[quote author="Astute Observer" date=1234325172]I don't know if I got ripped off, but I brought a set of Mich from Costco several years ago. And four weeks ago, I found a nail on one of the tires. Pressure still holds up. I brought it to Costco at Tustin II, and they said they refuse to fix it because the tire is too old. I hardly drive it, so there are still plenty of thread on them. Anyway, I am too busy to bike there and drive it back, so I told them to give me a new set of tires. I just don't feel good about the whole experience. I tried The Just Tired at Jamboree and Edinger for patching previously, but almost every time they says the nail is too close to side wall. Don't know if every tire store try to do business with me.</blockquote>
There is a date code on the side of the tire at the end of the DOT number. it will read something like:
2304
Which means the tire was built the twenty third week of 2004. That tire is almost 5 years old and is close to the end of it's life. A modern radial tire (modern meaning newer than 1976) will last 5-6 years before the moisture in the air (you know, the air they used to inflate the tire?) actually causes the steel to rust out and that causes the belt package to delaminate and seperate and that causes a unexpected blowout, almost always at highway speeds.
They likely didn't explain it that way, but that's what they were trying to tell you.
You can trust Costco to always tell you the truth about your tires. Nobody there is on comission or has enough brains to lie to you. Costco does a good job of training monkeys to not screw it up.
If you get a nail anywhere near the sidewall, that tire is unreparable. If it's in the middle, it's easy. Even if you can safely fix a nail in the sidewall, nobody will do it because of the liaiblity thanks to the Ford Explorer/Firestone disaster a decade ago (not the fault of the tires, but of Ford for recomending the tires be underinflated to get the truck to pass rollover standards).
JitB isn't my fav. fast food. That would go to Del Taco. I like Jack but it's usually the third option. I'm just worried about Jack.