I hate to have another government mandate but I think we, as an industry, share some of the blame. The tire industry trade groups, TIA and others, have for years endorsed that a proper tire repair requires the removal of the tire from the vehicle, dismounting the tire from the rim, inspecting and repairing from the inside of the tire. This can not be done profitably when we try and compete with the guy down the street that is willing to throw a plug in it for $5.00. When you look at some of the multimillion dollar judgements that have been handed out over the last few years for improper tire repairs, it makes it a lot easier to say "NO" to a customer who wants a $5.00 repair. We have not done plug repairs for 15+ years. Have we "lost" some tire repair business to the guy down the street - yes. Do I sleep better at night knowing we are doing proper repairs - YES. Most customers, and the ones we want to keep, understand that we are trying to keep them safe on the road. We take a little time to educate them as to why we repair the tire the way we do and it goes a long way to build a trusting relationship with them.
I hate to have another government mandate but I think we, as an industry, share some of the blame. The tire industry trade groups, TIA and others, have for years endorsed that a proper tire repair requires the removal of the tire from the vehicle, dismounting the tire from the rim, inspecting and repairing from the inside of the tire. This can not be done profitably when we try and compete with the guy down the street that is willing to throw a plug in it for $5.00. When you look at some of the multimillion dollar judgements that have been handed out over the last few years for improper tire repairs, it makes it a lot easier to say "NO" to a customer who wants a $5.00 repair. We have not done plug repairs for 15+ years. Have we "lost" some tire repair business to the guy down the street - yes. Do I sleep better at night knowing we are doing proper repairs - YES. Most customers, and the ones we want to keep, understand that we are trying to keep them safe on the road. We take a little time to educate them as to why we repair the tire the way we do and it goes a long way to build a trusting relationship with them.
