(no subject)
When changing a tire it is really difficult to not think about the fact that I'm basically rubbing my hands all over every road in Dade and half of Broward county.
So today I had to get the tire fixed. Someone had suggested going to Pep Boys and getting a do-it-yourself kit. I thought, it might be a tad more expensive to get the kit but a) I can get it on credit where I'd have to pay them cash to plug it and b) I have had so many punctures in my tires in the last 5 years I would save tons using a kit. I've had to change tires on my car literally dozens of times (and if you consider that I have to change the tire for the spare, then change the spare back for the tire you can double that) so it's about time that I actually learn to fix the tires when I take them off too. If I'm going to be able to afford to drive I need to learn how to do all the basics (oil and filter change, tire rotation, plugging holes in tires) on my own.
I went there and saw the kit. $12. Not bad. To get the job done would cost $11. But right below the kit I see this canned tire repair stuff. It's supposed to be a tool-free repair and it will inflate your tire. The idea is that you can keep it in your car for an impromptu repair if you need to. But it does say that it is a repair, not a temporary solution. So it looks a hell of a lot easier, quicker, and it is only $3.50. The can is self explanitory but the kit has the potential for me to fuck up as well. So I take the can and I feel pretty good about myself for taking this repair on myself and making a good decision. When I get home I pulled the screw out of my tire and it started blowing out the most noxious air I have ever smelled. I put it back on the car and do the thing with the can. When it starts I can hear it blowing out of the hole, but I figure that's the purpose: all the repair stuff starts blowing through the opening, it will harden, problem solved. But I notice the tire really isn't inflating and it sounds like air is still coming out. The last step is to drive 2 miles to distribute the stuff in the tire and raise air pressure to force it through the hole. So I do that. When I back I'm not hearing the hissing but the tire is really flat so I get out the tire inflator and fill the tire. After that I get in the car and back it up so I can see the repair. I backed up a few inches then hear this watery hissing sound. I get out and walk around to the front of the car to see white shit all over my driveway and my tire flat again. So much for doing things the easy way. If I spend my money, even if it's not a lot, I expect what I buy to work at least a little. Fuck, at least long enough to fool me into thinking it worked. So I had to put the spare back on and it's off to the car store again to buy the kit.
And my job took away 7 hours from me next week. I lost the money before I even had it. Great.
So today I had to get the tire fixed. Someone had suggested going to Pep Boys and getting a do-it-yourself kit. I thought, it might be a tad more expensive to get the kit but a) I can get it on credit where I'd have to pay them cash to plug it and b) I have had so many punctures in my tires in the last 5 years I would save tons using a kit. I've had to change tires on my car literally dozens of times (and if you consider that I have to change the tire for the spare, then change the spare back for the tire you can double that) so it's about time that I actually learn to fix the tires when I take them off too. If I'm going to be able to afford to drive I need to learn how to do all the basics (oil and filter change, tire rotation, plugging holes in tires) on my own.
I went there and saw the kit. $12. Not bad. To get the job done would cost $11. But right below the kit I see this canned tire repair stuff. It's supposed to be a tool-free repair and it will inflate your tire. The idea is that you can keep it in your car for an impromptu repair if you need to. But it does say that it is a repair, not a temporary solution. So it looks a hell of a lot easier, quicker, and it is only $3.50. The can is self explanitory but the kit has the potential for me to fuck up as well. So I take the can and I feel pretty good about myself for taking this repair on myself and making a good decision. When I get home I pulled the screw out of my tire and it started blowing out the most noxious air I have ever smelled. I put it back on the car and do the thing with the can. When it starts I can hear it blowing out of the hole, but I figure that's the purpose: all the repair stuff starts blowing through the opening, it will harden, problem solved. But I notice the tire really isn't inflating and it sounds like air is still coming out. The last step is to drive 2 miles to distribute the stuff in the tire and raise air pressure to force it through the hole. So I do that. When I back I'm not hearing the hissing but the tire is really flat so I get out the tire inflator and fill the tire. After that I get in the car and back it up so I can see the repair. I backed up a few inches then hear this watery hissing sound. I get out and walk around to the front of the car to see white shit all over my driveway and my tire flat again. So much for doing things the easy way. If I spend my money, even if it's not a lot, I expect what I buy to work at least a little. Fuck, at least long enough to fool me into thinking it worked. So I had to put the spare back on and it's off to the car store again to buy the kit.
And my job took away 7 hours from me next week. I lost the money before I even had it. Great.