flattire-main_full1When I pulled up to Discount Tire recently, I had been driving on my full-size spare tire for nearly two years. The original tire was wounded with a small nail and had been wilted in my trunk the entire time.

I was sheepish when I relayed this information, but the mechanics weren’t fazed. They took my keys, and I settled in with a magazine, waiting to hear the damage. I imagined they’d tell me that driving on a spare had worn all my tires differently and that I’d need at least one new tire and have to pay for the rotation.

Around 20 minutes later, they handed me my bill. It itemized the tire repair and rotation, and the total was $0.

I held up the bill. “Really?” I asked, and the mechanic nodded.

Still in disbelief, I called the store after I got home to make sure my bill was correct. It turns out that Discount Tire will fix any tire for free, and, if you buy tires from them, you’ll get free rotations as well.