Anybody use Michelin Tire Fix In A Can?

[rowiebowie]

Walmart was closing out their Michelin Emergency Tire Puncture Repair in a can. For $3 bucks, I had to try it. It's their "Large Tire" size, so theoretically will do the job on my class b. I've never used a temporary product like this before, but if it works well enough to limp to a repair shop and doesn't screw up anything, it could be a great tool to carry in my van.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMsjJijGBYA

[booster]

If it has sealant in it, the tire shop you limp to will not be pleased, as it can mess up repairs because it needs to be cleaned out. They also will only work on relatively small leaks, can't say about how well it would hold at 80 psi. I wouldn't be surprised if it took two cans for a big tire at 80 psi like our vans. You see a lot of them used in new cars now instead of spares or runflats.

[rowiebowie]

Can label says it's a "latex" product and not the sticky green "slime". I agree it will still be a mess for the tire repairman, but not sure if I care that much if the alternative is pulling out the jack.

It is the "Large Tire" size so big enough to seal, but 80 psi is probably not realistic. I carry an inflator and the can is just intended to get you a maximum of 50 miles down the road (at a slower speed than normal).

[jbucking]

I have used them in emergencies for small punctures to get to an exit or off the highway. Sometimes they fix the leak, and sometimes they just slow the leak down. Definitely worth if you have no other choice. Carry a couple of cans for an RV tire. No, the tire people will not like cleaning it up but that is what they get paid for. Better that than sitting along a busy highway when you can get to safety. I carry two, but one "large tire can" usually does the trick.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by jbucking

I have used them in emergencies for small punctures to get to an exit or off the highway. Sometimes they fix the leak, and sometimes they just slow the leak down. Definitely worth if you have no other choice. Carry a couple of cans for an RV tire. No, the tire people will not like cleaning it up but that is what they get paid for. Better that than sitting along a busy highway when you can get to safety. I carry two, but one "large tire can" usually does the trick.

Thanks. Been very lucky and have picked the occasional nail, but no flats or blowouts on the road in over 40 yrs. I check the tire monitor pressure every morning, inspect the tire treads for nails at each gas fill up, and carry a spare, tire plug, and inflator. The fix in a can is just another backup.

Have never jacked up a 9200lb. rv, and hope to never have to.

[Millenium Falcon]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

I agree it will still be a mess for the tire repairman, but not sure if I care that much if the alternative is pulling out the jack.

Originally Posted by jbucking

No, the tire people will not like cleaning it up but that is what they get paid for.

As a gentlemen who has worked in an autoshop repairing flat tires and such... believe me you'll care when you see your bill.

Typical "nail in a tire" scenario was a 20 minute repair job. Average shop charges around $80 to $120 an hour for labor, plus the $5 or $10 in parts/equipment.

When I had people come in with these spray-can dealies... it took me around two hours to clean the gunk out of their rim. Plus, quite often... the tire is a MESS and requires a lot of grinding to put a patch on the inside if a plugjob wouldn't work. You, the customer, are going to pay for that extra labor. It's not like there's a flat tire repair fee... or the few shops I worked in that DID offer a flat-fee type repair promotion did NOT apply it to spray-can jobs for just this reason.

So, it usually took two+ hours of labor to scrape clean the wheelrim, and they had to buy a new tire as it was cheaper to buy a new tire than to pay me the additional hours of labor to scrape out and repair the old tire.

So, your $3 can of spray ends up making a $60 tire repair into a $400 tire replacement.

Also, if you have AAA they will inflate you for free, or put on your spare tire for free... if you're too lazy to break out your own jack (even I have done this in the bitter winter cold). Most people who used these sprays did so when it was a slow leak and they could have just filled the tire with air and driven 2 hours to any shop in a tri-county area before the tire went flat... they literally could have called our tire shop and we would have probably plugged their tire on the roadside for less than a third what they ended up paying after they used a can and drove themselves to our shop.