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Do you have a question about the history of our local club or the Porsche brand in Las Vegas? Drop me an email at jordan_godorov@yahoo.com 

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Change Out That Flat Tire with Your Spare…Not So Fast!

By: Jordan Godorov

Back in 2005, Porsche started offering tire sealing gel as standard equipment on new vehicles from the factory. If you got a flat tire on your Boxster and wanted to swap it out with your spare, you were out of luck. 

Fortunately, Porsche has provided an easier and quicker solution to get you back on the road, without getting your hands dirty from removing and replacing a tire. By providing a tire sealant gel and a portable air compressor that is powered by the 12-volt auxiliary outlet in your car, you are able to put a liquid sealant in the tire, air it up, and be one your way relatively quickly. In order to use the tire sealant in your flat tire, please follow the instructions in your owner’s manual. The manual’s procedure is pretty easy to understand. One important item to remember is that the tire sealant is only an emergency repair. You must take your Porsche to a tire shop or repair facility to have your tire changed out.  Porsche does not recommend patching tires once they have punctures – the tire should be changed for a new one.

A few months ago on our Porsche Club drive to Topock, Ca, we discovered how critical this tire sealant is. More importantly, we learned that the tire sealant has an expiration date. A participant on the drive suffered a flat tire. Upon opening the frunk and inspecting the sealant, we discovered that it had expired in 2022 – three years prior. The sealant was solidified in the container and unable to be used. Fortunately, another Porsche on the drive had a fresh tire sealant onboard and that driver was able to assist in the flat tire repair.

 The tire sealant must be swapped out every 4 years. If you have brought your Porsche into Gaudin Porsche, Porsche Henderson, or any other service facility that follows Porsche’s maintenance guidelines, you will notice that part of the 4-year major service is a replacement of your tire sealant.

This is what the tire sealant looks like:

Now is a good time for you to go out to your garage or driveway and make sure your tire sealant is fresh. If it is expired, throw it away. New sealant can be purchased at your local authorized Porsche dealer and is always available for purchase online from the various Porsche part suppliers on the Interwebs. Safe travels!