How expensive is the flat tire charge, if you have no spare?

If you don't know what your doing, beware.....
Places like American Tire or discount tires will do free flat repairs; but it's just a tool to lure in unsuspecting customers.
I was near one when I caught a flat - so aired up and nursed it over there. First they tried to say it was irreparable; too close to the edge. I said I saw the screw, it was in the outer thread; towards the center of the tire; well within your policy to patch. Then they came back and stated there was already a patch in the tire, so they couldn't repair it.
Total waste of my time, I pulled the highway plug kit from the trunk of the car an patched it there while they watched. They wanted to sell me two new tires, when I had more than 50% thread left on them for $400. I got a set of 4 - 75K mile tires, mounted and balanced for $400 a few years later. NO MORE FLATS, after replacing those OEM tires. Actually pulled a nail out on my last rotation, that didn't penetrate my new shoes - did lose 2 mpg on the set of heavier, thicker rubber

YMMV

 

I’m not keen on painting with a big brush about major companies. Sure, it is true sometimes, but in this instance not for me. I’ve had very good service from Discount Tires for a long time. They just fixed, in the last month, two(2) issues for me. The first turned to be a bad valve core, which the replaced NO charge; it was on a tire I bought from them. The second time was repairing a flat, again for NO charge, but on a tire not from them. I go there the first week of the month for air-check, again free with NO appointment; you just get in line. They fix tires for free, wherever they’re from.

 

How expensive is the flat tire charge, if you have no spare?
Maybe your life, if you break down in the wrong neighborhood, or while fleeing a wild-fire - or during a blizzard 100 miles from the back of beyond, although mostly you may just be out the cost of a perhaps very VERY long wait for the driver.
All because of what?

The climate industrial complex is trying to compel OEMs to stop including even the woefully substandard compact "doughnut" spares because they weigh so much?
Maybe the OEMs are trying to satisfy their stockholders by excluding $75 worth of kit on the car?

I didn't click on the baited YouTube vid because I did not want it in my history, and one glance at the thumbnail is all you need to see to know what you're looking at.
I will not willingly drive a car without a spare.
I've fixed tyres on nearly every car I've owned and one or two motorcycles as well, and M/C's with spoked rims are about the only use-case that I can think of personally for the green gooo.
I usually make do with a portable pump and a plug kit for small punctures, and have had to use a spare tyre for the others - replacing the damaged one, or all four ASAP.
About one in 10 cars will have so-called run-flats, which are usually found on up-scale sheet metal, where they serve as an alternative to carrying a spare.
A REALLY BAD one, IMHO - but if you can afford a Mercedes-Benz, you can afford the tyre replacement, and the ability to limp away from a puncture may be worth the addition inconvenience of having to source the replacement.

 

Americas Tire is the place to go.

FREE flat tire repairs.

FREE rotation and balances.

One time I went in for a flat repair and they came and told me they could not repair it.

I said I had no money for another tire.

He left for a minute and came back with a tire that had 90% tread on it.

FREE!!!

Best service hands down

 

Regarding the question posed in the title, it depends, on where you broke down, if it's at all driveable,, what you're capable of doing. If you DO have a spare, came prepared, have some skills, and say a plug-repair kit, things get LOT rosier, and it can cost next to nothing.

 

unless you're in a bad neighborhood

 

I'm always in a bad neighborhood, outside my gated community. Just kidding..... Like I would pay monthly HOA dues.

 

my sister in law and nephews have lived in sac for decades. there must be good and bad like everywhere, but she's in a pretty decent trailer park

 

Yep; we do an annual block party around the 4th of July. Meet & greet for new arrivals. We'll pool fireworks boxes and a makeshift stage for them. We watch-out for each other. Tough to find that kinda community now-a-days....

 

agreed. especially out here in the northeast where everyone is a stranger, and they look at you funny if you say hello