Well, not me, but the car. And without a lot of fuss, muss, or Soap Opera involvement!
I took it in to Kipling Tire this morning. They investigated and it was reparable. The cost was less than $25!
They also told me I would need new tires soon. The tires I have are the basic ones that get put on the cars when they come from the factory. They’re okay tires, not great, they do the job, but have a life of about 80K km tops. I’m almost as 60K km.
BTW, my brother Andrew said: My Sentra came with I think the same MX4 tires, and I got about 115,000 km on them. I must admit, by the end of their life, I could go into a puddle on the highway and not be sure where I would come out!
These tires are also fairly narrow (155mm), especially by today’s standards (175mm – 195mm – 205mm, depending on the type of vehicle). The same size (probably the same tire?) was on my 1986 Tercel, which had 90K km on it when I bought it. I replaced the tires shortly after purchase, and went to a wider (175mm) tire. The improvement in handling was amazing!
I was given a price of $89 plus tax per tire for Michelin Harmony size 175/70R13 tires. That includes the tire, installation, and balancing. Total would be $399 w/tax for a set of four. He also told me of a comparable Uniroyal tire at $69 each, but said the Michelin is a more durable tire that would last longer. I think for the $20/tire, the extra is worth it. Uniroyal and Michelin are the same company, so I’m told.
Before I left, the guy did a measurement on my existing tires. He estimated they have maybe 10K km left before they will need replacing.
I’m going to get new tires once the weather clears up, certainly before Chocoholic and I head out on any of our canoe trips, and definitely before we drive to Winnipeg, if we do. I don’t think we need to worry about the drive(s) to Belleville before then.
