FWIW- Right in the begining of my freshman year in college, I noticed a hissing sound coming from my tire and it was a nail causing it. As a poor and adventurous college kid, I decided to make use of what I had. I took an old used windshield wiper rubber blade I had in my trunk, folded it, and covered it with rubber cement I had for my bicycle inner tube patch kit. Using the folded part of the blade, I put it on a screward driver and shoved it into the hole where the nail had been in.
My tire tread was pretty good then, and those tires lasted another 4 years before getting new one. It held pressure with only adding air with the other tires during routine maintenance.
I had a couple of other plugs put in by tire shops, they held air, but didn't keep the tire or that particular car long.
Usually, if I get a flat, I insist on a patch.

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