When I was driving on the highway in Mexico, I suddenly noticed that my tire pressure warning light came on. This handy little invention saved me from changing a flat tire twice before. But now, on the highway in the middle of nowhere–or so it seemed in my panic when I saw the warning light–I knew I had little time to get to a gas station to check the tires. I didn’t want to have to change a flat on the highway, especially since it had been miles since I saw anything resembling a shoulder where I could pull over. Luckily, I saw a Pemex gas station a few minutes later. I had the attendant check my tires and he told me that my front driver’s side tire was low on air. Suddenly, I remembered driving into a pothole that swallowed my entire tire in Celaya. Then he pointed out a hole in the sidewall. When you go to the tire shops in the U.S., damage to the sidewall automatically means that you have to buy a new tire. I asked the attendant if there was a tire repair shop nearby. He told me to keep going a couple of more blocks until I saw the sign that read, “Vulca.” As I pulled up, I didn’t see any new tires. I pointed to the hole in the sidewall and asked the vulcanizador if he could repair it. He nodded and immediately jacked up my car and removed the tire. He took the tire off the rim and patched the hole from the inside. He repaired my flat in about ten minutes. And he only charged me thirty pesos, which was about three dollars. I was so grateful to have averted changing a flat tire that I tipped him twenty pesos. We were both extremely happy by the transaction. Well, I drove more than two-thousand miles on that repaired tire. I’m still driving on it! That makes me wonder about all those previous new tires I bought because I was told that sidewall damage couldn’t be repaired!
Chicago USA 
Hi, Liliam! I didn’t block you from reading my blog. Some spammer blocked you and the entire World Wide Web from reading my blog. But now I’m back. Thanks for reading and commenting! 🙂
Ima, I attribute all this waste to capitalism. There is a bigger profit margin in selling a whole new tire, not to mention labor, balancing, and the disposal fee for the old tire. And they don’t have the exact model of your tire in stock, they will tell you that you have to buy two tires because they have to be the same tires in the front or rear. When I was in Mexico, not everyone had matching tires. In fact, I saw some tires without any tread on them! On the bright side, capitalism is slowly, but surely giving way to green!
Hi David, I can read your blog again! I wonder why you blocked me? Anyway, I am glad I can read your blog again, because i do enjoy it.
Like Ima, I compare the creativity of people living in many second/third world countries, with shopper spirit of people livling in America… it’s a survival thing! In Mexico, Guatemala or the rest of Latin America people learn trades and start their own microbusiness which grow steadily if they offer good quality. In the U.S., people have careers which make them dependent on big corporations, have a greater adquisition power, and are bombarded with the idea that “shopping” keeps our economy growing and flowing (which is true, but you don’t have to buy new to keep it flowing). Well, of course the hard working guy with the “vulcanizadora” down on Elston and Rockwell won’t have much business because he can’t pay for the advertising of Firestone, Pepboys and Sears, even though he is being green and is recycling, he does not have waiting areas with nice chairs for the customers. Values and priorities…just like English and Spanish 🙂 Nice blog Dr. D, again you got me back to my roots 🙂
Makes me wonder if tire shops repair the damaged ones to resell.
Wouldn’t it be nice if our society learned how to take care of things for each other like in the poorer countries and helped others save money, recycle things, did things more sensibly…or am I dreaming too much?
Perhaps this “going green” bandwagon is a good one to jump onto after all! I just wish it weren’t a trend and would become a lifestyle change for many many people and (most of all for) corporations.