Damn...ruined my weekend. I was heading out to Shenandoah and on the way to meet up my friends, my tire pressure monitor sensor came up and I noticed my steering was inching to the left. I pulled over and noticed that my left front tire was low on air. So, I used my navigation to find the nearest gas station.

When I got to the gas station, I filled up the air and I thought I was saved. But, as soon as I filled it up, I hear a hissing noise and I realize that it's leaking severely. I start looking at the tire and then I notice this metal piece stuck right in my treads. Almost felt like crying....only 4k miles on it too...

Is this tire possibly repairable or will I be forced to get a new one? If it's not repairable, what are my options? Do most people buy it online and then get the tire installed or do they go through the dealership? I've got a feeling they are going to charge an arm and a leg at the dealership. Anychance there's a local place that sells it at a reasonable price?

If it looks repairable, do you guys have any suggestions on a good place to get it done?


Thanks ahead of time for any responses.

I have a 05' coupe 6MT.


lakbum

 

sorry to hear about ur flat tire... you should check out tirerack.com it has one of the lowest prices online .. but i would definately call IoC and see if they could give u a better price.

 

I think I'm going to be ordering it from Tirerack if IoC can't give me a better price. However, I was wondering, where do I get it installed? Should I get it installed at the dealership or is there a 3rd party place I can get it done. I recall reading that Merchant's at Tysons wasn't too good (scratched someone else's rims). Anyone have good experience with other places around the Northern VA area?

 

good luck.
sorry to hear that :/

 

I had a nail in one of my tire around 3K miles and it cost around $400 to have it replaced at the dealer. Ouch!

 

Yea the Pilots cost about $350. And unforuntatly if you buy one you have to buy two. NEVER put only one new tire on a car.
Since there is no damage to the sidewall it maybe able to be patched, but it looks pretty rough. I'm not sure if the Michillen warranty covers that kind of stuff or not. I had mine replaced with it not too long ago at IoC. I'd take it in and let them take a look at it.
Don't forget to mention that Michellen has a warranty. (I think it's like 18,000, pro-rated after 5,000/6months).

 

My car came with the Bridgestone Potenza's. A friend of mine was also telling me that putting one new tire on is a bad idea...but he said since I only had about 4000 miles so far, replacing it with one tire might not be too bad.

There was some damage to the sidewall since I drove to the gas station with it being almost nearly flat and the rims rubbed against it (I could smell burning rubber). Is the price $350 you got from IoC?

What do you mean by NEVER in replacing only one tire? What are the consequences?

 

Yea, the $350 price was from IoC (I had 50% covered by warrenty since I was at 9,000/18,000miles). I think wnt1bd was the latest to get a set from there.

The tires tread/grip change as it wares. By having only one new tire one will grip a little better than the other. This means that the car will have a tendency to drift (despite alignment), this can be more drastic during acceleration or braking. This at worst will make the car unstable (esspecially for aggressive driving), at best it will lead to uneven tread ware on all of your tires. Personally I think 4,000 is a little more to pair with a new tire; I probably wouldn't go over about 500 for fairly aggressive driving 800 for lighter driving. You can always use the other as a spare.

 

Thanks nmanti for the advice. I just ordered 2 from Tirerack for the front and will be replacing the two front. Now, where's a good place to get them installed without having my rims scratched. Also, do I have to worry about the tire pressure sensor?

 

sorry to hear that, but sh*t happens. Take it to a certified infiniti dearlership, most people dont have the proper equiptment. And if you dont want the rim scratched you should stand there and watch them work on it and make it a point to tell them to be careful. and threaten to burn the place down with your fire trick if anything happens to your rims. good luck

 

A certified Infiniti dealership? Aren't Infiniti dealerships all certified? I was thinking about taking it to Rosenthal since it's near my work, but since my car is at home right now, I can take it to IoC. I'm guessing with their reputation, I'd probably be in better hands.

Haha...I'll make sure to do that...

 

yeah they are all certified. ive heard a lot of bad things about rosenthal from other prople on the club though, just ask Puria. Id goto IoC or Passport, just my 2 cents.

 

Second on IoC. If they don't think they can do it without messing up your wheels, they want even try. (This from the parts/service manager). I still have oem, but I've heard they can get the tire pressue gauge to work with most wheels, it's just a very fragile part. Another plus for taking it to an Infiniti dealership.

 

I'd check Discount Tire Direct for prices. I always find cheaper prices with them. They have a really good replacement policy if you buy the warrantee. They send you a new one for whatever reason, you just ship your old tire back to them once the new one is put on. Not sure how Tirerack warrantee works, but I know most out there only prorate the cost. As long as your not drifting with your car, they'll send you'll get a new tire. I even got away with some really bad camber wear and they replaced it .I think they are a sponsor on my350z.com so if you contact that person, you might get a better price. Just a thought.


~Khoa

 

I've heard the same things about rosenthal. I've had exp w/ IoC and Passport. Both good places as far as people go. I've only had my car to IoC.