We purchase 4 new tires. The next day on the way to Sacramento we got a flat outside of Gorman. We stopped in Bakersfield to get a new tire and we got another flat on the new tire, same rim, 20 miles later. The tire store said they could not find anything wrong with the rim. We returned the first flat to the first tire store and had them inspect the rim. They also could not find anything wrong with the rim. They said it was the valve stem. But two flats on two new tires on the same rim? They replaced all the valves with high-pressure valves. So far, 5 days later we have not had a problem. I don’t want my wife driving with a bad spare. If it is the valve stem that means two different tire stores put bad valves on new tires or used same old valve on both tires. Does this sound reasonable? I cant understand how they could have damaged the rim, but 2 flats in 60 miles all on the same rim?
Were the valves replaced when the new tires went on the first time? Did the store that replaced the tire identify the source of the leak that caused the flat? There’s quite a bit of info missing here.
They are suppose to change the valves when they put new tires on.Maybe they were lazy and didn’t change them.
Or it could simply be coincidence. It happens.
I once bought a brand-new CIVIC (non-TPMS) and three days later a tire went flat overnight in my driveway. Blew it up and obviously the valve stem core was leaking. Replaced that one core, and never had another problem with it or the other tires.
If the tire store knew the flat tire was newly installed they might not replace the valve stem automatically. So it’s quite possible the only problem was the valve stem was faulty all along. Nothing to do with the rim or the tires. A leaky valve stem will always cause any tire mounted to go flat. I’d guess your shops tested the valve stem for leaks when they installed the new tires on the rims. That’s usually the last test they do. Perhaps the problem was a weird one, where the valve stem didn’t leak on a static test, but when the car is moving it leaked.
Just curious, why didn’t you get the flat tire repaired rather than buying a new tire? Was the tire badly damaged by the flat incident ?
I don’t know if the valve stems were replaced. I thought the stems came with the new tire. They didn’t say anything at the second store. The original store said there where two different types of valve stems on all of the tires. They replaced all the valve stems.
The tire was chewed up. The tires were lasting 20-30 miles. So far after new valve stems we have had no problems.
The RX350 (listed in the tag) has tire pressure sensors with metal valve stems, they cost about $75 each. The valve stem seals can be replaced when replacing the tires but it usually isn’t necessary.
When dismounting tires they remove the valve core and drop it into a tray, perhaps they picked up a damaged or leaky valve core and installed it in your tire valve.
On the other hand if you had an RX350 you would know when you had a leaking tire before it went flat.
You should only have one type of valve stem. Something sounds fishy. When you say the tires were lasting 20-30 miles, did you get a TPMS warning light when they went flat? You should have gotten a warning as soon as you lost about 5 lbs of pressure. Or were you driving around with the TPMS light already on when you got the tires?
Were you driving on a flat tire ? I just can’t grasp a tire chewed up that soon without some noise or warning signs.
Possibly “Made in China”. If yes, probably defective manufacture or inferior materials.
There was a big recall/problem a few years back.
I didn’t know you could buy a car now without TPMS? At any rate it used to be standard procedure to change valve stems with new tires, but with TPMS valve stems, people aren’t willing to pay the $2-300 extra for valve stems and just wait for them to fail.
You can’t. Required on all new cars sold in the US since '07 (I think). Not all use pressure senders in the wheels. My Audi uses the ABS wheel speed sensors to measure rolling radius and thus identify a low tire. My Mustang has the sensors that include the stem.