Tire question
 

My wife dropped car off at shop for something. She picked up and noticed the tire was really flat. So I put on spare and filled bad tire with air trying to find leak. Well 3 weeks later it is still at 50 psi ( yes high), holding air. Do you think the tire needs weight on it to leak, someone let air out of tire or something else? I can’t find leak.
Thank you.

Hit a curb?

Yes, I think position and weight can make a difference. I wouldn't expect the difference to be that extreme, but then I've never tested it.

Can you submerge it in water so see if it leaks? Cement mixing tub, Nearby pond, Wife's bathtub? (It is her tire:D:D:D)

I'd mount it on a weekend and go drive it myself, and barring pressure loss, monitor daily. Does it have tpms?

edit- another option, mount tire on car, cover in soap (dawn dishwashing soap or something), hose with water, look for bubbles.

She claims she didn’t hit. Curb. I’ll see if I can find something to submerge in. Thank you.

It could possibly be a slow valve stem leak. The 50psi higher pressure helped to seal it. Weird.

I’ll let some air out and see what it does. Yeah weird.

Have you carefully checked the tread for nails/screws/wires that may be in there?
I once found a small sheet metal screw I thought was a rock caught in between the treads.

I have seen a tire leak only when sitting a particular way, the old alloy rims on my BMW e28 do this. Lay the tire flat and soak the bead with soapy water, should still see some small bubbles, possibly let some pressure out bring it back to normal.

Me too. We had some rust on the inside of chrome wheels at the bead.

Do you think the shop checked the tire pressure? There is a chance the valve did not seat properly after, but sealed with more pressure added.

Nail or screw. Leaks when driving. I've had trucks leak, refill and fine for weeks, park or drive differently and it leaks again.

WHens the last time it was checked? I have a wheel that leaks air (not tire). Takes about 2-3 months to go down...

Probably the valve stem leaks only when spun.

Did the 'something' require a tire to be removed, potentially getting the valve stem damaged in the process?

Easy enough to diagnose, play with the valve stem -see if it leaks.

Not saying this happened but:

I, once, took my husband's car to get an oil change. I know should have done myself but time was an issue. The shop tried to upsell me on nitrogen in the tires. I said no. As I pulled out of the parking lot, the tire light came on. Turned around. I lost it in the lobby when they tried to say this would not have happened if I had gotten the nitrogen (it's so much better, blah, blah). They purposely let the air out. By the time I was done in the lobby, 3 potential customers walked out without service.

Note to self ....

Don't EVEN think about letting the air outta Stephanie's tire ... her hubby may not bite .... but .... just don't :)

Nice, I wish I'd been there or it was on youtube. I think there's 3 types of "shops", 1 good-great, 2 incompetent, and 3 crooked. I've run into all 3. Fortunately, I think crooked is less common than incompetent. Unfortunately good-great are the least common of all (or certainly the hardest to find).

The manager of the shop was "Big Jim" (you don't mess around with him). But what they didn't who they was messin' with. Stephanie said "down at home they call me Slim." Or at least that's how I heard the story. You don't tug on Superman's cape. You don't spit into the wind. You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger. And you don't mess around with Stephanie.

You guys are too funny. :)