July 1990

---

Dear Tom and Ray:
My six week old 1990 Honda Civic EX got a small hole on the inside side-wall of my left front tire. I brought it to my tire salesman, who sealed the hole and put in a radial inner tube. The salesman said this would be safe. I then spoke to my car dealer's tire man who said it was dangerous. He said I had to order a new tire, which would take three days. Who do I believe? I'm an old lady (I'm not little). I won't order a new tire until I hear from you.
Ruth

TOM: Order the tire, Ruth. The inner tube is probably safe under normal conditions, but we can't see any reason for you to take a chance.

RAY: First of all, the car is six weeks old, and the tires ought to be warranted against defect (of course, you're not covered if you got the hole by running over an acupuncturist). Second, we can tell that you're worrying about this, and you shouldn't have to. One of the luxuries of owning a new car is that you can trade all those worries about breaking down for a set of new worries, like whether it's going to get scratched or stolen.

TOM: The inner tube is fine as a temporary solution. But get rid of it once the new tire comes in.

Back to the July 1990 index

Share this column with a friend.

© 2006 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

---

---

Auto repairs can be costly! Save money by ordering Tom and Ray's pamphlet: "Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It!" To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.