clare wrote, on Thu, 10 Dec 2015 16:24:36 -0500:

Why would you? It's only YOUR LIFE riding on that tire, and the lives
of everybody you may hit if the tire blows on the road. DO NOT screw
around with tire , brake, or steering repairs. A criminal negligence
charge will stay with you for a lifetime even if you survive.

This isn't the ladies' knitting group.
Nothing has been patched yet.
This is a *discussion*.

What we're seeking is a second source for the fluids used in tire
repair. If you think that these fluids are *super special*, then
you have a different opinion than I do.

I *assume* (yes, I know) that these three fluids are commonly available.
I'm just trying to find out *what* they are.

You would probably say "just buy the professional stuff" and that *might*
actually be the best answer. But, oftentimes the best answer, for a
homeowner, is to use the same fluid, but packaged for the homeowner.

For example, if the pre-buff fluid is either MEK or Naptha (as has
been opined so far), both are easily available at Lowes.

The sealer is the trickier fluid to figure out what it is, since
that is the fluid that protects the inner seal.

That "most critical" fluid has only become anything resembling common
in the last decade or so. It was virtually unheard of when I was
working as a mechanic and fixing tires - and I'd venture to guess
better than 90% of tire repair shops still don't use it - barticularly
with a "mushroom" patch.

This is interesting. You have far more experience than I do, so I
greatly appreciate your advice. Today I stopped off at Costco to
see what they use, and they showed me a can of their stuff, which
they use as part of the final repair. But I don't know what other
shops use.

The trick now is to figure out *what* that tar-like substance is
made up of, to see if we can find a second source in the home box
stores.