Customer Reviews

Fix-A-Flat - Tire Inflator with Hose, 16 oz. (S420-6)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

IN A NUTSHELL:

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN IT'S RAINING & YOUR TIRE GOES FLAT IN WAL-MART'S PARKING LOT?

This happened to me today and I was scared out of my wits. I had an hour to get home before my six-year-old son got off the school bus. I was 25 miles away and I just saw my rear tire and knew it had no air in it. I recalled using this product about 6 years ago and that it worked, so I ran into Wal-Mart and skipped the items I had come shopping for and went straight to the automotive section to hunt for this stuff. Twenty minutes later, standing in the parking lot, I read the directions and realized that I had to try to find what was leaking and remove it if possible. After breaking a small screwdriver and bending a key for a car we sold 5 years ago, I managed to remove a nail that was about 4 inches long -- the trouble was that the rest of the air leaked out rather quickly once I pulled out the nail.

READ AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS!

The directions on the can stated that the valve stem had to be in the 8 o'clock position so I had my teenage daughter back the car up until the valve stem was at the 8 o'clock position. I shook the can for over 30 seconds as Angela timed me, then I screwed the hose attachment into the valve stem. It whooshed as a stream of white, foamy liquid rushed through the transparent tubing into the tire. I could hear air rushing in with it but then I recalled what had actually happened the last time I used this stuff about 6 years ago.

You guessed it, the hole was towards the top of the tire and the foam never got there allowing the air to simply escape very nosily out the hole. Since the flat was in the rear of my front-drive Plymouth Voyager Minivan, I drove it to a gas station that I knew had air, about 6 miles away. I went about 25 mph and many people hailed me as they drove alongside to inform me that I had a flat tire.

BUT THEN SOMETHING GOOD HAPPENED

By the time I reached the Chevron Station with the air, still some 20 miles from our home, I was convinced that I had turned the flat tire into spaghetti and that we would miss the bus. Well, I am happy to report that this was not the case. From traveling slowly, the tire had circulated that white sealant foam and had heated up some due to the extra friction caused by running without air. I filled the tire up and to my surprise there was no sound of escaping air. The sealant held and I drove, at a somewhat reduced speed, the remaining 18-20 miles in about 38 minutes to get home about 2 minutes ahead of the bus.

BOTTOM LINE: HAVE AN AIR SOURCE NEARBY IF YOU PULL OUT THE NAIL

This stuff does work, but after you pull out a nail from your tire it may be rather difficult to get it to hold the air before it can circulate and heat up within the tire. This was my actual experience with this exact product today, and it is consistent with what happened 6 years ago. In short, have an air supply lined-up when you insert the sealant as close as possible to where you remove the nail and insert the sealant. This will reduce the risk of running the tire flat and rendering it unserviceable. If you do this, you stand an excellent chance of executing a fast emergency repair that anybody can manage and, like me, you too might save the day.

[I AM NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY PRODUCT OR COMPANY.]

I've used this product for the last 10 years. I keep one in my trunk at all times. The Fix-A-Flat will work on small holes the size of nails. Shake it hard then add it to the tire like an air hose. The tire will inflat enough for you to drive it to a local gas station for air.

The only reason I rated this product 4 and not 5 is that it's not a permanent fix. None of the quick-fixes for flat tire in the aerosol cans can fix tires for long periods of time. Eventually, the sealant gives out under mileage or heat. Best thing to do is put on the spare and have it the flat tire patched. Also this product will not work if the hole it over a certain size. Makes sense, but it's something to keep in mind.

However it is good for quick fixes in bad situations. For example, when I got one on the bad side of town. Along a busy interstate might be a good example too. Or for someone who cannot change it easily by themselves like the elderly, handicapped, some women and some men.

I've heard that the pool of sealant that is left in the bottom of your tire after its been sealed with fix-a-flat can eat away at your tires but I'm not certain of that at all. There's mixed ideas about whether it does or not.

This stuff ruined the TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) sensor in my tire. Can only be replaced at dealership. Costly repair

This did fill up my tire. The problem lies when I tried to have it patched afterward. ALL the places that I called refused to repair my tire with the Fix-A-Flat in it. To quote the guy at Firestone, "Always use the spare. I'm sorry I can't help you." I now must buy new tires for my car. Thanks Fix-A-Flat!

Yes, this product works. It will fix the flat temporarily. But there are side effects of using this product. It has dangerous carcinogenic chemicals. The tire repair shop refused to repair the tire once I used this product. Reason, because the this thing will damage TPMS, it is a hazardous chemical. It is hard to balance the wheel which has Fix a flat in it. A total flush may be required to clean the product of the tire. Most repair shop wont do that for you. I ended up buying a new pair of tires as there was no way to fix it.

I had a tire puncture in the tread from a roofing nail and used fix-a-flat to try to fix the leak. After one can didn't do it, I added a second can, which still didn't fix it.

Fix-a-flat guarantees that it will work or your money back, but they make you mail the empty can(s) to them. Okay, so I did that, but Fix-a-Flat never did send me a check. From my experience, their guarantee is worthless.

I bought this product in 2011 for a trip back up. I am 71 and have been using aerosol/pressurized type inflators for years. The hose was loose on the can and would not seal. Pressing the activator resulted in the hose blowing off and all of my clothes being covered in the chemical. Holding the hose on the can tightly resulted in the same action. This is not a safe product. Thankfully, my glasses kept the chemical from my eyes.

Having worked at a national tire retailer for almost two years, I can tell you that using fix-a-flat is a bad idea. Some of the reasons are:

1 - A lot of repair shops won't touch tires that have had Fix-a-Flat (FaF) applied to them. Usually, the FaF seals the puncture just enough to make it nearly impossible to locate the puncture, even by dunking in a tank. Even if the object that created the puncture is still embedded in the tire, making location of the leak possible, you now have to rinse the FaF completely from the inside of the tire and dry it prior to proper repair.

2 - Since most new vehicles are equipped with TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System), the FaF can block the very tiny hole in the sensor which allows it to measure the tire pressure. TPMS sensors are expensive, as are the labor costs associated with replacing them.

3 - Some people have used FaF to seal the rims on their inexpensive chromed rims, because the chrome plating has started to seperate, thus causing leaks. This exacerbates the problem plating, causing it to deteriorate even more. I've even seen this on alloy rims as well, possibly because the liquid left in the tire by FaF is corrosive to some extent to metals.

It is far better to maintain the spare (which means checking the pressure once a month along with those mounted on the vehicle), than use the quick fix in a can.

This product works great from my experience. But depending on the damage, this product will not work on damages particularly if the damage is on the side wall. You will need to rotate the wheel to make sure the solution goes into the puncture. Also, I would imagine that bigger holes will not be fixed by this method.

The main idea is that you do not have to be strong person or such handy man to get going after suffering from a flat tire. You don't need an air pump/compressor as it also pumps some air into the tire. After attaching the can and pumping in the liquid, your tire will be off the ground about a few inches and you can drive 2 to 4 miles carefully to the closest gas station. Then you can have them fixed the tire, or if you don't have the time, you can put some more air to what is recommended and you are good to go.

I have been driving for 17 years now and I had 3 chances to use this product. The last time was last week, when my wife called me that the left rear tire of our Acura MDX was flat. Luckily it was just a couple of blocks away from the house where my wife drop my kids to school bus. Some products you may need to remove (unscrew) something from the valve, this one you don't have to remove anything, it has a built-in tube that you directly attach to the valve.

The whole can is gone in less than a minute. The solution looks like white foam which you can see passing through the clear transparent tube. You can see the tire rises up in just a few seconds after pressing the button. Our tire is big, it raised up the tire a couple of inches from the ground but obviously the rim is off the ground. I then have to used a portable pump to add more air into it. Initially it registered as 12.5 psi. I then pumped more air until it reached around 31 psi. 2 days after, the tire is still good. I am just waiting for my new tire to be delivered and I will replace the tire which anyway is just about close to the end of its life. The label on the can also recommend to have your tire professionally repaired at your earliest convenience.

Cons:
- freezes in cold weather