Slow leak in tire—Replace tires?

[JumpX]

So my 6 month old XLT Hybrid with the stock tires has a slow leak in one tire. It loses about 1psi each day.

Should I take it to the dealer or just look at replacing the tires altogether?

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[Montana]

Spray it with soapy water and find out where it's coming from. I keep a spray bottle in the garage with about 1% soap in it just for finding random air leaks.

Or, take it to a tire shop and have it checked. Likely just needs a patch or a reseat.

 

[JBEN110]

So my 6 month old XLT Hybrid with the stock tires has a slow leak in one tire. It loses about 1psi each day.

Should I take it to the dealer or just look at replacing the tires altogether?

blow up the tire, put dish soap and water all over the tire and where it seats on the rim to find the hole first, if the leak is in the lugs then patch it, if its around the rim take it to basically any tire shop and they will reseat it. if there's a hole in the sidewall it will need to be replaced

 

[Discount Tire]

I call bull shit. Only one way to find out.

So my 6 month old XLT Hybrid with the stock tires has a slow leak in one tire. It loses about 1psi each day.

Should I take it to the dealer or just look at replacing the tires altogether?

Looks like there is a Discount Tire store location reasonably close to you. Store personnel will inspect and repair your tire at no charge, if repairable. No purchase necessary!

 

[Automan21]

Ive had patches placed from the inside on sidewalls a few times, if done right you won't have a problem. Also check to see if its the valve, I've had a few unscrew themselves just slightly or the little O ring just fails.
good luck

 

[dlhort1955]

It could be just the valve stem or the valve core. Soapy water to see if it bubbles. Try this before you deal with the tire itself. Ask me how I know?

 

[Tiger Dude]

please don't replace all your tires for one slow leak.

 

[Mc_Flier]

I got dozens of alerts for tire pressure, starting shortly after I purchased it. I took it in a couple times and the dealership could find nothing wrong. They even pointed out that the low pressure light was not illuminated, after I put air in the tire.
I finally had enough and took it to RoadMart. Road mart removed a small piece of metal and plugged the tire. We are guessing that the dealership was afraid they’d be forced to replace a brand new tire if they acknowledged the damage.

 

[boxster03]

cheaper to buy an air compressor

 

[Gray Goose]

cheaper to buy an air compressor

Cheapest to have Discount Tire fix it no charge. I have an industrial air compressor and still take a leaking tire to get fixed. If there is debris in the tire, it could lead to a blowout if not fixed properly.

 

[Optimus]

Too many unknowns for forum members to make a recommendation. Miles on existing tires? Do you even like them? Do they suit your driving needs and weather needs (e.g. snow/ice/mud/street use only etc….). We also don’t know what the leak really is from.

Could be the tire. Could be repairable, or maybe not. Might be in the tread, or the sidewall, or a bead leak. Could also be the valve stem, or it’s core, or even a wheel weight if it’s got any rim clamp weights on it. And while super rare, I’ve seen cracked/damaged rims leaking in very unusual spots, no where near any rubber!

If you want a cheap or free solution but otherwise like the tires, see if it is repairable first. A typical tire shop should be fine.

 

[JumpX]

Update: I inspected the tire and couldn’t see anything stuck in it… So I had the dealer look at it and they found a small nail in the sidewall (so they said). I only have 7500 miles on the truck (all smooth roads) with minimal wear, so replacing the one tire for now.

Thanks all for your input

 

[mcluvin]

Cheapest to have Discount Tire fix it no charge. I have an industrial air compressor and still take a leaking tire to get fixed. If there is debris in the tire, it could lead to a blowout if not fixed properly.

And they will do it right.

My daughter and SIL own Honda Civics with the same crappy OEM Firestones. They would get constant low tire pressure warnings, but the pressure was fine. As soon as she switched over to Michelins, the phantom low pressure warnings stopped.

 

[Gray Goose]

Update: I inspected the tire and couldn’t see anything stuck in it… So I had the dealer look at it and they found a small nail in the sidewall (so they said). I only have 7500 miles on the truck (all smooth roads) with minimal wear, so replacing the one tire for now.

Thanks all for your input

Make sure the new tire is on the rear for a front wheel drive. Even minimal difference in tread depth (1/32") can cause extra wear on the drive components. The problems will surface after the warranty expires.

 

[Silver23]

Ive had patches placed from the inside on sidewalls a few times, if done right you won't have a problem. Also check to see if its the valve, I've had a few unscrew themselves just slightly or the little O ring just fails.
good luck

a tire shop will not patch the sidewall, even when very close to the sidewall, with good reason imo.
The sidewall flexes too much.

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