Guides
What to do, and what the numbers mean
These guides cover what to do when a tire goes down in Austin, whether to call a roadside plan or a mobile service, whether a puncture can be repaired, how to read the date code on a sidewall, and what tire pressure should be in Texas heat. They are written to answer the question, not to sell the service.
Two of these are for somebody who has a problem right now. The rest explain the things a driver is expected to know and is mostly never told.
If it just happened
Flat tire on I-35 in Austin
Get the car as far onto the shoulder as it will go and put the hazards on. Where you wait depends on the shoulder. Note the nearest exit number and which way you are travelling, because that is how anyone finds you. TxDOT's free HERO patrol changes flats on I-35 during its hours; outside them, call us.
Tire service open right now in Austin
ENAS answers the phone and sends a van at any hour, every day of the year, including holidays. There is no night, weekend or holiday surcharge. Most tire shops in Austin are closed overnight and on Sundays, which is the gap this exists to fill. Call or text (512) 573-0135.
Flat tire on a Tesla in Austin
Do not drive on it. Tesla ships no spare and the tires are not run-flats, so a flat ruins the sidewall within a mile. Get off the lane, stay with the car, and call a mobile tire service that carries jack pads and can patch a foam-lined tire from the inside.
Roadside assistance or a mobile tire service?
Most roadside plans, AAA included, do one of two things with a flat: fit your spare or tow the car. With a good spare and time to wait, use the plan; it is already paid for. With no spare, or at night when shops are closed, a mobile service fixes the tire where the car is.
Worth knowing before it does
Can my tire be repaired?
A puncture is repairable if it is in the tread, no larger than a quarter of an inch, does not overlap an earlier repair, and the tire was not driven far while flat. Anything in the sidewall or the shoulder is not repairable at any size, and no competent shop will patch one.
How old is my tire?
Find the letters DOT on the sidewall and read the last four digits of the code after them. The first two are the week, the last two are the year, so 3419 means week 34 of 2019. Manufacturers commonly advise a yearly inspection from six years and replacement by ten.
Tire pressure in Texas heat
Your correct pressure is on the sticker in the driver's door jamb, not the figure moulded into the tire, which is a maximum. Check pressures cold, before driving. Pressure falls about 1 PSI for every 10 degrees Fahrenheit the temperature drops, which is why the light appears on the first cold morning.
Plug, patch, or both?
The correct repair is a combination patch and plug fitted from inside the tire, with the tire off the rim. A plug alone leaves the inner liner open and unexamined. A patch alone seals the liner but leaves the hole through the tread free to let water reach the steel belts.
What to do when you get a flat in Austin
Stop somewhere flat and out of the way, and do not drive on a flat tire unless you are moving to somewhere safer. Find the size on the sidewall before you call, so the right tire arrives. If the car came without a spare, a repair or a replacement at the car is the only route home.
Tell us where you are.
Call or text (512) 573-0135. Give us the cross street or a dropped pin and we will tell you what it costs before anyone drives.
Call nowCall (512) 573-0135(512) 573-0135