Short answer
Help Me can connect you with a neighbor who has a jack, a pump, or a few minutes in a public lot to help with a flat tire or low tire pressure. Do it in a busy, lit lot, not on a road shoulder. A neighbor is not a tire shop or a tow truck, so call one if the tire is beyond a spare.
The facts, in one place
- Change a tire in a lot, not on a road shoulder or a traffic lane.
- A neighbor with a jack, a pump, or a gauge can save an hour.
- Cold lowers tire pressure, so check it when the weather drops.
- A neighbor is not a shop. Call one if the spare is not enough.
Where flats happen
A grocery lot. A campus ramp. The edge of a parking row at a mall. A driveway after a nail from a construction season. The good news about a lot is that it is flat, lit, and public, which is where a flat tire should be dealt with. The bad news is that most people have not changed a tire in years, and a spare can be as flat as the tire it replaces.
- Two more hands to loosen stubborn lug nuts.
- A jack that actually works on your car.
- A portable pump or a gauge for low pressure.
- Someone who has done this before and knows the order.
Low pressure in the cold
Cold air lowers tire pressure, which is why the warning light often comes on during the first deep freeze of the season. Check your pressure against the number on the sticker inside your driver's door, not the number on the tire. A neighbor with a gauge or a pump can help, and a gas station air pump is usually nearby.
What a neighbor cannot do
A neighbor is not a tire shop or a tow service, and nobody promises a tire fix. If the tire is damaged beyond a spare, or if you are on a road shoulder, call roadside assistance or a tow, and call 911 if you are in a traffic lane. Helpers can apply to be reviewed by our team. Help Me does not run background checks. You can report or block any member at any time.
Help Me is not an emergency service. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 or your local emergency number.
Questions people actually ask
No. Do not change a tire on a road shoulder or in a traffic lane. Move to a busy, lit lot if you can, and call roadside assistance or 911 if you cannot.
Cold air lowers tire pressure. Check it against the number on the sticker inside the driver's door, and add air if it is low.
Then it needs a shop or a tow. A neighbor can keep you company while you call, but cannot fix a damaged spare.
Keep going
- The small stuffA jump start, from someone nearbyAsk a neighbor with jumper cables in Fargo, West Fargo, or Moorhead. Busy public lots, both people outside the car. Not a mechanic, a tow, or 911.
- The small stuffWinter car help, which is just Fargo from November onFrozen doors, a car packed in by snow, a windshield that will not clear, a dead battery. Winter car help from neighbors in Fargo, West Fargo, and Moorhead.
- The small stuffBike help, from someone with a pumpA flat bike tire, a slipped chain, a loose seat in Fargo or Moorhead. A neighbor with a pump and a few minutes. Not a bike shop, and not a repair service.
- GuideYour car will not start. Now what?How to tell a dead battery from something worse, what to try in order, and when to stop and call a tow in Fargo-Moorhead.
- Fargo, NDFargo: ask your block for the small stuffAsk Fargo neighbors for the small stuff: a phone charger, directions, a daylight jump start. Public places, a private chat, and a closer block than you think.
- How it worksHow Help Me worksAsk in one sentence. A neighbor nearby can say yes. You chat privately and meet in a public place. Four steps, for the small stuff in Fargo-Moorhead.
Help Me is a community app for adults in Fargo–Moorhead. It is not a K–12 student program, not a youth chat, and not campus police.