At the suggestion of @bb964 I’m posting a video I made about replacing the OEM tire sealant found in the frunk of our 991s which have a four year expiration date. When was the last time you checked yours?

 

Dave, where did you get the Terra-S from?, seems like it's not widely available in USA, but I see it on Amazon (shipped from UK) and various other size containers on eBay, RMeuropean, autohausaz and few other places...

 

You are correct that it’s not widely available in the US. It is made in Germany. As you mentioned, Amazon was the way I went and it took about 2 weeks to get as it shipped from UK. Total price I paid with shipping & tax was $30.11.

TERRA-S 1052890 Tyre Sealant, 450ml

 

I don’t know what kind of pixie dust the German stuff has in it, but you can pick up a bottle of Slime Sealant at Walmart for under $10. I’ve seen it work firsthand and keep a bottle with me on road trips. But no, it doesn’t fit in the stock factory location.

https://www.slime.com/au/products/la...re-sealant.php

DaveGee

 

My car was at the Stealership a few months ago for recall work and they called me fishing for additional work - told me my tire sealant was expired and they would replace for around $180. I laughed and said no thank you.

 

Hahahaha $180!!!

 

Did this sealant stuff actually help someone with a flat? Ever?

Did not work for Nick here -

 

Nick Murray is a clown. But in any case, it looks like he had a split in his tire, which is not what the goo is supposed to plug anyway.

I was on a drive not too long ago where one of the participants used Slime to plug a puncture which enabled him to drive to a shop for a proper patch. Just like it was designed to do. So yes, the goo does work, but only on small punctures located on the tread portion of the tire, not the sidewall. And not splits in the tire.

DaveGee

 

Easily overlooked maintenance item. My dealer couldn't ever remember replacing a bottle of sealant -- or even checking the expiration date on one.

 

Meh....AAA tow, done.

 

I really can't see using or replacing this goo if I have a puncture or it goes "end of life". In theory, you could use it and the OEM air pump to limp to a service station for a proper repair. And I'd be worried this stuff would make the tire unrepairable, anyway. I look at it as a last ditch option, if I can't reach a service provider by phone. My car is a '17, and other than morbid curiosity I am not sure I would check the expiration date. The can of Slime mentioned above is a good idea, easy one-time use. I had one in the truck when I was pulling our Airstream, but never used it.

I do try and be proactive in tire care; probably like most of you. Monitoring tire pressures and addressing at least monthly, making a walk around the car every time I fill up with gas to check for screw heads, unusual wear, dry wall screws, etc. I found a slow leak in my 981S that way. Inflated it with my 12VDC pump and drove to the tire fitter and got it addressed.

 

I hope I never have to use it, but I'll carry this in my car if I'm going for long drives.

 

The problem with all these plugger tools is that it will be extremely difficult/impossible to use without removing the tire. And most of us don't carry a jack or a lug wrench. (unless you have one of them 996 jacks)

 

It's definitely not perfect and I do carry both items, but for anyone that hasn't used this tool before, the one I posted is a lot easier to use than the string style as it uses a spring loaded tool, so it's a lot easier to insert than the alternative. I have used this on a tire that was attached to a car before as well, fortunately it was a front tire and so we could turn it outwards. If one goes on long drives into the mountains, it's not always possible to pick up the phone to call AAA so I think it's important to have some tools to help you when you are in a bind.

 

I went with this - seems to be a direct fit replacement (without the VW/Porsche part number) for ~$30:

https://www.pelicanparts.com/More_In...Y&fs=0&SVSVSI=

Date was just expired by a couple of months - surprisingly the dealer actually replaced as part of maintenance plan service 4 yrs ago...