Modern tires are dependable and durable, but they're far from maintenance-free. If your tire leads a relatively safe and privileged life, you may only need to rotate your wheels occasionally. This process helps ensure even wear between your tires, and it's typically necessary even on tires that never encounter any significant road hazards.
Unfortunately, few tires are lucky enough to live such uneventful lives. Many drivers travel over worn-out and uneven roads, and their tires take the brunt of impacts from potholes and other problems. You may even encounter nails and other damaging debris if you're particularly unlucky. In these cases, you'll need a professional to evaluate your tires, and this guide will help you understand how they do it.
Why Do Shops Evaluate Damaged Tires?
If tire repair is so complex, why can you walk into any auto parts store and purchase a tire repair kit? The answer comes down to longevity. A quick fix kit might get you home or to the nearest tire store, but it's not a safe solution for long-term use. On the other hand, a proper repair performed by a professional tire shop will help you maximize your tire's remaining lifespan.
While the methods professionals use are different from most over-the-counter kits, part of this extra longevity also comes from proper inspection and evaluation. Tire shops must follow certain strict tire industry guidelines when repairing a tire. These guidelines help to ensure that any repair will be long-lasting and, more importantly, safe under typical driving conditions.
What Are Technicians Looking For?
A tire shop technician is looking for several potential issues that may affect the safety of your tire. These include, but aren't limited to, problems such as bubbling or overlapping repairs. Bubbling is a particularly dangerous situation that indicates damage to the tire's internal structure, so repairing a bubbled tire is usually out of the question.
However, tire shop technicians also need to check for more subtle problems. For example, two repairs can't be so close together that they would cause overlapping. This situation can make the repairs less stable and lead to a higher likelihood that your tire might fail. By checking for these issues and more, professionals can help guarantee that your tire repair will last for as long as your tire.
How Do You Know Your Tire Needs Service?
While it's obvious that you'll need to get your tire checked if it's losing air, you should consider routine service and inspection during other maintenance tasks, such as oil changes. By scheduling these checks, technicians can evaluate your tires for potential damage, unusual wear, and other problems. Discovering these issues can allow you to repair them before the problem becomes severe enough for a new tire.
Reach out to a tire service company for more information.
