Need a place in Toronto to plug a tire
 

I went to AG&R today, and they said corporate wouldn't let them plug a tire. They couldn't patch it because the nail was too close to the sidewall and they were afraid that patch wouldn't seal.

I just need a plug or plug and patch to last me for a week before I can replace the entire tire for a brand new one.

Does anyone know of a smaller shop that will plug or plug and patch a tire that has a nail in the tread but close to the sidewall?

You can actually do it yourself, it's pretty easy.

Go to Canadian tire or Princess Auto to get a tire repair kit and off you go.

I am only recommending this as a quick bandage fix.

I need to drive 800 miles / 1300 km if possible.

If the tire only has a nail through it and is still structurally sound, just slightly leaking air, I wouldn't even bother. I would just keep adding air to the tire as required or even using one of those stop leak in a can products, especially as it is only going to be for one week.

If the tire wont hold air, like you can hear hissing when you fill it up, I think its toast. The hole is at the edge of the tread and sidewall and that area gets a lot of movement in a radial and no patch or plug is going to live very long.

If it was me, I would start hunting for a used tire from a used tire store. They are pretty cheap and as long as you don't start punishing the car around corners or in a straight line (braking or accelerating), you should be fine for an 800 mile trip.

I drove my Edge for about a month going back and forth to Montreal twice with a slightly leaking tire. No issues other than having to top up the air every few days.

Eric

It was losing 5 psi an hour.

I ended up patching it, but I hope I didn't make it worse.

What I usually do if I need a tire patched is I take the wheel off and give it to Canadian Tire, it's around $30 and they can't really mess up your car if you don't take it into them. I don't trust those guys to even take a tire off my car

Best of luck with your patch job though, it ought to be better than nothing at the very least

I made it through, and replaced the flat with a new tire. Thanks for all the help.

I plugged my tire 20,000km ago with no issues after getting a nail in it. I don't think you'll have a problem.

I've never had a problem with the plug kits from Princess Auto - never have leaked, or failed. Calgary contractors seem to have some arrangement with tire shops to litter the roads with nails and screws - I must get at least 2-3 nail or screw punctures a year between the three cars.

Make sure to use some vulcanizing cement on the plug and itll work fine.
According to the ministry plugs are unsafe as its not the "proper" way of doing it. Most shops wont do it, some dont care.

Plugs are unsafe in radial ply tires - they must be patched. A lot of shops will not patch the sidewall of a tire - it experiences too much flex when going over bumps and becomes susceptible to a blowout. If you put a patch near the sidewall of a tire you must run it at a higher pressure so that it does not flex as much - been running a snow tire this way for two seasons at 40psi no issues.

Just wanted to clear up some of the misinformation in this thread.