My wife were on our way to dinner on our anniversary, and I drove through the edge of a construction zone. We have had several rounds of bad weather in the past couple of weeks, and several inches of snow/ice had just melted. I hit a hidden pothole (filled with water), but it wasn't bad and I didn't give it much thought until a tire pressure warning popped up about 1/2 mile later. As we looked for a safe place to stop, I could see the tire pressure on the right front tire counting down.
When I got out to inspect it, there were at least two small holes in the sidewall -- I could hear and feel the air escaping. Apparently, I either clipped something sharp, or pinched the sidewall in a way that ruptured it. Within a few minutes, the tire was flat. I dug out the pump and connected it, then turned it on. The pressure gauge shows 90 lbs, but that's normal until the sealant is delivered. But, the pressure never dropped. And I could see a small amount of sealant leaking from the fixture where the canister is mounted.
At this point, I have to point out: I didn't have my reading glasses and was trying to read the manual with limited light. You are supposed to connect a separate clear tube to the tire, not the black air-only hose. The manual really needs to make the distinction there are two different hoses, at the start of the instructions. If the pump had started to dispense the sealant onto the ground, I would have figured out the problem. But, that never happened. And even if it had, there's a good chance it wouldn't have plugged the leak, as the manual explicitly warns it may not work on the sidewall.
So, I called Acura Roadside Assistance, waited for about 20 minutes, got disconnected, called again and waited another 10 minutes. With all the weather issues across the nation, they were busy last night. When someone finally answered, they dispatched a flat-bed truck to pick us up. Meanwhile, my wife walked across the street to Chipotle and we celebrated our anniversary by eating dinner in the car while waiting for the truck.
Now, my wife doesn't want to drive the car without a spare tire. The dealer has a replacement tire (about $400), but they have to order the spare tire kit (about $500 -- includes wheel, tire, jack, and a new insert to replace the toolbox under the trunk mat).
When I got out to inspect it, there were at least two small holes in the sidewall -- I could hear and feel the air escaping. Apparently, I either clipped something sharp, or pinched the sidewall in a way that ruptured it. Within a few minutes, the tire was flat. I dug out the pump and connected it, then turned it on. The pressure gauge shows 90 lbs, but that's normal until the sealant is delivered. But, the pressure never dropped. And I could see a small amount of sealant leaking from the fixture where the canister is mounted.
At this point, I have to point out: I didn't have my reading glasses and was trying to read the manual with limited light. You are supposed to connect a separate clear tube to the tire, not the black air-only hose. The manual really needs to make the distinction there are two different hoses, at the start of the instructions. If the pump had started to dispense the sealant onto the ground, I would have figured out the problem. But, that never happened. And even if it had, there's a good chance it wouldn't have plugged the leak, as the manual explicitly warns it may not work on the sidewall.
So, I called Acura Roadside Assistance, waited for about 20 minutes, got disconnected, called again and waited another 10 minutes. With all the weather issues across the nation, they were busy last night. When someone finally answered, they dispatched a flat-bed truck to pick us up. Meanwhile, my wife walked across the street to Chipotle and we celebrated our anniversary by eating dinner in the car while waiting for the truck.
Now, my wife doesn't want to drive the car without a spare tire. The dealer has a replacement tire (about $400), but they have to order the spare tire kit (about $500 -- includes wheel, tire, jack, and a new insert to replace the toolbox under the trunk mat).