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Still trying to decide whether to take that Walmart prequalified offer

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Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Still trying to decide whether to take that Walmart prequalified offer


@Anonymous wrote:
Off topic but buy a $7 tire patch kit on Amazon and watch a YouTube video or two on using it.

Tire patches can be done safely at home in 30 seconds. Keep a kit in the car always, it's a lifesaver. I've removed screws and patched in probably 15 tires (city living). My fastest ever was under 90 seconds including jacking up the car!

Unless you have a tire machine and a balancer at home, you cant do a proper tire repair there.. Yes, you can plug the tire, which will void any warranty that you had on the tire, and temporarily repair it, but its not a permanent safe repair

Message 11 of 16
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Still trying to decide whether to take that Walmart prequalified offer


@Anonymous wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:
Off topic but buy a $7 tire patch kit on Amazon and watch a YouTube video or two on using it.

Tire patches can be done safely at home in 30 seconds. Keep a kit in the car always, it's a lifesaver. I've removed screws and patched in probably 15 tires (city living). My fastest ever was under 90 seconds including jacking up the car!

Unless you have a tire machine and a balancer at home, you cant do a proper tire repair there.. Yes, you can plug the tire, which will void any warranty that you had on the tire, and temporarily repair it, but its not a permanent safe repair


There's that - the Accent's manual does explicitly say that the patch kit is meant as an emergency field-expedient until you can get the car to an authorized/qualified tire repair shop. Plus which there's the TPMS that needs to be reset.

Message 12 of 16
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Still trying to decide whether to take that Walmart prequalified offer


@Anonymous wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:
Off topic but buy a $7 tire patch kit on Amazon and watch a YouTube video or two on using it.

Tire patches can be done safely at home in 30 seconds. Keep a kit in the car always, it's a lifesaver. I've removed screws and patched in probably 15 tires (city living). My fastest ever was under 90 seconds including jacking up the car!

Unless you have a tire machine and a balancer at home, you cant do a proper tire repair there.. Yes, you can plug the tire, which will void any warranty that you had on the tire, and temporarily repair it, but its not a permanent safe repair


There's that - the Accent's manual does explicitly say that the patch kit is meant as an emergency field-expedient until you can get the car to an authorized/qualified tire repair shop. Plus which there's the TPMS that needs to be reset.


Since we're still off topic... I've plugged and patched my own tires (including my current 35 inch Jeep tires, and prior 44 inchers on my pickup) for a good 20 years. I've never had a repair fail. Not once. Now, if the tire is still covered by road hazard warranty, I'll let the shop do it (because it's free), but otherwise I do it myself. 

Message 13 of 16
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Still trying to decide whether to take that Walmart prequalified offer

I never saw much sense in the road hazard warranty myself -- my last huge mega luxury SUV had a nail, I pulled it as soon as the TPMS alarm went off, patched it, and back on the road a few minutes later.  Drop it to my tire guy who checked it out for $5 cash and said "this is solid, no need for a new tire" and I drove another 15,000 miles on it before the treadwear was down enough to replace all my tires.

 

I have no idea how many tires I've replaced in my life (I used to do up to 60,000 miles a year across 2-3 cars I owned at one time) but I always drove summer tires and winter tires in season and figure if the tire warranty is typically 12% (no idea today, I use Uber, lol), I must have saved literally thousands of dollars by denying the road hazard fees.

 

I am against insurance in any case where I can self insure.  Even my homeowner's policies are maximum deductible since I put the savings into a higher interest account and if I ever have a claim, I just would pay out of that account.  In 25 years of owning homes, never had a claim and that account is significant.  Same was true when I had an auto policy -- I took the highest deductible coverage possible to lower my insurance costs, and stuck the savings into the same account.  In my 20 years of driving, I had 2 accidents, both were settled in cash at the scene versus putting in a claim.


Same on my health insurance when high deductibles were still legal in the US -- I took the maximum deductible and paid my doctors cash for a cheaper rate than filing a health insurance claim.  More thousands or tens of thousands of dollars in savings that i stuck into the same "insurance savings" account towards any fufure deductibles needing to be paid.  Never paid a deductible on insurance, because I don't file claims when I can pay cash for things instead.

 

The only insurance I have a low deductible on is my boat because there are a ton of drunks near the marina and I've seen a great many collisions with them.  And they're always underinsured.

Message 14 of 16
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Still trying to decide whether to take that Walmart prequalified offer

Agreed, ABCD2199, about road hazard; I never buy it. But I have purchased a number of tires over the years that came with coverage (not sure if the specials were the manufacturers doing or the shops), and I've used it a few times. 

 

Good idea about the insurance deductibles.

Message 15 of 16
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Still trying to decide whether to take that Walmart prequalified offer

It's another expensive "peace of mind" trick.  My GF always pays for it and she may get 1 tire replaced "for free" every year but then they hit her up with some faulty pro-rated price difference by taking 15 treadwear measurements and picking the worst one.  I actually had a battle with a tire store manager over it and told him if he wants to charge her $27 extra, he'll be answering in small claims court and I would be happy to share the lawsuit methods on a Yelp review.  He ended up just giving her the tire for free (which he should have because 14 of the treadwear measurements showed no pro-rating needed).

 

If I had to buy tires today, I wouldn't buy them locally, period.  It's like mattresses -- huge profit margins on a commodity good.  Really bonkers what some people pay to own a car without doing some due diligence to find the most efficient value options.

 

Also never drive on "all season" tires unless you live somewhere that has 68 degree weather without snow every day of the year.  Another way to attack your wallet needlessly.

Message 16 of 16
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