Blog - Quick Tire Repair

Steps to Follow While Changing a Flat Tire

May 20, 2019 Tire No comments

Having a punctured tire at the middle of the road can give you a nightmarish experience especially if you do not know how to fix a flat tire yourself. It is an unpredictable event but you can certainly make yourself prepared by simply keeping the necessary items for the fixing procedure and knowing the procedure. This will also help you minimize potential damage to your tires. In this blog I have shared the steps that you can flow to help yourself in such a situation.

Before directly getting into the procedure let’s have a look at the items that you would need to fix your flat tire.

Items that come with your car

Lug wrench
Vehicle owner’s manual
Jack
Fully inflated spare tire

In case you have lost or misplaced any of the above mentioned items or if your vehicle did not come with them, you must buy the new ones immediately. Moreover, your spare tire should be regularly inflated to your vehicle manufacturer’s recommended PSI. It is important for you to check the air pressure level of the spare tire every time you check the other tires.

Here is the list of items that you need to arrange and store in your trunk in case you need to change a flat tire.

Rain poncho
Gloves
Flashlight with working batteries
Small cut of 2x”x6” wood to secure the jack
Wheel wedges

Here are the steps to follow before changing a flat tire

1. Look for a safe location

Do not panic if you realize that you have a flat tire. Reduce your speed slowly and check your surroundings to find a level, straight sketch of a road with a wide shoulder. Straight stretches of road are better than curves as the ongoing traffic is likely to see you. An empty parking space is an appropriate place for that. Level ground is also recommended as it prevents your vehicle from rolling. It could be dangerous to change your tire on a narrow shoulder near the traffic. You must not anywhere until you find a convenient space.

2. Turn on hazard lights

Do not forget to turn on your hazard lights which will help other drivers to see you standing at the side of the road. This is essential to avoid an accident. You should turn them on as soon as you need to park your vehicle at the side of the road.

3. Apply parking brake and wheel wedges

Applying the parking brake is crucial before replacing the tire as it reduces the chance of your vehicle rolling. Wheel wedges are also important to prevent your vehicle from moving during the time when you change the tire. If you need to change the rear tire, place them in front of the tires and if it is your front tire that needs attention, place it in the rear tires.

4. Remove the wheel cover

If the hubcap of your vehicle covers the lug nuts, you can easily remove the hubcap before lifting the vehicle with the jack. If it is uncovered you can skip the step.

5. Loosen the lug nuts

With the help of the lug wrench, turn the lug nuts counterclockwise until you break their resistance. You may need to apply force to do that and there is no harm in using your feet or your entire body weight for that.

6. lift up your vehicle with a jack

Keeping a small cut of 2×6” wood under your vehicle before lifting it up is a good idea to prevent the jack from settling under the weight of your vehicle and losing balance. This trick works the best on asphalt.

7. Unscrew the lug nuts

In this step you need to unscrew the lug nuts. You can easily do that with your hand as it is already loosened up.

8. Remove the flat tire

The next step is to remove the tire for which you need to carefully pull it towards you until it’s completely free from the hub.

9. Attaching the spare wheels

You must check the spare tire before attaching it to ensure that it is of the same size and also it is in a good condition. When you are done with the checking, it’s time for you to reattach the lug nuts to the bolts. After that, lower the car jack until all the weight of the vehicle is back on the tire. Then remove the car jack and lock down the lug nuts

10. Take the spare tire to a technician

Temporary spare tires are not 100% reliable to make long distance drives or at high speed so you must drive cautiously until you visit a flat tire repair service centre. Only professional eyes can tell you whether it needs a repair or a replacement.

Also Read: What You Need To Know About Tire Repairs

This guide is to help you out in an emergency situation but you can avoid such situations simply by properly and regularly maintaining your vehicle.

Find a Quick Tires Repair Shop Near Me

April 24, 2019 Tire No comments

Having problems with car tires happen occasionally, it’s best to get them sorted out at earliest without having to drive far away from your residential area. It is a good idea to research for some good and tire repair shop near me and save their phone numbers for tire change/repair.

The quickest way to discover those tire repair shops near me is to do online research, indicating also your area of residence. Create a list of 5-6 locations and phone numbers.

The next step is to check out how trustworthy those tire repair shops are. You can search online in Google My Business for their names plus the word review. In case there’s anything wrong with any of them, you are going to find at least one complaint on reviews websites or in discussion forums. Unhappy customers talk a lot and spread the word because they want to warn other users to stay away from bad experiences.

Another good way of finding the top providers within your area is to take a look into the BBB directory. All businesses listed there have to adhere to a strict set of rules meant to improve the customer experience and the quality of the services.

If a business is in the Better Business Bureau directory, you can be almost sure it’s a good one, so you can add it on your shortlist. The Google Local Businesses Directory can also be useful. You are going to find all tire repair shops on the map, so you are going to know exactly where to find them.

The downside of Google Business is that a business owner needs to add and verify their shop by himself, or a friend to get visible on the Google map, as Google directory provides automatic adding services to anyone in their local business listing.

Ensure a better health of your vehicle, with regular Wheel Alignment

March 18, 2019 Wheel Alignment No comments

Wheel Alignment: What You Need to Know

Today’s feature-rich cars are designed to provide the ultimate comfort of driving and being driven. If you notice any changes in your driving experience or lacking the comfort you used to get before, with constant rattling, shuddering and vibrating along the road, it might be a sign that your car requires a wheel alignment service. This is probably the part of your vehicle that gets the least importance.

Ideally, you vehicle would only need wheel alignment once it is built but due to the hazardous road conditions, cars tires often get out of alignment needing expert interference. Now the question is why it is so important? The wheel alignment can create an endless number of problems for a driver putting the vehicle’s safety at risk.

Being aware of the benefits of wheel alignment can visibly improve the health and longevity of your vehicle and its other benefits include the following;

1. Maximize fuel efficiency

Misaligned tires literally drag themselves instead of rolling smoothly. As a result, your vehicle has to put more effort to push your car forward which at the end of the day decreases your auto’s fuel productivity. That is why keeping your car’s wheel in good alignment significantly increases its fuel efficiency.

2. Reduce costly auto repairs

If you continue driving with misaligned wheels, even a small jolt can create big issues for your vehicle. Every time it comes across a pothole or bumps your suspension and steering suffer from damage. It eventually leads to a vehicle break down putting the burden of an expensive repair on your shoulder. Instead of ignoring wheel alignment, spending a few bucks on it can save you from such an expensive burden.

3. Increase your vehicle safety

Tire alignment also includes a thorough suspension system and other parts checkup that help detect other issues of your vehicle which has probably gone unnoticed by you. If any issue is found in your vehicle during the operation, it will get immediate attention of the mechanic that will ultimately increase the vehicle’s safety and overall performance.

4. Better driving experience

Wheel alignment services ensures a smoother driving experience for you, which is probably the biggest advantage of it. You no more would need to adjust your steering to compensate for the misalignment which often distracts drivers from focusing on the road.

5. Better lifespan of your tire

Avoiding wheel alignments can cause uneven and premature tire wear. Tires are a costly auto component that wears out easily if you constantly drag your vehicle with misaligned wheels. It leaves you with no other chance than buying new tires. By maintaining your wheel alignment, you can simply save these unnecessary expenses.

To ensure a good health of your vehicle it is recommended to you to take your vehicle to an experienced Quick tire repair service provider for wheel alignment after every 6000 miles. If your vehicle shows any of the above mentioned symptoms do not delay for it to get worse. Wheel alignment might not sound that important to a lot of people but it is crucial to maintain a healthy car.

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