Proper Tire Puncture Repair and Wheel Care Tips – Tire Review

Whether offered as part of a new tire purchase or as a standalone service, these basic procedures must be done correctly to avoid liability, in the case of puncture repair, and to keep customers rolling smoothly, in the case associated with wheel care.

Proper Repair by Law

The only car tire industry-recommended hole repair method is to remove the tire from the rim for a thorough inspection inside the wheel, followed by a patch/plug repair that is installed using guidelines established by the U. S. Tire Manufacturers Association , according to Kevin Rohlwing , senior vice president of training for the particular Tire Industry Association.

“In 2011, a jury awarded $14. 4 million to the orphaned children of a couple who were killed in a 2006 vehicle accident caused by an improper car tire repair, ” he says. “The stakes for failing in order to properly repair a tire have never been higher…The risks of repairing tires outside industry parameters could lead to another tragic accident and an even higher judgment within court. ”

The guidelines include the use of an uncured rubber stem through the particular tread that has been cleaned with a proper-sized carbide cutter, then has a patch on the inner liner to restore the integrity of the inner liner, according to Brent Klomparens, director of marketing and key accounts for Tech Tire Repair.

“If a plug repair is used from the outside from the tire, you might not see additional inner lining damage, the particular repair will not seal out water — which corrodes the steel belts — and could lead to the tire delaminating and failing at speed, which has catastrophic consequences, ” Klomparens says. “Unfortunately, too many of these types of accidents have occurred, prompting states in order to enact legislation that has this requirement. ”

Another example of internal liner damage is ply separation at the injury site, something which cannot be seen with on-the-wheel repairs, adds Adam Tillery, executive vice president with regard to Rema Tip Top .

Selling Value

While puncture maintenance themselves may not become highly profitable, dealers who offer the service can build customer loyalty, interface along with new customers that may find themselves with an unexpected flat, plus offer added value simply by including the particular service in a brand new tire buy package.

“Dealers have to sell the value within following business recommended recommendations to maintain the safety of the tire, ” Rohlwing says. “Plugging a wheel around the rim is inexpensive and quick, but it can have serious effects if there is unseen damage inside the tire. There is minimal profit in a proper wheel repair, yet the pay-off is educating the customer that their tires will be serviced following market guidelines to ensure that safety is always the top priority. It’s another step that retailers can take in order to establish the relationship plus secure future tire and maintenance solutions. ”

Tillery adds that tire repair is a great alternative to a new tire purchase, because it promotes recycling and can provide significant savings to the customer.

“Saving the customer money, especially on a repairable wheel that was recently purchased, is a powerful way in order to gain the long-term client, ” he says.

Consumer education is key when performing a proper repair. This includes not only why and how the service will end up being performed, but also setting expectations from the labor plus time required for this type of restoration, according to Klomparens.

“By doing this, a shop can charge an appropriate amount to fully compensate them for this work, ” this individual says. “The consumer will certainly appreciate the particular professional knowledge demonstrated by the shop, which builds trust and raving fans who now want in order to share their own newfound understanding with friends and family members. Most importantly, you become their trusted tire expert. ”

Wheel Treatment 101

Basic wheel providers — alignments and balancing — are essential parts associated with a shop’s service selection. Fortunately, these services are both necessary for customers plus profitable regarding dealers.

“Typically, alignments require only one simple adjustment to get the vehicle lined back up properly and driving straight, ” says Kyle Harris, product manager intended for Hennessy Industries . “Alignments are also 100 percent labor in most cases and are very profitable considering they can usually be done in 30 minutes or less. ”

When it comes to balancing, as tape weights become more prevalent, features such as stop and lock plus laser weight placement become a necessity to maintain tire dealer operations running and highly profitable, he or she adds.

When servicing a wheel assembly, having the right equipment will be of utmost importance — especially in the situation of custom wheels.

“Having the proper equipment may mean having a tire changer that offers the capacity to service the assembly; furthermore having the particular proper accessories can go the long way to preventing damage, ” Harris says. “Changing customized wheels takes a purposeful and deliberate process. It should be done along with care taken to be certain the car tire can be successfully pushed into the drop center, and also that it is securely mounted to the machine inside such a way that will prevents damage. ”

For alignments, he recommends the particular Coats CWA6500, which performs efficient, easy alignments on any automobile to get customers in and out quickly.

“Our most popular products are our new 80C Center Clamp Tire Changer that combines the robustness of a Coats swing arm tire machine with confident, no harm clamping because it uses no jaws to hold the steering wheel. This device comes standard with a 220v motor in order to change even the toughest wheels without breaking a sweat, ” Harris says. “The Coats 1600 Direct Drive Wheel Balancer combines the accuracy of a direct drive balancer and the ease of use of the touch screen to create a good easy to use, production-oriented balancer to keep tire clients rolling efficiently. ”