Tire Repair

Nobody likes to get a flat tire and flat tires never happen at a convenient time. When you do have the inevitable flat tire there is no need to panic over the situation. Murphy's Auto Glass & Tire Express is right around the corner in Orangeburg, South Carolina to help you with your tire repair or guide the purchase of a new tire to replace the damaged tire. Murphy's is your local source for new tires, flat tire repair, or plug or patch tire repair. Murphy's Tire Express carries the highest quality tires from leading tire manufacturers like Kumho, Michelin, Goodyear, BF Goodrich, and many others.

Some tire repairs can be handled by the vehicle owner, but more detailed fixes will require the assistance of the tire repair experts at Murphy's. Below are some guidelines to follow when trying to attempt a tire repair yourself:

Sometimes, such as when you have a blowout, the tire will go flat and it cannot be repaired. If the tire explodes, or has significant damage, no attempt should be made to repair the tire. If the sidewall of the tire is damaged or cracked, don't bother trying to repair it. The only option is to get a new tire to replace the damaged tire. Finally, tires with less than 1/16th inch of tread should be replaced rather than repaired. (You can measure your tread depth with a tread depth gauge.)

If the tire deflated because something like a nail punctured through the tread (the part of the tire that contacts the pavement), then you have a couple of options for fixing the flat tire. It is difficult to assess the damage to your tire when it's still mounted on the car so you'll need to remove the tire before you can begin any tire repair steps. Place a block or wedge under the tires to keep them from moving, set the emergency brake, and remove the tire from the vehicle. Be sure to loosen the lug nuts with a lug wrench before lifting the car with a jack. After the tire is off the ground, remove the lug nuts by hand, and pull the wheel and tire away from the car. If you have a decent spare, consider putting it on and moving the car to a safe location.

Sometimes it's very obvious why the tire deflated. You may see the head of a nail, screw, or some other metal object lodged in the tire tread. If so, circle it with anything that will mark the tire so that you can easily spot its location later. Don't remove the object until you're prepared to fix the hole.