Flat repair

[stu]

Took my wheel in to the local repair shop and was charged $41 for a plug and patch job.I'm used to paying about $10 to have a car wheel removed, fixed and bolted back on. Is this charge typical, or a big rip off?

[bobw3592]

stu, I feel your pain! A proper radial tire patch is a sound repair when the tire is removed and the carcass is properly prepped and patched/sealed compared to a quickie tire plug fix. Sounds like they charged about a half hour of the normal shop rate. It's a lot, but in line with my area shops rates. Call around and see what the competition offers and go from there. I tend to grumble about the high costs too, but as long as the job is done correctly and on time I will spend a few dollars more to support a good shop. YMMV.

Good luck
Bob

[ricster]

I replaced my tires when I got nails in them...per my dealership as they said NEVER PATCH A BIKE TIRE! Food for thought :hammer:

[JasonS]

I'd say it is a fair price removing the wheel and then the tire and reassembly would be that, let alone the patch work.. I'd say you got treated very well.

[2ndSpace]

On 2007-07-06 16:52, ricster wrote:
I replaced my tires when I got nails in them...per my dealership as they said NEVER PATCH A BIKE TIRE! Food for thought :hammer:

Sounds like you enjoy spending $$$$$. According to Dunlop and most other MANUFACTURERS a proper plug patch is OK. Guess that is why they are called stealerships.

[stu]

On 2007-07-06 16:52, JasonS wrote:
I'd say it is a fair price removing the wheel and then the tire and reassembly would be that, let alone the patch work.. I'd say you got treated very well.

Please note my post- I took the wheel off and replaced it myself.

(Anyone want to buy a $40 46mm wrench?) :???:

[WardenRoss]

On 2007-07-06 15:30, stu wrote:
Took my wheel in to the local repair shop and was charged $41 for a plug and patch job.I'm used to paying about $10 to have a car wheel removed, fixed and bolted back on. Is this charge typical, or a big rip off?

Sorry Stu,

This is the going rate for a larger town dealership. Trouble is, they don't guarantee it either. :evil:

[Jhumphrey]

I'd say it was a fair price. I'd have charged $60.

[Haddi-Man]

On 2007-07-06 17:05, 2ndSpace wrote:
Sounds like you enjoy spending $$$$$. According to Dunlop and most other MANUFACTURERS a proper plug patch is OK. Guess that is why they are called stealerships.

Unless you can guarantee that a patch is 100% as good as an undamaged tire, you're taking a risk by patching. What if the dealer screws up the patch? You have no way of knowing. And even if the patch is perfect, the tire is still damaged.

It may not be a huge risk, but it has to be weighed against the potential for catastrophe if it does fail. If your patch fails on a car tire, it's no big deal. Just pull over and put the spare on. If your bike tire goes in the middle of a curve or on the freeway, you're going down my friend. And you're gonna wish you'd just put a new tire on, to the tune of some very expensive repair bills--if you're lucky.

Considering all of the other expenses related to owning a motorcycle, a couple hundred bucks for peace of mind every now and then isn't too much to me. Granted, I've only had to replace a tire in that manner once, and the tire was almost worn out anyway. But whenever I'm in a situation like that, I just think about what my wife would say. And she'd say replace the bleedin' tire, your safety is more important than saving 75 bucks.

[dolson]

Personally, if a puncture happens, I'd plug it to get me home and change it. With the way I ride I don't need to have to be thinking about a tire. There is a lot of heat and flexing going on with the tires. A lot more than a car's. It doesn't have to be a big failure either. A slow leaker out in the middle of no where and you are still squirming around.

Just my $.02,

Don