A hot summer Sunday afternoon is not a good time to see this warning on your dashboard:  Check left rear tire pressure. Yikes! Who wants a flat tire in this heat? I take a few deep breaths. Auto repair and tire shops are closed on Sunday.  That leaves the big  box discount store out on the highway as my only alternative. I drive into their garage and tell them about the warning.  The mechanic  looks down and says, “You need a new tire. This one has a nail in it.”  An alarm  goes off in my head:  Beware: tire scammers target seniors.

And yet, I’m afraid he could be right.  I ask how long it will take, and he tells me there are several ahead of me.  I say I can’t wait, and he agrees to give me some air, which should last until morning, but a new tire is a must.

Now, my  left rear pressure is back up to 35 psi.  I get home and look at my tire.  Sure enough, I see the head of a nail. The guy wasn’t lying about that. My husband and I agree we must do something by morning, before the tire goes flat. But hey, wait a minute  We have a trusted tire dealer who always pumps up my tires for free after I hit a pot hole.  Why not get a second opinion?

Next morning, I pull into the dealership.  Service man looks at my tire, sees the nail.  Since my pressure hasn’t gone down, he thinks it’s safe to wait a few hours, when they can work me into their schedule. He thinks the tire can be repaired, not replaced.

They put the tire up on the rack while I sit in the waiting room.  Service man  returns in half an hour , says they removed a two inch nail and patched the tire.  I reach for my purse, and he smiles.  ‘No charge, ma’am.” He walks me to my car and shows me the treads are still good.  The repair job should last as long as my tire.  Ihttps://www.yourmechanic.com/article/my-tire-has-a-nail-in-it-what-should-i-do     I  thank him profusely,  and drive away.

I drive home on a cloud.  Yes, there are some are some  good, honest  people in this world!    Then my mood turns south. What if I had waited a couple of hours yesterday, while they installed an unneeded  new tire at the discount store?  Why didn’t that mechanic suggest a repair? I can’t say for sure, but I think I was being scammed.

Beware of tire scammers who target seniors.