Mechanic baffled after making bizarre discovery in tire during routine maintenance: 'Would not have believed it'

Sometimes, seeing is believing. When it comes to the carnage of seemingly diminutive disposable vapes on everything from tires to wildlife, it's best not to underestimate them.

That was the takeaway from a mechanic who shared images to the r/Justrolledintotheshop subreddit of how a vape pen punctured the tire of a customer's Mazda.

They shared photos of both the tire and the vape at fault and expressed their surprise by noting that "somehow" it had happened.

"If you had not included the pictures I would not have believed it," a Redditor similarly assessed. 

"Front wheel kicks it up and the rear wheel gets penetrated," another commenter suggested. Considering the OP confirmed it was the rear tire, that's a strong working theory.

Whatever the case, this mechanic isn't the first nor the last to have to intervene after a disposable vape takes out a tire. It's just one of the reasons vape pen litter is becoming a major public hazard.

For one thing, disposable vapes are bad for the users who use them due to their addictive and toxic nature. After users are done with them, they create problems for everyone else, with many of them cropping up on the ground. To be fair, vape disposal isn't straightforward.

They are notoriously hard to recycle due to their mishmash of nonbiodegradable plastic, aluminum, lithium batteries, metal, and more. That lithium-based battery requires significant resources to produce and creates a fire hazard for yard tools like lawnmowers. It goes without saying that they shouldn't be tossed in the trash, either.

The litter can also make its way to wildlife, as many disturbing examples — like a penguin brandishing one — have shown. That can be dangerous for animals or even small children who mistake it for food and ingest the chemicals.

For all these reasons, disposable vape bans are on the table for some areas, and other residents are pushing for stricter enforcement and harsher punishments for littering. 

Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely 👍 Only in some areas 🫤 Not really 👎 I'm not sure 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Until that's the case, more motorists will face a surprising culprit for flat tires. Redditors did have fun with the saga.

"See, vaping is bad," one wrote. "Save a tire, don't vape."

"The disastrous effects of second hand vape," one joked.

It wasn't a laughing matter to one Redditor who'd had it happen to them: "Pulled over to inspect and there was a Blu vape pen in my tire. Huge puncture that requires a new tire."

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