got a nail in my tire the other day..... come to realize no one will fix it. NO ONE. because of the tire pressure system on the rx8... no other tire shops will patch the d*mn thing... so im stuck taking it to the mazda dealership..... and guess what MAZDA SAYS....... THAT THEY WILL NOT PATCH / PLUG IT..... I have to buy a brand new G*D D@MN F*CKING TIRE!!!..... instead of a 10-15 dollar fix. i now have to buy a whole new tire.......... has this happened to anyone else. is mazda trying to screw anyone else dry and in the rear? this could be a big issue with rx owners if everyone is forced to buy a new tire every time a nail gets in one......

 

why did they say they wouldn't fix it? Is the hole really big, or is there some damage to the tire? You could always check a different Mazda dealership...

 

If the nail is not in the side wall, then there should be no reason they can't patch plug it. It needs the patch plug all in one. Here is an example for one that is rated for Z-rated tires.

 

Pimpin, you need to find a better tire shop. I have not had a single place give me crap because of the sensors. If they are, they are full of BS because the 8 is NOT the only car with them.

Even the cheapy econotires or Tire Kingdom over here had no problems with it.

 

OK, you shold have a Big 10 Tires in your area, I had a screw in my tire and they fixed it. No prob, I'd try there. If not, try Sears.

 

Hey, you can run without the tire pressure sensors and get any crappy tire shop to patch your tire and give you the spare sensors...if that's what you want. What are you complaining about anyways? Of having a safety device on your car that may have very well saved your ***?

 

Why don't you patch it yourself, its easier than changing you oil and it would solve your problem of NOBODY WILL DO IT FOR ME.........

 

To do it correctly, you need to remove the tire and patch it from the inside and rebalance the tire.

The "ol side of the road" patch will cost far more down the road plus the tire will be dangerous in that condition.

 

Well so far I have not had any tire problems but my mazda dealer is pretty stupid they do try to pull some fast ones on people I got a mazda speed body kit which they put on a few weeks later took it to get some sway bars put on under the car then when I took it to them for the first oil change they tried to tell me they couldn't do it because of the bodykit they said the car would not fit on the lift. Me and my husband just laughed and said you put the car on the lift to do the bars and they acted dumb and changed the oil so I think every place is different but I can't help but feel like my dealer tries ripping us off but we've also learned that sometimes you just gotta do it yourself sometimes it saves a lot of trouble!!

 

Samsonite is absolutely right that to patch a tire correctly you must dismount it and patch from the inside after plugging. You can use a plug/patch all in one which is better than just a plug. The pop in cord plug from the outside is a really sleezy answer that sometimes just doens't work and can fail while driving. Of course, I've been running a cheap plug patch for the last ten thousand miles and at high highway speeds without any trouble, but the risk is there. The trick is to find somebody who just doesn't care like your local fly by night garage or repair it yourself so you assume your own liability. You can get the patch kits at any autoparts store like pepboys. This all assumes that the nail is in the tread and that there isn't too much damage. Best of luck.

 

I could understand needing a new tire if you used the fix-a-flat kit that came with the 8. That tire repair goo makes it hard or impossible to fix, as far as I know. I bought a spare since I just don't trust that goo. But, yeah, a lot of cars have a TPMS, and almost any tire shop should be able to handle these tires.

 

There are no signs of a nail or puncture, but my tire pressure light keeps coming on for some reason...I'm afraid to call Mazda and ask.

 

The weather could have cause that

 

I had a nail in mine and took it to the dealer. They fixed it and charged me reasonably but said it voided my speed warranty on that tire. They said I might consider replacing the tire. Ya right!
I have had probably fifty tires repaired on the 40 or fifty cars I have owned with never a problem. So I doubt I'll be running out to replace this tire anytime soon. By the way I have been driving on it for two weeks. I don't know how they patched it and don't care as long as it does not leak. I have had tires repaired both from the outside and the inside. They almost never leak from a nail puncture.

 

agreed.

I have the light on when it's a cold morning. adjust the tire pressure when cold.

 

Actually isn't there a statement in the owner's manual saying that if you use the foam that comes with the tire inflation kit, your tire needs to be replaced and cannot be patched? If the original poster used the inflation kit, then I can understand the problem. If he didn't, that's another matter....

-arattle

 

Firestone plugged mine for $23 and the pressure gage works fine. Dave

 

I had mine patched by the dealership just above the "E" in "POTENZA." It is patched just inside the tread part, where a nail punctured it. I've had it patched for 2 mos. now and no problem at all.

 

Pimpin - did anyone actually take your tire off of the rim? If you lost all the air and drove for any distance, even just a 100 yards, the tire might be ruined. If a reputable tire shop takes the tire off the rim and finds a significant amount of ground-up rubber inside the tire, they usually won't repair it. The ground-up rubber comes from the friction of the inside of the tire rubbing against itself or against the rim or against the nail that made the puncture. This kind of damage can happen real quick even at low speeds.

Take the tire somewhere reputable.

 

I have to say I am lucky, I got the 100,000 mile warranty and which covers free plugs or they will buy me a new tire

 

Did someone say they needed plugs?



I know Charlie...wrong kind

 

where was the nail? there is a very narrow space in between the treads where they can actually patch it due to the low profile tires. i punctured mine in the edge of the tread, but it still was not patchable. i took it to three different places, all said the same thing. the first time you take a corner at any speed itll kill the patch. kinda sucks, but thats what comes w/owning a car like the 8

 

I had anail in mine. The dealer patched it from the inside. I told them that I did not wnat a plug patch. They fixed it for a reasonable amount. The service manager also said that he appreciated the business but that any tire shop that is familiar wtih TPMS could do it.

 

dealer offered to fix my tire for 20 bucks. i didn't even know i had a nail in the tire. i went to get an oil change and when they were doing the full circle inspection they saw the nail in the tire. maybe my damage wasn't as bad yours.

 

Ditto

dag