tire pressure low - fix and warranty

[aslusers]

Hi all -

We are still enjoying our few month old Smart. Just thought I'd share our recent tire pressure problem for the benefit of anyone else who has a similar issue or those who are curious.

The low tire pressure light came on a few weeks ago. I checked the pressures at a nearby gas station and found the right back tire to be low. Filled it with the station air pump and brought the car home. Let it sit overnight to see if the pressure held. It did.

Over the next few weeks, we checked the air pressures on all the tires and found that tire to be low several times. It seemed to hold for 5-7 days.

We did not need to go through the tire pressure monitor reset process. After we filled the tire, the warning light went off itself.

In this process, I learned that the electric air pump tucked under the passenger foot well is a very easy little device to use. The instructions in the owner's manual and on the air pump itself seem to imply you MUST use the bottle of tire sealant. Of course, you do not! Just turn on the car, plug it in, and fill up your tire.

My dealership head mechanic confirmed that we certainly can use the air pump like this, but it is not very substantial and will wear out with repeated use ($215 to replace). So, best to get the leak fixed.

So - I ended up today at our friendly Discount Tire store. Our was the first Smart they had had, but it was (to the surprise of the salesman) in their system. The tires were in stock (in a neighboring state) and could be there in one day if needed.

As it turned out, I did not need a new tire. There was a "rim leak." Some debris/rocks had gotten underneath the rim and caused slow or intermittent leaking. They cleaned it out and "sealed" the rim.

As an aside, the tire warranty that comes with the car is quite limited (no surprise). They offered me their proprietary warranty for $50 (for all 4 tires) which covers full replacement for any reason until the tires are bald. We have used this company for other cars and found this service to be worth the money. By the way, he quoted me $99 for a replacement tire.

So - all in all - the experience was interesting!

I was very happy to see the Smart already in their computer system and the tires readily available. I was also happy to see the onboard Smart tire pressure device worked well - letting me know when the tire was about 10 psi lower than it was supposed to be.

I am still nervous running without a spare... an in-cabin spare might be in our future... or maybe an "in-garage" set of spares?

Holly

[Orphan-Beggar]

Great info, Holly-thanx

[blackbeagle]

I was in the 'tire' business for a while so it's surprising to hear that the tires, or in this case, the rims 'leaked' because of debris. I find that rather odd.

From what I know, the wheel is alloy. Alloy wheels tends to corrode/oxidize. But that doesn't take place right away. It takes place over time and gets worse during winter time. This will tend to cause the tire to lose pressure.

There's no reason why it should be taking place now. The wheel and tires are sealed tight so no 'rock/debris' should have effected the air pressure.

The $50 insurance might be well spent though. Just make sure you save the blown tire as they may require to 'inspect' it just to make sure you didn't run the thing flat til it blew out. Then it would be your fault and they won't honor the warranty.

[jwight]

FWIW, the prices quoted on their website for Dayton, OH are Front Tire
$86.00 each, Rear Tire $104.00 each.

[hsterk]

Hi Holly,

Thanks for posting that interesting info about your tire leak and the fact that you can use the air pump without the sealant. I too wish for a spare tire kit to have around just in-case...

[aslusers]

Originally Posted by blackbeagle

I was in the 'tire' business for a while so it's surprising to hear that the tires, or in this case, the rims 'leaked' because of debris. I find that rather odd.

From what I know, the wheel is alloy. Alloy wheels tends to corrode/oxidize. But that doesn't take place right away. It takes place over time and gets worse during winter time. This will tend to cause the tire to lose pressure.

There's no reason why it should be taking place now. The wheel and tires are sealed tight so no 'rock/debris' should have effected the air pressure.

The $50 insurance might be well spent though. Just make sure you save the blown tire as they may require to 'inspect' it just to make sure you didn't run the thing flat til it blew out. Then it would be your fault and they won't honor the warranty.

Interesting observation ...

Could it be there was some from the factory small rim leak? Could it be they just said "rim leak" because they couldnt find any real reason?

I will post again if the leak shows up again.

Thanks for the advice about keeping a blown tire as evidence! I wonder if photos would suffice? On an out of town replacement, it might be difficult to fit the blown tire in the car to bring it home!

Holly

[saskdiesel]

I get rocks and sticks between the rims and tires on my FJ40 when crawling around off-road with 9psi in the tires.
But never on a street tire!

[redbluff]

Tire rack has the front tire for $56 and the rear tire for $79. Also the tire pump underneath the footwell will last longer. And if it doesn't go to Harbor Freight Tool and get a good one for $30. It is small and in its own little bag and fits under the seat I'd in the tailgate compartment. Then go to Nealey's website and get their $11 tire patch kit that is a permanent patch you do from the outside of the tire. I have used this kit many times and it truly works and is permanent.

[rgaus]

Might want to also consider Ultraseal, the pre-installed flat preventative. From another discussion...

Tire Pressure Sensors

Ron Gaus

[aslusers]

Well, it's been about a month since we had our tire serviced for a slow leak. The slow leak continued (needing air every 3-5 days).

We brought it back to Discount Tire. This time, they found a NAIL in the tire! The head of the nail was broken off, so it apparently was tough to see.

So the slow leak was from a stubborn hidden nail all this time. Problem solved with a tire repair.

In the meantime, we've become quite familiar with the diminutive air pump. I can top off the tire pressure in under 3 minutes!

As a side note, I spotted a very similar sized air pump with can of sealant at a local Target store for 19.99. It's nice to know we dont need to spend $100 to replace this pump in the future.

Holly