flat tire without any tire pressure warning

Ok, I understand the purpose of the tire fix kit and 12v pump, but what's the point of the water bottle and 12v socket wrench?

 

tire plug kit, I wish I had it the first time I had a flat. I could have plugged it while on the car, filled it with air, and driven home. Lol

 

Needed a new catalytic convertor for my Outback at 4600 miles. It can be tiny, but there is always a chance a part or product can fail, and to do so early.

In regards to TPMS, it is possible to reset the system with the tire pressures at a low point, that can result in the tire reaching flat without a warning being given. There is also a list in the manual of other possible causes for the system not working properly.

Situations in which the tire pressure warning system may not operate properly
● In the following cases, the tire pressure warning system may not operate
properly.
• If non-genuine Toyota wheels are used.
• When a replacement tire is used, the system may not operate correctly due to the structure of the replacement tire.
• A tire has been replaced with a tire that is not of the specified size.
• Tire chains etc. are equipped.
• An auxiliary-supported run-flat tire is equipped.
• If a window tint that affects the radio wave signals is installed.
• If there is a lot of snow or ice on the vehicle, particularly around the wheels or wheel housings.
• If the tire inflation pressure is extremely higher than the specified level.
• If wheel without the tire pressure warning valve and transmitter is used.
• If the ID code on the tire pressure warning valves and transmitters is not registered in the tire pressure warning computer.
● Performance may be affected in the following situations.
• Near a TV tower, electric power plant, gas station, radio station, large display, airport or other facility that generates strong radio waves or electrical noise
• When carrying a portable radio, cellular phone, cordless phone or other wireless communication device
● When the vehicle is parked, the time taken for the warning to start or go off could be extended.
● When tire inflation pressure declines rapidly for example when a tire has burst, the warning may not function.

 

Interesting. So if you "happen" to have a cellular phone in the car the TPMS may not work. Awesome.

 

By any chance did the warning come on after you discovered the tire going flat? It is certainly possible for a very rapid pressure loss to make it go flat in between reporting intervals, though that would usually mean a hole bigger than you can fix with the kit.

Or the car could be missing a significant series of sensor reports (due to weak radio reception, or radio interference), as mine sometimes does, and you were unlucky enough to get a (slower and fixable) flat during that time.

I don't know just how long mine can go missing receiving those reports before giving an alert, but it seems to on the order to 10 to 15 minutes. This happens when I forget to reprogram the TPMS codes after swapping seasonal tire sets. It has also happened in several episodes when the car just fails to receive the sensor's signal, causing a false alert. After getting an old ScanGauge-II updated with new firmware to show each TPMS sensor, I was able to better diagnose this, watching the reports from each wheel. There were several times that a sensor was missed for extended periods, triggering a TPMS alert, which would then automatically clear sometime later when a sensor signal was picked up again. I've experienced only an handful of these episodes over a decade, but the alerts could repeat numerous times in a single episode on a cross-state trip.

 

@Trollbait; LMAO; I've really got to give the Toyota legal team a thumbs up for covering their A**.......

@dtsexpert; If you clean-out the hole and applied rubber cement to the highway plug before shoving it in - that would be a permanent fix. If the hole was dirty or you didn't use rubber cement; It may start leaking again. That's been my experience with those highway plugs.

Hope this helps...

 

I wouldn't say that rapid pressure loss confuses the sensor. Instead, the sensor sends readings at intervals (a minute??), not continuously -- this is how its battery can last a decade instead of a week -- and if a very rapid loss begins at the very start of such an interval, the tire could be so flat that you feel it before the next reading is sent and the car lights up the alert.

On top of that, the car doesn't always hear all the messages sent by the sensor. That is why it will go for 10-15 minutes of lost signals before alerting that something is wrong. Very infrequently, my car will exceed even this interval and trigger a false alarm. It isn't inconceivable that a few drivers are unlucky enough to get a fast tire leak during such an interval of lost signals.

But don't discount other suggestions from other readers.

 

The kits I got say temporary, but the couple fixes I did lasted years. One needed to be replugged as it started a slow leak in that time. Took one leak to the local tire shop, and they just used a more professional looking plug kit.

 

We're still using a snow tire I patched with an external plug-repair, in December of 2013. Used a BlackJack kit.

A small spritz bottle with dish soap solution is better.

 

Did you drive far on the flat? If the rim is on the sidewall on the pavement the tire can be seriously damaged. I'd get the inside of the tire inspected and patched if it looks good.

 

Not sure rubber cement is needed. I got a blackjack kit about a decade back, have used a couple of times on our 2010’s tires (one still in use, on snow tire set), and on other family members cars. It has 2 sizes of plugs. It has a jar of “stuff” you apply to the plug and needle, but it’s a grease, not glue. Both plug repairs on ours lasted long term, no problems.

 

You've been lucky Mendel; buy a lottery ticket

If you look at the plug packaging; it'll state that it's temporary - liability issue. Even those cans of fix-a-flat states that; though I've know of people who's been rolling around with that stuff in their tires for years and complaining about tire balance issues.

So far; I've had a 75% success rate with using a dry highway plugs. I've always used the larger diameter "truck tire" ones; figured it would seal better no matter the size of the hole.
Since I've been doing the rubber cement trick; it's been 100% success rate. By the way; they go in a lot easier - I guess the rubber cement acts as a lube; before it drys and seals. I've even plugged nail holes on the edge of the tire without issues - most shops won't plug anything beyond the tires' outer groove (shoulder of the tire)

 

Gutsy guys:

 

I didn't get a fancy case like that; but it looks like I've got similar tools on a cardboard shrink wrap package. Mine stated temporary; but I've driven at least two tires bald when the plug went in with more than half the threads left on the tires.

Hint: check the bicycle section of the store for small tubes of rubber cement. sometimes they are cheaper there than the automotive section.

 

Tire plugs are great if you need to finish out a trip etc. Rather than needing to go to nearest tire shop with tow truck. They are a heck of a lot better than the fix a flat that toyota sends with the car especially for bigger holes. This will let you drive and finish out the work week if you need to and make appointment for tire shop on saturday sort of thing.

 

Not sure if I've ever bought a plug kit that came without cement included. Last one I bought came with a can of it bigger than I'm comfortable packing in the car ... stuff is incendiary.