1 week in Tesla tire got a nail in it and I have a flat.. question!
Hey guys, just got my MY on Saturday. Noticed an alert today.. checked my tire. There was a nail in it. Sigh. Luckily it’s sitting in my parent’s driveway. Question: I have Farmers ins. Now, I assume I call Farmer’s road side and would they tow it to a Tesla service center or a tire replacement place (I.e. Costco?). Also, I bought a used MY, would this be covered since I get a warranty for my used purchase? Trying to figure out the best way to navigate this. I think they are Tesla tires (have the red marking on them). TIA!
When it comes to consumables like tires, there is nothing different about Tesla vehicles. That means, of course, a vehicle warranty isn’t going to cover them. It also means there aren’t “Tesla tires.”
You can have it towed to any tire shop or Tesla service center to get a new tire, which you will have to pay for. Depending on the mileage on the tires, you may want to buy two. The shop will advise you on that.
Some shops may try to sell you on 4 tires, claiming that you'll want matched tires for an all-wheel-drive car. That's unnecessary with a dual-motor setup (and, of course, doesn't apply if you have a single motor).
Depending on the location of the nail, it can likely be patched. You dont necessarily need a brand new tire. You could even do this yourself with a kit from walmart/autozone/etc. Some tire places will patch for free, otherwise its a small expense (sub $20-30)
https://www.keystonechevrolet.com/fix-a-nail-in-your-tire/
Call ahead and find a local tire shop that will work on a Tesla, and has the lift pads (if you don't). I did that and found one that did. No need to go to a SC. When I had a nail in a tire, my SC actually told me to go to any reputable local tire shop. They did not want to fix it.
Your insurance company should be able to set you up with a tow. The tire shop will tell you if it's fixable or if it needs to be replaced and whether you need to replace just the bad one or both tires on the axle.
Thanks! Will do that. Thanks for the tip about the lift pads.
Can I use Tesla roadside if I don’t have Tesla insurance?
I think you can, but I don't know for sure
you can but then you will have to pay the expensive rates of a tesla service center to fix it
Your Tesla comes with roadside assistance (or at least they did in 2019). They will tow your car to a tire shop of your choice (within a distance limit), or you can have Tesla repair/replace the tire. Tesla replacing/repairing the tire will be more convenient, but they will charge for this service. If you choose the correct tire shop, you could get the tire patched for free. America's Tire/Discount Tire is one of the tire shops that will patch a tire for free. Be aware that if the nail is too close to the sidewall, no one in the right mind will accept liability for repairing the tire.
Relying an a tow should be your second option because it will often take hours for the tow truck to arrive. If the tire is leaking slowly, you will be better off to pump up the tire and drive to the tire shop (take the pump with you in case you need to add more air to the tire on the way).
tesla roadside terms say only towing to tesla SC and paying to getting tires fixed there is covered.
Not sure if it’s actually more lenient.
Before I bought a spare tire, I had to have my car towed to a Discount Tire due to a rock cutting the sidewall of a tire. This was done in the last week that I still had Tesla roadside assistance. So, this was possible a couple of years ago.
oh wow nice.
hopefully they’re still like this.
You may be able to pump up the tire if you have a compressor avalibe and see if it will hold are long enough to drive to a local tire shop too. Nails and screws are often slow leaks.
Luckily AAA patched it up.. woo!
If you have a Discount Tire nearby, they will sell you a warranty on a 4 tires for around $200 (price seems to vary by region, I paid $175 for a ‘21 MY). Covers free replacement of tires if they become damaged or flat and can’t repair them. I’ve had to replace a flat twice on the MY and once on a ‘23 M3.
Awesome! Thank you!
Tesla service will come replace the entire wheel with a loaner and take the wheel back to the service center to see if it's fixable.
You can go to a tire replacement place such as NTB or Discount Tire.
Depending on where the nail is on the tire, it might can be patched/plugged.
You will also want to get tire "road hazard" replacement warranty from them as well, as I have personally done this from NTB
DO NOT go to Tesla service for a nail in tire. They dont want to deal with it and will charge you out the ass. They quoted me $120 for a tire patch if it was patchable, or $320 for a new tire if not. Then $40 for tire install and $69 to rotate tires while it was already on the lift. Local tire shop patched and rotated for $40 total.
Yeah they quoted me $450 for a tire. Luckily AAA came and patched it right up for free.