A routine tire repair became anything but when a technician at a second shop found something strange that the first shop left behind.
The video documenting the strange happening came from SWT Direct (@stwdirect), a tire shop located in Lincolnton, North Carolina, under the slogan, “We Stack’ Em Deep And Sell’ Em Cheap.” This particular selection from its TikTok, dominated by tire talk, got more than 1.2 million views since going up on Tuesday.
In it, the technician notes that a shop “up the road” had patched the tire, but it still had issues. Specifically, he said it had “major vibration problems,” noting, “The thing is, you can hear something inside of this tire.”
So, after putting it on the balancer, he begins to take the tire off its rim. “You can already see there’s something down there,” he assesses. “Let’s take the rest of the tire off and see what’s going on.”
When he gets the remainder of the tire off, it’s a shocking sight: Two different tools have been left inside the tire. He marvels at the discovery, noting, “Now, how in the hell you call yourself professionals and leave tools like this inside of a tire?”
@stwdirect ♬ original sound – STW Direct ™️
Commenters had much to say
“At least you got free tools,” one cracked, though others accused him of planting the tools in the tire himself to make a more compelling video.
One said, perhaps with tongue in cheek, “It’s happened to us at least once. If customer returns, you simply take it out the tire and keep ’em going. No need to bash people we all make mistakes.”
Another was critical of another aspect of the questionable repair, saying, “Obviously not professionals. Who patches the sidewall.”
Though a debate ensued about whether the patch really was in the sidewall, it was a reminder of one of the tenets of tire repair. According to NAPA Auto Parts, “If you have a leak, hole or tear in your sidewall as opposed to your tread, you should not repair it with a patch. The thinness of the sidewall gives little material for a patch to adhere to, and the damage to the sidewall leaves the tire structurally compromised. As mentioned before, the sidewall tends to flex, putting extra stress on the repair and increasing the likelihood of patch failure, which is more likely to occur at higher speeds and pressures.”
Of course, another tenet of proper tire repairs is to not stow your tools in the tire you just repaired.
The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via email for comment.
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