[odydoc]

With 1500 miles on our new 2002 ODY, we noticed our left rear tire (Michelin) was flat after a trip to the mall. No obvious nails or debris in tire. We used a fix-a-flat and drove it to the local service station to inflate to recommended pressure. I'm trying to get in touch with our salesperson, but we bought it about 65 miles out of town. Any suggestions i.e. push for getting a new replacement/take it to dealer for inspection/repair etc.

-Deflated new owner

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2002 EP EXL-RES
1996 Accord LX

 

[OdyRocky]

could be a bad seal with the rim and/or valve. My VW has historically had this problem with the factory alloy rims....good luck!

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2002 Silver EX
1996 VW Gti
1999 Pit Bull/Catahoula Leopard dogs

 

[GeorgeB]

Same thing happened to me. Turned out I picked up a 1/4 drill bit, dull end first, all the way into the tire. We have been plagued by a lot of construction debris recently so I already had a supply of tire plugs on hand. I removed the tire, extracted the drill bit (and added to my collection

)then plugged the tire. Only takes 10 minutes and the plug should last for years!

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00 Ody EX (17K)
90 Sable wagon (168K)
89 Cougar (205K!)
67 Sunbeam Alpine (??K)
52 Ford Flathead V8(72K)

 

[vquan]

I'd doubt it's a factory rim defect. The only way to tell is to do a water immersion test, but since you used fix-a-flat, it may be a too late. If it was fine and then all of a sudden it went flat, you most likely puctured it somewhere.

 

[0dy2000tony]

My dad had problems with his '99's tires losing air from the day he brought it home. Turns out that the tires were leaking air from around the valve stems on all 4 tires.
He had his tires remounted with new valve stems and has not had a problem since.

Tony

 

[odydoc]

Update: I had a Michelin dealer examine the tire. No debris or punctures detected with soapy water. They replaced the valve stem free of charge. No problems since. I guess either a hole was sealed by the fix-a-flat, the valve was faulty or a jealous Windstar owner let the air out!

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2002 EP EXL-RES
1996 Accord LX

 

[jbp]

Honda does not warrant the tires. They are guaranteed by the tire manufacturer.
jbp

 

[odydoc]

Update on the tire:

Took our Ody into a Michelin dealer. They examined the tire: no road debris. Soap and water revealed no leaks. Replaced the valve at no charge. 4 days later the tire was all but flat (psi=14). Ody back to Michelin dealer. This time they found a leak. Patched the tire for $12.99. Fix a flat must have prevented detection of leak during initial visit. No problems since. I had always thought that Michelin covered road hazards with their tires, but apparently not.

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2002 EP EXL-RES
1996 Accord LX

[This message has been edited by odydoc (edited 02-03-2002).]

 

[celler]

This is the reason I do not use Fix a Flat. In an absolute emergency, anything that gets you back on the road works, but it is likely that fix a flat will not be a permanent fix, and as you have found, it makes finding the leak more difficult.

I carry a plug kit and air compressor in my car. The plug is the permanent type used by most garages. I have not had a flat yet where I could not find the point of puncture.

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Craig