‘Went From Expensive To Real Expensive’: Woman Gets A Flat Tire. Then The Mechanic Sees What She Ran Over

A woman realizes she’s got a flat tire, so she ventures to the repair shop to get it patched or replaced. That’s when she finds out exactly what she ran over to get that flat.

TikTok creator Christina (@christilashea) took a video of the old tire so she could show her followers exactly what happened.

“I got a flat tire the other day,” she says to start the video. “Anyways, this is the culprit, right? I went today to get the tire changed, and the dude says, ‘Oh, that looks like a screwdriver.’”

Christina turns the tire over, and from the other side, you can see the end of a flathead screwdriver sticking out of the rim.

How Does Someone Run Over A Screwdriver?

That’s what viewers in the comments section wanted to know. “How does that even happen?” one person asked.

A second person joked, “The irony of it being a FLAT head screwdriver.” Christina even had to laugh at that one.

A third person guessed, “Well that rim is screwed.”

Apparently, this isn’t as uncommon of an occurrence as you might think. A mechanic posted a photo of a tire with a screwdriver in it from their shop. “Literally came through last week,” they wrote.

Someone else observed, “Went from expensive to real expensive, sorry girl.”

How Did This Job Go From Expensive To Really Expensive?

According to Lemonade, it generally costs between $20–$50 to repair a flat tire. Of course, that’s if a patch or plug will do the trick. Some repairs can cost more depending on a few factors, including what part of the tire was pierced.

If the damage is significant or the rim was damaged, you’re looking at a replacement. A Reddit user posted to r/tires a couple of years ago after his wife ran over a screwdriver. “We found a good chunk in her tire,” the man wrote. “Is this something we could repair or should we replace the tire?"

Numerous commenters replied with a similar sentiment. “This is unsafe and needs replacement,” said one person. A second person agreed, “You can clearly see the threads, dude. It’s finished!”

When it comes to replacing a tire, well, the cost is obviously going to be much higher than a simple patch. The final total will depend on the vehicle’s make and model as well as the kind of tires, but drivers can expect to pay between $100 and $500 for the tire itself and the installation fee.

About 10 months ago, a Reddit user posted to r/AskaMechanic for advice on whether to pay $346 to replace a single tire. Several mechanics in the comments suggested shopping around at multiple tire shops to secure the best price.

Motor1 reached out to Christina via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We will update this story if she responds.