up when you purchased your set of tires, your car tire repair could be completely covered, and we can help you determine your eligibility with one phone call.

  Additionally, some tire brands will reimburse you for car tire repairs if damage occurs within a certain amount of time from the purchase date, and our tire techs can help you take advantage of any active coverage.

Get A Free Quote On Car Tire Repair And Maintenance: Call TIRECRAFT

Since 1990, TIRECRAFT has been helping Canadians stress less and save money with easy access to affordable auto care services, and we can help you do the same.

To save you time, your local TIRECRAFT offers all of the aforementioned car tire repair and maintenance services under one roof, all backed by our 1-year mechanical warranty, and we can save you money with customer rewards, shop promotions, and service freebies included in the Advantage Plus program.

To speak directly with a qualified auto expert and get a free quote on any repair, maintenance, or part replacement service, contact your local TIRECRAFT today.

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