Most flat-tire calls stall on what's supposed to fix the flat, not the flat itself: a spare that's low on its own air, lug nuts torqued on too tight to budge by hand, or a jack point the car doesn't actually have. Detroit Towing carries tools for all three and dispatches 24 hours a day except Sunday, 12:30 to 5:30 PM.
A flat tire call rarely goes wrong because of the flat itself — it goes wrong because of what's supposed to fix it. The spare's been sitting under the trunk liner for years and is low on its own air. The lug nuts got torqued on by a machine at the last tire shop and won't budge with a hand wrench. Or the jack that came with the car doesn't line up with where this particular vehicle needs to be lifted. Any one of those turns a routine swap into a call for help.
None of that is unusual, and none of it should turn into a longer wait than the flat itself deserves. A driver showing up with a breaker bar, a compressor, and a full-size spare or plug kit handles the parts of the job your own trunk wasn't equipped for — the tire itself is rarely the hard part.
What if my spare is flat too?
It happens more than people expect, since a spare only gets checked when it's needed, and by then it's too late to have caught it early. If there's air in it, a compressor gets it road-ready in the time it takes to swap the flat; if it's beyond that or missing altogether, a plug or a tow to get a replacement tire becomes the actual job.
- Compressor to check and refill a low spare
- Plug kit for a fixable puncture
- Breaker bar for stuck lug nuts
Why won't my lug nuts come off?
An impact wrench at a tire shop torques lug nuts on far harder than a hand wrench is built to undo, and it's common on vehicles that just had tires rotated or replaced. A breaker bar and the right leverage handles most of those. A nut that's actually seized or stripped is a different problem, and sometimes means the wheel comes off with the stud instead of the nut, which changes what the rest of the job looks like.
What if I don't have a jack or lug wrench with me?
That's fine — the truck carries its own jack, breaker bar, and impact tools, so nothing in your trunk needs to work for the swap to happen.
Can you patch the tire instead of putting on the spare?
Sometimes — a plug works for a straightforward puncture in the tread, not a sidewall tear or a blowout. The driver checks the damage on-site and tells you honestly which one applies before doing either.
What if my lug nuts are stripped or won't turn at all?
That's a step past a standard tire change — a stripped or seized nut sometimes has to come off with the stud, which means the wheel needs a shop visit afterward rather than a spare bolted on roadside. The driver will tell you on-site if that's what's happening.
Is a flat tire change available on Sunday?
Yes, between 12:30 and 5:30 PM. Every other day of the week, it's a 24-hour service.