Just Say "We Don't Patch Tires"

I got a screw in my right rear on The Precious.

The hole is dead center in the tread, no where near the sidewall.

To get home I used a tire plug to stop the air loss.

I took the car to Tires Plus, 3732 Us Highway 19, New Port Richey, FL 34652.

I was informed that because I used a plug, they cannot patch it.

"Why?" I ask.

Because the plug pushes the belts aside.

"You mean like the screw that made the hole did?"

Sort of.

"But HOW the belts get pushed aside matters?"

What?

"You just told me that you'd fix it if there was a screw still in the tire, leaking air, that had pushed the belts aside; but you won't fix it if a soft piece of rubber impregnated rope is doing that."

"That's not what I..."

Yes, it is what you said.  It's not what you mean.  What you mean is you don't patch tires.  What you're told to say doesn't make sense, but your industry created a group that lets you hide behind their proclamations to sell tires rather than repair them.  If you're going to come up with a line of bullshit, at least have the courtesy to admit it when someone who knows more than your script comes in.

And they wonder why I own tools.

I keep running into this problem from shops.  They have reason after reason to not do what I want/need done, and propose a different fix that costs a lot more.  Costs I invariably cannot bear.  So I get desperate and learn how to do what I want done.

Guess what?

The thing they won't do fixes the problem.

Guess what else?

They got 100% of $0 for the repair.

So I still have a plug that holds air in the tire, rather than the patch I wanted.