Traveling around the country doing a magic show is a ton of fun! However, it’s not all fun. Two days ago, I got a flat tire. My rental car didn’t have a spare; many new cars come with an inflator and a can of tire sealant. Which is way inferior to a spare tire! This is only good for a small leak; if you get a big blowout, you’re stuck.
Two days ago, I hit something in the road, and my tire got a small hole in it. No big deal, I was able to take care of it with the tire sealant and make it to my next gig on time. After that show, I went to a tire shop in a small town. I told them what happened and that I used tire sealant to get back on the road.
They examined the tire and told me that they had sprayed it and couldn’t find anything wrong with it. I was shocked at this! I saw where the hole in the tire was making bubbles from the tire sealant on the side of the road. It was really a strange interaction. I know you’re not supposed to drive with just the sealant plugging the hole in a tire for very long. When I got to the next city, I went to a Big O Tires, which is a national chain, not a small shop as I had been to previously. They found the hole and plugged it.
While chatting with the guys at the Big O Tires, they were amazed that the people at the other tire shop didn’t clean out the sealant before looking for the hole. I agreed! Now I’m back on the road and feel way safer about my car!
The moral of this story is that I need my car to get me to the gigs. If I had listened to the first small town tire shop, which I knew was wrong, I probably would have had another flat tire! Keep your car in working order.
-Louie