I've got a slow tire leak which is losing a couple pounds a week and triggers the TPM light.

For the last month I've been using a bicycle pump but to put the couple pounds of air into the tire but this is getting old.

Since the leak is so small I was thinking of getting one of those Fix a Flat cans to seal it up but then I was thinking that may mess with the TPM sensor? What that stuff be safe to use?

 

Buy a new TIre or fix the leak

 

So thumbs down on the fix a flat stuff?

Buying a new tire seems a bit overboard and I was trying to avoid taking it in to a shop over something like this.

 

Yeah, the fix a flat wreaks havoc with TPMS. So don't do that.

Best advice is to keep on keeping on like you are. My one winter tire has the same thing and my last two cars each had a tire with a slow leak.

 

Cool, I had a suspicion that the Fix a Flat stuff might wreak havoc which is why I asked here first before using it. Will just bite the bullet and continue pumping it up each week.

 

Slow leaks are very irritating. Do the right thing. Take it to a tire shop and get it fixed. That slow leak can leave you stranded somewhere anytime.

Fix-A-Flat should be for emergencies only so you can get home and not something you use "while at home".

 

You would make Ward Cleaver proud!

I know the smart thing is to just take it in and I'll probably do that soon. Who knows could be the stem?

 

You have more patience than me (to pump it every week) and more adventurous (who knows when and where that dam will break loose). Almost up there with driving without a jack or spare (almost) unless you have a AAA card... then you would need a cell phone (charged) and a good signal... so you can make the call... Sorry, my soap box...

 

a couple of months ago, i had a similar problem. i had to pump air in to my left rear wheel almost every other two weeks. finally, when i had to jack up the car to install my rsb, i saw there was a large screw imbedded into the thread. brought to a tire shop, and for $20 it was plugged. now the tpms hasn't gone off in two months.

 

Definitely do NOT use fix a flat or anything of that nature to "fix" your leak temporarily. It WILL damage the tire pressure sensor as well as the sealant can throw off the wheel's balance once injected inside.

It would be wise to either let a tire shop/dealer address it or pin point the source of the leak using a spray bottle filled with a mixture of water and soap (spray the tire, bead, & valve stem areas if no punctures found) THEN let a tire shop/dealer address the affected tire.

 

Two questions...

1) Is it the letters "TPMS" or the flat tire indicator?

2) Did you see if the person removed the tire or plug the hole right above the sensor?

 

And then you have the people like me that drive around with spare, jack, 12v air compressor (see my post about leaky tires above) then a flat head and Phillips screw driver along with 3/8" socket and 8, 10, 12, 14, 17 and 19mm sockets. Also a quart of oil, funnel and jumper cables. (I have had to use the jumpers several times though, I leave my lights on every once in a while...) I am fairly sure I could take most of my car apart on the side of the road. Never mind I will likely never need to use them with only 40k on the odometer.... (well, except the spair, I seem to manage a flat every 10k miles or so...)

Oh, and I have AAA. But I routinely drive more than 200 miles from home.

 

x_25. Duct tape? Triangle? Glow sticks? 200 mi, can't blame you there. Well at least our shocks should wear out evenly...

 

1). the one that looks like this (!)

2). i didn't even see the guy plug the hole it was that quick. i gave him my wheel lock, i go inside the shop to sit, 5 mins later he said he's done. i go home, jack it up and i saw he put a phatty plug where the screw used to be.

 

I had same issue with my new tires. I pumped air everyday for a week, until I had time off work, I thought the shop had messed up my valve, turned out to be a big ass nail.
First time ever getting a nail. And it had to be with my brand new tires. It sucked lol

 

Take it to Walmart. For $10.00 they will remove the wheel from the car, find the leak, de-mount the tire and patch it, Then they will remount the tire and re-balance it before reinstalling it on the car.

 

^ Agreed. Just take it to a shop and have them check it out.

 

If a plug is ten bucks and a patch is twenty, go with the patch. That's the correct way to fix a tire. I used plugs a lot in the past and haven't had any trouble with them, but it's not the right way to fix a tire (I didn't know better in my younger days).

 

Another tidbit (or two) for cans of aerosol fix-a-flats besides being bad for tpms.

They tend to pool when you finally stop driving the car and cause an unbalanced wheel. Sometimes if its hot enough it will disperse but sometimes it does not?!
Some tire shops won't even attempt to patch a tire that's been treated with fix-a-flat and honestly.. I don't blame them.

There's a local mom&pop place here in Lebanon that charges $12 to plug and balance a slow leak tire so call around. Never tried Walmart.

 

Thanks everyone for the advise, info and motivation.

Will be taking it over to my dealership within the week to have them check it out. Fortunately or unfortunately there is no Walmart close by but my Honda dealership is within 2 miles and I'd feel more comfortable having them deal with the TPMS sensor anyway.