Lemme describe my situation first.

On the second last Sunday, when I was driving out for lunch, I noticed that the low tire pressure light went on for the first time.
So I drove to a gas station to inflate the tire and I found that only the right front tire was flat. (It was less than 10 psi and others were at normal 32 psi)

Then two days later I found that the same light was on again! The pressure was about 26 psi. I went to a tire shop to see if there is any damage on the tire. However the shop told me that there was nothing on the tire. So I left the shop. The light went off coz they inflated the tire for me.

On Thursday, the light was on again! So I called my dealer and told them the issue. They were surprised that even a tire shop cannot find the problem. I went to the dealer on Friday for a quick check and they said the tire was good. Losing pressure is normal because of the weather. (But why only one of the tires got low pressure?) And I was told that the pressure was too high for other tires and they adjusted that for me and reset the low tire pressure light.

When I was leaving work on the same day, the light went on again for the forth time! I called the dealer again and made another appointment for this Thursday. Then I went to a tire shop again and they again found no damage on the tire.

On Saturday the light was on for the fifth time and I was too tired to inflate the tire. I drove to some near places for lunch and dinner only.

I didn't drive on Sunday coz I went carpool with my friends going to Canada for a one-day short trip.

Yesterday I found that the tire was completely flat so I went to inflate the tire again. Then I reset the low tire pressure light and it didn't light up again for the rest of the day.

This morning I found that the tire was completely flat again.
The tire got flat six times in 1.5 week. My MINI is a 2010 Cooper S and I got it two months ago. It's only at about 1000 miles.
Do tires normally fail in a short period of time like this?
It is too annoying to get flat tire everyday. Does anyone have any similar experience with this?

 

One of my originals leaked from day one. Dealer, independent shop they recomended or my favorite tire shop couldn't find a leak. My shop said it was there but too small to find and some runflats seemed to do that. It isn't real common and they are selective but yes it happens and no you won't get it replaced. IMHO Mine was no where as fast as you say yours is, so I was able to run the tread off them and replace. Have the TPMS checked too, they seem to be a culprit.
Good Luck

 

fill the tire to about 45psi.

wet the tire around the rim.(you will have to remove the wheel from the car to check both sides)

It is leaking where you see the bubbles. The tire shop or the dealer should have done this for you. Most tire shops will have a large trough to dip the wheel in to perform this test. If no bubbles are found they should remove the tire from the rim and clean the rim and tire bead and reinstall the tire on the rim. If it leaks that fast after that I would write the tire company and really complain.

Ain't no tire supposed to leak air that fast. And your sensors are working fine because the tire is low when it tells you it is low.

As fast as the air is leaking out of your tire it should really show up the bubbles.

Oh! also really check the valve stem and be sure it is not leaking there.

 

Put soapy water around the base of the tire valve. If it's loose on its mount, it will leak air and form bubbles. It happened to me. You can try to tighten it up by turning it clockwise until you get a shop to dismount the tire to get access to the back for proper torque.

 

Not soapy water. Use soapy water and you can not tell soap bubbles from air bubbles if the leak is tiny. Use plain ole water.

This technique goes back to when they first started putting air in tires. It is nothing brand new.

If there is a leak you will see the bubbles. The worst thing is if the tire only leaks when the weight of the car is on it or when the tire is rotating. That is why I told a-fung to call or write the tire maker if it is that sort of a problem. I'm sure they would want to know if it is a manufacturing problem if the tire is leaking thru the side wall without any puncture marks in it.

 

yes yes yes

Well if the guys at America's Tire did that on my valve stem with soapy water, I think that's a right technique. The plain water trick only works if you put the entire valve under water so you can see the air bubble coming out.

 

I guess with my selling tires for 27 years I don't really know a thing. I still say ""NO SOAP"" That may work if the hole is huge or just the valve stem but apparently a-fung's air leak is very very slight if showing with no weight on it at all. Take the wheel off and dip it in clear water. It is still the best way to tell if a tire has an air leak. If that does not show a leak the tire needs to come off of the rim and the inside needs to be inspected. a-fungs tire goes down pretty fast so he has the real problem when the sidewall is being flexed so my opinion is a sidewall problem. He needs to go to a real tire store such as "Discount tire" or "tire Kingdpm" and they will do what needs to be done to find the problem. He may even have a defective "WHEEL"(probably not because it is so rare) None of the tire problems that are not a puncture are really easy to find. It does take someone willing to actually do a little work to find the problem.

Well if the guys at America's Tire did that on my valve stem with soapy water, I think that's a right technique.(((VALVE STEM))))

 

I'm not dissing your knowledge Ronnie. I have used both methods to check for leaks & both have worked for me. My thinking is the soap makes the water more viscus letting it stay around the rim or valve stem better. If one is careful when they add a bit of soap to the water there will not be a lot of bubbles to confuse the situation.

If this was my car I'd want the tire dismounted from the rim. That way you can inspect the inside. I have had flat tires with nothing showing on the outside & a puncture visible on the inside. Also pull the TPMS valve from that wheel & replace the seals.

Just my .02, motor on....

 

There is nothing as annoying as having a tire keep going flat with no visable reason.


"""If this was my car I'd want the tire dismounted from the rim. That way you can inspect the inside. I have had flat tires with nothing showing on the outside & a puncture visible on the inside. Also pull the TPMS valve from that wheel & replace the seals"""

I think we are on about the same wavelentgh. The tire needs to come off the rim. Checking the TPMS seal is a great idea. They were not around when I was working for a living.

Because the tire goes flat so fast when he drives the car I'm leaning on a sidewall defect. I sure hope he finds the problem and lets us know what it was.

The big problem is the dealers do not warrenty tires at all and they could care less if he has a defective one. He needs a real tire store. If the tire is defective the manufacture will replace it.